Education Index
Encyclopedia
This article contains information based on the pre-2010 Human Development Reports. The HDI and its education component have changed in 2010.
The United Nations
publishes a Human Development Index
every year, which consists of the Education index, GDP Index and Life Expectancy Index. These three components measure the educational attainment
, GDP per capita and life expectancy
respectively.
The Education Index is measured by the adult literacy
rate (with two-thirds weighting) and the combined primary, secondary, and tertiary gross enrollment ratio (with one-third weighting). The adult literacy rate gives an indication of the ability to read
and write, while the GER gives an indication of the level of education from kindergarten
to postgraduate education
.
Education
is a major component of well-being
and is used in the measure of economic development
and quality of life
, which is a key factor determining whether a country is a developed
, developing
, or underdeveloped country.
The latest index was released in the Human Development Report in October 2009. This statistical update covers the period up to 2007: 1 is the highest possible theoretical score, indicating perfect education attainment.
All countries considered to be developed countries possess a minimum score of 0.8 or above, although the great majority have a score of 0.9 or above. For ranking based on the Human Development Index
, see List of countries by Human Development Index.
The United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
publishes a Human Development Index
Human Development Index
The Human Development Index is a composite statistic used to rank countries by level of "human development" and separate "very high human development", "high human development", "medium human development", and "low human development" countries...
every year, which consists of the Education index, GDP Index and Life Expectancy Index. These three components measure the educational attainment
Educational attainment
Educational attainment is a term commonly used by statisticians to refer to the highest degree of education an individual has completed.The US Census Bureau Glossary defines educational attainment as "the highest level of education completed in terms of the highest degree or the highest level of...
, GDP per capita and life expectancy
Life expectancy
Life expectancy is the expected number of years of life remaining at a given age. It is denoted by ex, which means the average number of subsequent years of life for someone now aged x, according to a particular mortality experience...
respectively.
The Education Index is measured by the adult literacy
Literacy
Literacy has traditionally been described as the ability to read for knowledge, write coherently and think critically about printed material.Literacy represents the lifelong, intellectual process of gaining meaning from print...
rate (with two-thirds weighting) and the combined primary, secondary, and tertiary gross enrollment ratio (with one-third weighting). The adult literacy rate gives an indication of the ability to read
Read
Read is a village in the Ribble Valley in Lancashire, England about west of Padiham on the A671 which was originally a turnpike road from Portfield, near Preston, to Padiham in the 1840s.-History:...
and write, while the GER gives an indication of the level of education from kindergarten
Kindergarten
A kindergarten is a preschool educational institution for children. The term was created by Friedrich Fröbel for the play and activity institute that he created in 1837 in Bad Blankenburg as a social experience for children for their transition from home to school...
to postgraduate education
Postgraduate education
Postgraduate education involves learning and studying for degrees or other qualifications for which a first or Bachelor's degree generally is required, and is normally considered to be part of higher education...
.
Education
Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
is a major component of well-being
Quality of life
The term quality of life is used to evaluate the general well-being of individuals and societies. The term is used in a wide range of contexts, including the fields of international development, healthcare, and politics. Quality of life should not be confused with the concept of standard of...
and is used in the measure of economic development
Economic development
Economic development generally refers to the sustained, concerted actions of policymakers and communities that promote the standard of living and economic health of a specific area...
and quality of life
Quality of life
The term quality of life is used to evaluate the general well-being of individuals and societies. The term is used in a wide range of contexts, including the fields of international development, healthcare, and politics. Quality of life should not be confused with the concept of standard of...
, which is a key factor determining whether a country is a developed
Developed country
A developed country is a country that has a high level of development according to some criteria. Which criteria, and which countries are classified as being developed, is a contentious issue...
, developing
Developing country
A developing country, also known as a less-developed country, is a nation with a low level of material well-being. Since no single definition of the term developing country is recognized internationally, the levels of development may vary widely within so-called developing countries...
, or underdeveloped country.
Ranking
Change in value from the last report is given as follows: = increase. = steady. = decrease.The latest index was released in the Human Development Report in October 2009. This statistical update covers the period up to 2007: 1 is the highest possible theoretical score, indicating perfect education attainment.
