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List of countries by Human Development Index

List of countries by Human Development Index

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This is a list of all countries by Human Development Index
Human Development Index
The Human Development Index is an index used to rank countries by level of "human development", which usually also implies whether a country is developed, developing, or underdeveloped.-Summary:...

as included in a United Nations Development Program's Human Development Report
Human development (humanity)
In the scope of humanity, human development is an international and economic development paradigm.-Scope of human development:Human development is a development paradigm that is about much more than the rise or fall of national incomes...

 released on October 5, 2009, compiled on the basis of data from 2007. It covers 180 UN member states
United Nations member states
There are currently 192 United Nations member states, and each of them is a member of the United Nations General Assembly.According to the United Nations Charter, Chapter II, Article 4:...

 (out of 192), along with: Hong Kong (SAR of China)
Hong Kong
Hong Kong , officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, is a highly autonomous territory of the People's Republic of China, facing Guangdong to the north and the South China Sea to the east, west and south...

 and PA-governed territories
Palestinian territories
The Palestinian territories are composed of two discontiguous regions, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, whose final status has yet to be determined. The territories, which were originally contained within the British Mandate of Palestine, were captured and occupied by Jordan and by Egypt in the...

. Twelve UN member states are not included due to lack of 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
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...

, literacy
Literacy
Literacy is a concept claimed and defined by a range of different theoretical fields. In everyday terms, "literacy" is typically described as the ability to read and write...

, education
Education
Education in its broadest sense is any act or experience that has a formative effect on the mind, character or physical ability of an individual...

 and standards of living
Standard of living
Standard of living is generally measured by standards such as real income per person and poverty rate. Other measures such as access and quality of health care, income growth inequality and educational standards are also used. Examples are access to certain goods , or measures of health such as...

 for countries worldwide. It is a standard means of measuring well-being, especially child welfare
Child welfare
Child protection is used to describe a set of usually government-run services designed to protect children and young people who are 18 or under and encourage family stability...

. It is used to distinguish whether the country is a developed
Developed country
The term developed country is used to describe countries that have a high level of development according to some criteria. Which criteria, and which countries are classified as being developed, is a contentious issue and there is fierce debate about this. Economic criteria have tended to dominate...

, a developing
Developing country
Developing country is a term generally used to describe a nation with a low level of material well being. There is no single internationally-recognized definition of developed country, and the levels of development may vary widely within so-called developing countries, with some developing...

 or an under-developed country
Least Developed Countries
Least Developed Countries are countries which according to the United Nations exhibit the lowest indicators of socioeconomic development, with the lowest Human Development Index ratings of all countries in the world...

, and also to measure the impact of economic policies on quality of life. The index was developed in 1990 by Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country located at the crossroads of South Asia, the Middle East, and Central Asia...

i economist
Economics
Economics is the social science that studies the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...

 Mahbub ul Haq
Mahbub ul Haq
Mahbub ul Haq , born in the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir, was an influential and world renowned Pakistani economist. He is the pioneer of Human development theory and founder of the Human Development Report...

 and India
India
India, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the west, and the Bay of Bengal...

n economist Amartya Sen
Amartya Sen
Amartya Kumar Sen CH , is an Indian Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics-winning economist, and Thomas W. Lamont University Professor and Professor of Economics and Philosophy at Harvard University. He is also a fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge...

.

Countries fall into four broad categories based on their HDI: very high (added in the report for 2007), high (split in the same report), medium and low human development. Starting in the report for 2007, the first category is referred as developed countries
Developed country
The term developed country is used to describe countries that have a high level of development according to some criteria. Which criteria, and which countries are classified as being developed, is a contentious issue and there is fierce debate about this. Economic criteria have tended to dominate...

, and the last three are all grouped in developing countries
Developing country
Developing country is a term generally used to describe a nation with a low level of material well being. There is no single internationally-recognized definition of developed country, and the levels of development may vary widely within so-called developing countries, with some developing...

.

Some older groupings (high/medium/low income countries) have been removed that were based on the gross national income
Gross National Income
Gross national income ' comprises the total value produced within a country , together with its income received from other countries , less similar payments made to other countries....

 (GNI) in purchasing power parity
Purchasing power parity
The purchasing power parity theory uses the long-term equilibrium exchange rate of two currencies to equalize their purchasing power...

 (PPP) per capita, and have been replaced by another index based on the gross domestic product
Gross domestic product
The gross domestic product or gross domestic income is a basic measure of a country's economic performance and is the market value of all final goods and services made within the borders of a country in a year...

 (GDP) in purchasing power parity per capita.

Complete list of countries

= increase. = steady. = decrease.
  • Similar HDI values in the current list do not lead to ranking ties, since the HDI rank is actually determined using HDI values to the sixth decimal point.
  • The number in brackets represents the number of ranks the country has climbed (up or down) since the 2005 survey.


Note: This revision of the index was released on December 18, 2008. This so-called "statistical update" covers the period up to 2006 and was published without an accompanying report on human development. The update is relevant due to newly released estimates of purchasing power parities
Purchasing power parity
The purchasing power parity theory uses the long-term equilibrium exchange rate of two currencies to equalize their purchasing power...

 (PPP), implying substantial adjustments for many countries, resulting in changes in HDI values and, in many cases, HDI ranks.

