List of countries by Human Development Index

This is a list of all countries by Human Development Index as included in a United Nations Development Programme's Human Development Report (released on 15 December 2020), put together based on estimates for 2019. It covers 187 member states of the United Nations (out of 193), along with Hong Kong (of the People's Republic of China), and the Palestinian territories; 6 UN member states are not included because there is not enough data. The average HDI of regions of the World and groups of countries are also included for comparison.

The Human Development Index (HDI) is a comparative measure of life expectancy, literacy, education and standards of living for countries worldwide. It is a standard way of measuring well-being, especially child welfare. It is used to distinguish whether the country is a developed, a developing or an under-developed country, and also to measure the effect of economic policies on quality of life. The index was developed in 1990 by Pakistani economist Mahbub ul Haq and Indian economist Amartya Sen.

Countries fall into four wide human development categories: Very High Human Development (66 countries), High Human Development (53 countries), Medium Human Development (37 countries) and Low Human Development (36 countries).

From 2007 to 2010, the first two categories was referred to as developed countries, and the last two are all grouped in developing countries. The original "high human development" category has been split into two as above in the report for 2007.

Some older groupings (high/medium/low income countries) that have been removed were based on the gross domestic product (GDP) in purchasing power parity (PPP) per capita, and have been replaced by another index based on the gross national income (GNI) in purchasing power parity per capita.

Complete list of countries
  = increase.
  = steady.
  = decrease.

 Rank Country or Territory HDI 2019 data (2020 report) Change over 5 years (2014) 2019 data (2020 report) Average change per year (2010-2019)       0.957         0.955         0.955         0.949         0.949         0.947         0.945         0.944         0.944         0.940         0.938         0.938         0.932         0.931         0.931         0.929         0.926         0.922         0.919         0.919         0.919         0.917         0.916         0.916         0.904         0.901         0.900         0.895         0.892         0.892         0.890         0.888         0.887         0.882         0.880         0.868         0.866         0.864         0.860         0.854         0.854         0.852         0.851         0.851         0.848         0.845         0.838         0.829         0.828         0.826         0.825         0.824         0.823         0.820         0.817         0.816         0.815         0.814         0.814         0.813         0.812         0.810         0.810         0.806         0.806         0.890          0.796         0.796         0.795         0.783         0.783         0.797         0.780         0.779         0.779         0.779         0.779         0.778         0.777         0.777         0.776         0.774         0.767         0.765         0.761         0.759         0.759         0.756         0.756         0.750         0.748         0.744         0.743         0.742         0.740         0.740         0.738         0.738         0.737         0.735         0.734         0.729         0.728         0.725         0.724         0.720         0.718         0.718         0.718         0.716         0.715         0.315         0.711         0.709         0.708         0.707         0.704  NAData not available before 2017       0.704         0.703          0.697         0.686         0.682         0.674         0.673         0.668         0.665         0.663         0.660         0.654         0.646         0.645         0.634         0.632         0.630         0.625         0.620         0.613         0.611         0.611         0.609         0.606         0.602         0.601         0.594         0.592         0.584         0.583         0.581         0.574         0.571         0.567         0.267         0.563         0.557         0.555         0.554          0.546         0.545         0.544         0.543         0.539         0.538         0.529         0.528         0.527         0.524         0.515         0.512         0.111         0.510         0.510         0.496         0.485         0.483         0.480         0.480         0.480         0.477         0.674         0.459         0.456         0.452         0.452         0.434         0.433         0.433         0.398         0.397         0.394  

List of countries by continent
 Africa 

10 highest HDIs
 Rank Country HDI New 2020 estimates for 2019      0.804      0.796     0.748     0.740     0.735     0.724     0.709     0.707     0.703      0.686

10 lowest HDIs
 Rank Country HDI New 2020 estimates for 2019      0.394     0.397     0.398     0.433     0.433     0.434     0.452     0.452     0.456     0.459

 Asia 

10 highest HDIs
 Rank Country HDI New 2020 estimates for 2019      0.949     0.938     0.919     0.919     0.916     0.890     0.854     0.852     0.848     0.838