All countries considered to be developed countries possess a minimum score of 0.8 or above, although the great majority have a score of 0.9 or above. For ranking based on the Human Development Index
Human Development Index
The Human Development Index is a composite statistic used to rank countries by level of "human development" and separate "very high human development", "high human development", "medium human development", and "low human development" countries...
, see List of countries by Human Development Index.
| Rank | Country | Education index | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 data | Change compared to 2006 data | 2007 data | Change compared to 2006 data | |
| 1 |  Australia |
0.993 | ||
| 1 |  Finland |
0.993 | ||
| 1 |  Denmark |
0.993 | ||
| 1 |  New Zealand |
0.993 | ||
| 1 | (8) |  Cuba |
0.993 | 0.017 |
| 6 | (1) |  Canada |
0.991 | |
| 7 |  Norway |
0.989 | ||
| 8 | (1) |  South Korea |
0.988 | |
| 9 | (1) |  Republic of Ireland |
0.985 | |
| 10 | (1) |  Netherlands |
0.985 | |
| 11 | (1) |  Greece |
0.981 | 0.001 |
| 12 | (1) |  Iceland |
0.980 | |
| 13 | (1) |  Early Modern France |
0.978 | |
| 14 |  Luxembourg |
0.975 | ||
| 15 | (2) |  Spain |
0.975 | 0.004 |
| 16 | (20) |  Barbados |
0.975 | 0.035 |
| 17 | (1) |  Sweden |
0.974 | |
| 18 | (1) |  Belgium |
0.974 | |
| 19 | (1) |  Slovenia |
0.969 | |
| 20 | (1) |  United States |
0.968 | |
| 21 | (1) |  Lithuania |
0.968 | |
| 22 |  Italy |
0.965 | ||
| 23 | (2) |  Kazakhstan |
0.965 | 0.001 |
| 24 | (1) |  Estonia |
0.964 | |
| 25 | (1) |  Austria |
0.962 | |
| 26 | (1) |  Latvia |
0.961 | |
| 27 |  Belarus |
0.961 | 0.003 | |
| 28 | (2) |  Hungary |
0.960 | |
| 29 |  Ukraine |
0.960 | 0.004 | |
| 30 | (2) |  United Kingdom |
0.957 | |
| 31 | (1) |  Uruguay |
0.955 | |
| 32 | (1) |  Germany |
0.954 | |
| 33 | (1) |  Poland |
0.952 | |
| 34 | (1) |  Japan |
0.949 | |
| 35 |  Liechtenstein |
0.949 | ||
| 36 | (2) |  Israel |
0.947 | |
| 37 | (2) |  Argentina |
0.946 | |
| 38 | (2) |  Antigua and Barbuda |
0.945 | |
| 39 | (2) |  Guyana |
0.939 | |
| 40 | (2) |  Czech Republic |
0.938 | |
| 41 | (2) |  Switzerland |
0.936 | |
| 42 | (2) |  Russia |
0.933 | |
| 43 | (2) |  Kingdom of Bulgaria |
0.930 | |
| 44 | (1) |  Portugal |
0.929 | 0.002 |
| 45 | (3) |  Slovakia |
0.928 | |
| 46 | (23) |  Venezuela |
0.921 | 0.035 |
| 47 | (3) |  Tonga |
0.920 | |
| 48 | (2) |  Chile |
0.919 | 0.001 |
| 49 | (4) |  Kyrgyzstan |
0.918 | 0.001 |
| 50 | (3) |  Independent State of Croatia |
0.916 | 0.001 |
| 51 | (3) |  Kingdom of Romania |
0.915 | 0.001 |
| 52 | (40) |  Singapore |
0.913 | 0.070 |
| 53 | (4) |  Mongolia |
0.913 | |
| 54 | (4) |  Cyprus |
0.910 | 0.001 |
| 55 | (1) |  Armenia |
0.909 | |
| 56 | (3) |  Turkmenistan |
0.906 | 0.001 |
| 57 | (4) |  Samoa |
0.905 | |
| 58 | (4) |  Moldova |
0.899 | 0.001 |
| 59 |  Libya |
0.898 | 0.004 | |
| 60 | (4) |  Saint Kitts and Nevis |
0.896 | |
| 61 | (3) |  Tajikistan |
0.896 | |
| 62 | (1) |  Bahrain |
0.893 | 0.003 |
| 63 | (9) |  Bolivia |
0.892 | 0.007 |
| 64 | (4) |  Brunei |
0.891 | |
| 65 | (4) |  Kingdom of Montenegro |
0.891 | |
| 66 | (4) |  Serbia |
0.891 | |
| 67 | (2) |  Brazil |
0.891 | |
| 68 | (4) |  Peru |
0.891 | 0.006 |
| 69 | (12) |  Saint Lucia |
0.889 | |
| 70 |  Qatar |
0.888 | ||
| 71 | (5) |  Panama |
0.888 | 0.001 |
| 72 | (2) |  Thailand |
0.888 | 0.002 |
| 73 | (6) |  Philippines |
0.888 | 0.001 |
| 74 | (10) |  Uzbekistan |
0.888 | 0.002 |
| 75 | (5) |  Malta |
0.887 | 0.007 |
| 76 | (6) |  Mexico |
0.886 | 0.007 |
| 77 | (9) |  Seychelles |
0.886 | |
| 78 | (10) |  Albania |
0.886 | |
| 79 | (3) |  Palestinian National Authority |
0.886 | 0.002 |
| 80 | (5) |  Maldives |
0.885 | 0.001 |
| 81 | (7) |  Grenada |
0.884 | |
| 82 | (5) |  Costa Rica |
0.883 | 0.001 |
| 83 | (3) |  Colombia |
0.881 | 0.005 |
| 84 | (3) |  Azerbaijan |
0.881 | |
| 85 | (2) |  Republic of Macedonia |
0.880 | 0.001 |
| 86 | (5) |  Hong Kong |
0.879 | |
| 87 | (3) |  The Bahamas |
0.878 | |
| 88 |  Andorra |
0.878 | ||
| 89 | (2) |  Bosnia and Herzegovina |
0.874 | |
| 90 | (1) |  Kuwait |
0.872 | 0.005 |
| 91 | (2) |  Paraguay |
0.871 | 0.006 |
| Rank | Country | Education index | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 data | Change compared to 2006 data | 2007 data | Change compared to 2006 data | |
| 92 | (13) |  Jordan |
0.870 | 0.010 |
| 93 | (5) |  Fiji |
0.868 | |
| 93 | (9) |  Ecuador |
0.866 | 0.011 |
| 94 | (3) |  Trinidad and Tobago |
0.861 | |
| 95 | (1) |  Lebanon |
0.857 | 0.012 |
| 96 | (1) |  Malaysia |
0.851 | 0.003 |
| 97 | (2) |  Mainland China |
0.851 | 0.002 |
| 98 | (5) |  Suriname |
0.850 | 0.002 |
| 99 | (5) |  Dominica |
0.848 | |
| 100 | (1) |  Gabon |
0.843 | 0.005 |
| 101 | (3) |  South Africa |
0.843 | 0.003 |
| 102 |  Indonesia |
0.840 | 0.006 | |
| 103 | (2) |  Mauritius |
0.839 | 0.003 |
| 104 | (4) |  Dominican Republic |
0.839 | 0.002 |
| 105 | (1) |  United Arab Emirates |
0.838 | 0.010 |
| 106 | (2) |  Jamaica |
0.834 | 0.004 |
| 107 | (4) |  Sri Lanka |
0.834 | |
| 108 |  Saudi Arabia |
0.828 | 0.013 | |
| 109 | (4) |  Turkey |
0.828 | 0.004 |
| 110 | (3) |  Saint Vincent and the Grenadines |
0.817 | |
| 111 |  São Tomé and Príncipe |
0.813 | 0.003 | |
| 112 | (2) |  Namibia |
0.811 | 0.003 |
| 113 | (4) |  Vietnam |
0.810 | |