10 lowest HDIs
 Rank Country HDI New 2020 estimates for 2019      0.470     0.511      0.557     0.567     0.583     0.594     0.602     0.613     0.632     0.645

 Europe 

10 highest HDIs
 Rank Country HDI New 2020 estimates for 2019      0.957     0.955     0.955     0.949     0.947     0.945     0.944     0.940     0.938     0.932

10 lowest HDIs
 Rank Country HDI New 2020 estimates for 2019      0.750     0.756     0.774     0.776     0.779     0.780     0.795      0.806     0.812     0.816

 North America and the Caribbean 

10 highest HDIs
 Rank Country HDI New 2020 estimates for 2019      0.929     0.926     0.815     0.814     0.814     0.810      0.796     0.783     0.779     0.779     0.778

10 lowest HDIs
 Rank Country HDI New 2020 estimates for 2019      0.510      0.634     0.660     0.663     0.673      0.716     0.734     0.738     0.742     0.756

 Oceania 

 Rank Country HDI New 2020 estimates for 2019      0.944     0.931     0.826      0.743     0.725     0.715     0.704      0.630     0.620     0.609     0.567     0.555

 South America 

 Rank Country HDI New 2020 estimates for 2019      0.851     0.845     0.817      0.777     0.767     0.765     0.759     0.738     0.728     0.718     0.711      0.682

 List of countries by intercontinental region 
 Arab League 

10 highest HDIs
 Rank Country HDI New 2020 estimates for 2019 Very high human development 1    0.890 2    0.854 3    0.852 4    0.848 5    0.813 6    0.806 High human development 7    0.748 8    0.744 9    0.740 10    0.729
10 lowest HDIs
 Rank Country HDI New 2020 estimates for 2019 Low human development 1    0.470 2    0.510 3    0.524 4    0.546 5    0.554 Medium human development 6    0.567 7    0.674 8    0.686 9   Egypt  0.707 10   0.708

 Commonwealth of Nations 

10 highest HDIs
 Rank Country HDI New 2020 estimates for 2019 Very high human development 1    0.944 2    0.938 3    0.932 4    0.931 5    0.929 6    0.895 7    0.887 8    0.838 9    0.814 9    0.814

10 lowest HDIs
 Rank Country HDI New 2020 estimates for 2019 Low human development 1    0.452 2    0.456 3    0.483 4    0.496 5    0.527 6    0.529 7    0.539 8    0.543 9    0.544 Medium human development 10    0.555

 East Asia and the Pacific 

10 highest HDIs
 Rank Country HDI New 2020 estimates for 2019 Very high human development 1    0.949 2    0.944 3    0.938 4    0.931 5    0.919 6    0.916 7    0.838 8    0.826 9    0.810 High human development 10    0.777

10 lowest HDIs
 Rank Country HDI New 2020 estimates for 2019 Medium human development 1    0.555 2   0.567 3    0.583 4    0.594 5    0.606 6    0.609 7    0.613 8    0.620 9    0.630 High human development 10    0.704

 European Union 

10 highest HDIs
 Rank Country HDI New 2020 estimates for 2019 Very high human development 1    0.957 2    0.947 3    0.945 4    0.944 5    0.940 6    0.938 7    0.931 8    0.922 9    0.917 10    0.916

10 lowest HDIs
 Rank Country HDI New 2020 estimates for 2019 Very high human development 1    0.816 2    0.828 3    0.851 4    0.854 5    0.860 6    0.864 7    0.866 8    0.880 9    0.882 10    0.887

 Organisation of Islamic Cooperation 

10 highest HDIs
 Rank Country HDI New 2020 estimates for 2019 Very high human development 1    0.890 2    0.854 3    0.852 4    0.848 5    0.838 6    0.825 7    0.820 8    0.813 9    0.810 10    0.806

10 lowest HDIs
 Rank Country HDI New 2020 estimates for 2019 Low human development 1    0.394 2    0.398 3    0.434 4    0.452 4    0.452 6    0.456 7    0.470 8    0.477 9    0.480 10    0.496

 OECD 

10 highest HDIs
 Rank Country HDI New 2020 estimates for 2019 Very high human development 1    0.957 2    0.955 2    0.955 4    0.949 5    0.947 6    0.945 7    0.944 7    0.944 9    0.940 10    0.938