| 114 | (1) |  Honduras |
0.806 | 0.006 |
| 115 | (1) |  El Salvador |
0.798 | |
| 116 | (4) |  Iran |
0.793 | 0.011 |
| 117 | (1) |  Oman |
0.790 | 0.003 |
| 118 | (1) |  Botswana |
0.788 | 0.005 |
| 119 | (2) |  Equatorial Guinea |
0.787 | |
| 120 | (5) |  Myanmar |
0.787 | |
| 121 | (5) |  Cape Verde |
0.786 | 0.001 |
| 122 |  Syria |
0.773 | 0.006 | |
| 123 |  Tunisia |
0.772 | 0.004 | |
| 124 |  Belize |
0.762 | ||
| 125 | (5) |  Nicaragua |
0.760 | 0.014 |
| 126 | (1) |  Lesotho |
0.753 | |
| 127 | (1) |  Algeria |
0.748 | 0.005 |
| 128 | (7) |  Republic of the Congo |
0.736 | 0.033 |
| 129 | (1) |  Swaziland |
0.731 | |
| 130 | (1) |  Vanuatu |
0.729 | 0.006 |
| 131 | (2) |  Guatemala |
0.723 | 0.014 |
| 132 | (2) |  Cambodia |
0.704 | 0.004 |
| 133 | (2) |  Uganda |
0.698 | 0.006 |
| 134 | (7) |  Egypt |
0.697 | 0.034 |
| 135 | (3) |  Kenya |
0.690 | |
| 136 | (2) |  Malawi |
0.685 | 0.006 |
| 137 | (4) |  Laos |
0.683 | 0.001 |
| 138 |  Zambia |
0.682 | 0.018 | |
| 139 | (3) |  Solomon Islands |
0.676 | |
| 140 | (3) |  Madagascar |
0.676 | 0.005 |
| 141 | (2) |  Tanzania |
0.673 | 0.012 |
| 142 | (18) |  Angola |
0.667 | 0.132 |
| 143 | (2) |  Nigeria |
0.657 | 0.009 |
| 144 | (6) |  Comoros |
0.655 | 0.004 |
| 145 | (3) |  India |
0.643 | 0.005 |
| 146 | (3) |  Cameroon |
0.627 | 0.005 |
| 147 | (2) |  Ghana |
0.627 | 0.017 |
| 148 | (2) |  Democratic Republic of the Congo |
0.608 | 0.049 |
| 149 | (4) |  Rwanda |
0.607 | |
| 150 | (3) |  Haiti |
0.588 | 0.010 |
| 151 | (3) |  Nepal |
0.579 | 0.002 |
| 152 | (3) |  Morocco |
0.574 | 0.012 |
| 153 | (9) |  Yemen |
0.579 | 0.045 |
| 154 | (3) |  Liberia |
0.562 | 0.005 |
| 155 | (2) |  Burundi |
0.559 | 0.004 |
| 156 | (5) |  Djibouti |
0.554 | |
| 157 |  Guinea-Bissau |
0.545 | 0.011 | |
| 158 |  Mauritania |
0.552 | 0.003 | |
| 159 | (1) |  Sudan |
0.539 | |
| 160 | (2) |  Eritrea |
0.539 | 0.025 |
| 161 | (5) |  Togo |
0.534 | 0.009 |
| 162 | (9) |  Bhutan |
0.533 | 0.020 |
| 163 | (2) |  Bangladesh |
0.530 | 0.006 |
| 164 | (2) |  Papua New Guinea |
0.521 | 0.002 |
| 165 | (1) |  Pakistan |
0.492 | |
| 166 | (1) |  Mozambique |
0.478 | 0.004 |
| 167 | (1) |  Côte d'Ivoire |
0.450 | |
| 168 | (1) |  Benin |
0.445 | 0.005 |
| 169 | (1) |  The Gambia |
0.439 | |
| 170 | (1) |  Central African Republic |
0.419 | |
| 171 | (1) |  Senegal |
0.417 | |
| 172 |  Ethiopia |
0.403 | 0.013 | |
| 173 | (2) |  Sierra Leone |
0.403 | 0.006 |
| 174 | (1) |  Guinea |
0.361 | |
| 175 |  Afghanistan |
0.354 | ||
| 176 | (1) |  Chad |
0.334 | |
| 177 | (3) |  Mali |
0.331 | 0.031 |
| 178 | (1) |  Burkina Faso |
0.301 | 0.015 |
| 179 | (3) |  Niger |
0.282 | 0.004 |