10 lowest HDIs
 Rank Country HDI New 2020 estimates for 2019 High human development 1    0.767 2    0.779 Very high human development 3    0.820 4    0.851 5    0.854 6    0.860 7    0.864 8    0.866 9    0.880 10    0.882

 Small Island Developing States 

10 highest HDIs
 Rank Country HDI New 2020 estimates for 2019 Very high human development 1    0.938 2    0.852 3    0.826 4    0.814 4    0.814 6    0.804 High human development 7    0.796 7    0.796 9    0.783 10    0.779

10 lowest HDIs
 Rank Country HDI New 2020 estimates for 2019 Low human development 1    0.480 2    0.510 Medium human development 3    0.554 4    0.555 5    0.567 6    0.606 7    0.609 8    0.620 9    0.625 10    0.630

HDI by regions and groups

 Region or group 2011estimatesHDI 2013estimatesHDI 2014estimatesHDI 2015estimatesHDI Very high human development Very High Human Development  0.889  0.905  0.890  0.892 OECD  0.873  0.887  0.874  0.887 High human development Europe and Central Asia 0.751  0.771  0.738  0.756 Latin America and the Caribbean  0.731  0.741  0.740  0.751 High Human Development 0.741  0.758  0.735  0.746 East Asia and the Pacific  0.671   0.683  0.703  0.720 World  0.682   0.694  0.702  0.717 Medium human development Arab states  0.641   0.652  0.682  0.687 Small Island Developing States  0.640   0.648  0.665  0.667 Medium Human Development  0.630   0.640  0.614  0.631 South Asia  0.548   0.558  0.588  0.621 Low human development Sub-Saharan Africa  0.463   0.475  0.502  0.523 Least Developed countries  0.439   0.449  0.487  0.508 Low Human Development  0.456   0.466  0.493  0.497

Countries missing from latest report
UN member states (latest UNDP data)
 Year Country HDI Rank Source Publication Data Very high human development 2009  2008    0.961  21 Filling Gaps in the Human Development Index , United Nations ESCAP, February 2009 2009  2008    0.956  25  High human development 2009  2008    0.738  155  2009  2008    0.733  156  2009  2008    0.721  164  2009  2008    0.711  168  Low human development 2009  2008    0.364  229 

Note: 2009 publication uses old HDI formula

Non-UN member states (latest UNDP data)
 Year Country or territory HDI Rank Source Publication Data High human development   2016    0.739   

Non-UN members (not calculated by the UNDP)
 Year Country or territory HDI Rank  Source Publication Data Very high human development 2017  2015    0.905  17  2017  2015    0.885  27   2017  2015    0.845  40  2012  2010    0.822  39 Quel niveau de développement humain dans les outre-mer? , Agence Française de Developpment, 2012 (in French) 2012  2010 25px Martinique  0.813  41 <ref name="IDH DOM" 2009  2008    0.985  2  2009  2008    0.983  4  2009  2008    0.981  7  2009  2008    0.975  9  2009  2008    0.961  20  2009  2008    0.958  23  2009  2008    0.950  33  2009  2008    0.950  34  2009  2008    0.945  35  2009  2008    0.933  43  2009  2008    0.908  49  2009  2008    0.901  54  High human development 2012  2010    0.789  51  2012  2010    0.763  65  2012  2010    0.762  66  2012  2010  25px Réunion  0.750  72  2012  2010    0.739  76  2012  2010    0.737  77  2012  2010  25px Saint Martin  0.702  n/a <ref name="IDH DOM"  2009  2008    0.894  59  2009  2008    0.875  71  2009  2008    0.873  72  2009  2008    0.869  76  2009  2008    0.865  79  2009  2008    0.829  101  2009  2008    0.827  103  2009  2008    0.821  106  Medium human development 2012  2010    0.688  n/a  2012  2010    0.653  104  2009  2008    0.797  125  2009  2008    0.794  129  2009  2008    0.750  149 Low human development201520150.500n/a

Notes

References

*Human Development Index
Category:Country classifications
Category:Economic indicators
Category:Welfare economics