Very high human development (Developed Countries)



Rank Country HDI
2007 data Change compared to 2006 data 2007 data
As published in United Nations Development Programme's Human Development Report "Human Development Indices - A statistical update 2008"; Table 1 "Human development index trends" 2006 and 2005 values are used, as these are the revised values rather than those originally published as shown in Appendix A1.
Change compared to 2006 data
1 (1) Norway 0.971 0.001
2 (2) Australia 0.970 0.002
3 (2) Iceland 0.969 0.002
4 (1) Canada 0.966 0.001
5 Ireland 0.965 0.001
6 Netherlands 0.964 0.003
7 Sweden 0.963 0.002
8 (3) France 0.961 0.003
9 (1) Switzerland 0.960 0.001
10 (2) Japan 0.960 0.002
11 (2) Luxembourg 0.960 0.001
12 Finland 0.959 0.004
13 (2) United States 0.956 0.001
14 Austria 0.955 0.003
15 (1) Spain 0.955 0.003
16 (2) Denmark 0.955 0.002
17 Belgium 0.953 0.002
18 (1) Italy 0.951 0.001
19 Liechtenstein 0.951 0.001

Rank Country HDI
2007 data Change compared to 2006 data 2007 data Change compared to 2006 data
20 New Zealand 0.950 0.002
21 United Kingdom 0.947 0.002
22 (1) Germany 0.947 0.002
23 (5) Singapore 0.944 0.002
24 (2) Hong Kong 0.944 0.001
25 (7) Greece 0.942 0.004
26 (1) South Korea 0.937 0.004
27 (3) Israel 0.935 0.003
28 Andorra 0.934 0.001
29 (3) Slovenia 0.929 0.005
30 (3) Brunei 0.920 0.001
31 (2) Kuwait 0.916 0.004
32 (2) Cyprus 0.914 0.003
33 (1) Qatar 0.910 0.005
34 (1) Portugal 0.909 0.002
35 (4) United Arab Emirates 0.903 0.007
36 (1) Czech Republic 0.903 0.004
37 Barbados 0.903 0.004
38 (2) Malta 0.902 0.003


High human development (Developing Countries)



Rank Country HDI
2007 data Change compared to 2006 data 2007 data Change compared to 2006 data
39 (7) Bahrain 0.895 0.001
40 (2) Estonia 0.883 0.005
41 (3) Poland 0.880 0.004
42 (1) Slovakia 0.880 0.007
43 (5) Hungary 0.879 0.001
44 (4) Chile 0.878 0.004
45 Croatia 0.871 0.004
46 (3) Lithuania 0.870 0.005
47 (12) Antigua and Barbuda 0.868 0.008
48 (4) Latvia 0.866 0.007
49 (3) Argentina 0.866 0.005
50 (3) Uruguay 0.865 0.005
51 (3) Cuba 0.863 0.007
52 (6) Bahamas 0.856 0.002
53 (2) Mexico 0.854 0.005
54 (4) Costa Rica 0.854 0.005
55 (3) Libya 0.847 0.005
56 (3) Oman 0.846 0.003
57 (3) Seychelles 0.845 0.004
58 (3) Venezuela 0.844 0.011
59 (4) Saudi Arabia 0.843 0.003
60 (2) Panama 0.840 0.007
61 (5) Bulgaria 0.840 0.005

Rank Country HDI
2007 data Change compared to 2006 data 2007 data Change compared to 2006 data
62 (2) Saint Kitts and Nevis 0.838 0.003
63 (1) Romania 0.837 0.005
64 (8) Trinidad and Tobago 0.837 0.005
65 (1) Montenegro 0.834 0.006
66 (3) Malaysia 0.829 0.004
67 (2) Serbia 0.826 0.005
68 (1) Belarus 0.826 0.007
69 (3) Saint Lucia 0.821
70 (1) Albania 0.818 0.004
71 (2) Russia 0.817 0.006
72 (4) Macedonia 0.817 0.004
73 (4) Dominica 0.814
74 (12) Grenada 0.813 0.003
75 (5) Brazil 0.813 0.005
76 (1) Bosnia and Herzegovina 0.812 0.005
77 (3) Colombia 0.807 0.007
78 (1) Peru 0.806 0.007
79 (3) Turkey 0.806 0.004
80 (8) Ecuador 0.806 0.001
81 (7) Mauritius 0.804 0.003
82 (11) Kazakhstan 0.804 0.003
83 (2) Lebanon 0.803 0.003


Medium human development (Developing Countries)



Rank Country HDI
2007 data Change compared to 2006 data 2007 data Change compared to 2006 data
84 (1) Armenia 0.798 0.011
85 (3) Ukraine 0.796 0.007
86 (11) Azerbaijan 0.787 0.014
87 (6) Thailand 0.783 0.003
88 (4) Iran 0.782 0.005
89 (5) Georgia 0.778 0.010
90 (1) Dominican Republic 0.777 0.006
91 (1) Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 0.772 0.005
92 (2) ChinaIncludes data for mainland China
People's Republic of China
The People's Republic of China , commonly known as China, is the largest country in East Asia and the most populous in the world with over 1.3 billion people, approximately one-fifth of the world's population...

; excludes the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR)
Hong Kong
Hong Kong , officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, is a highly autonomous territory of the People's Republic of China, facing Guangdong to the north and the South China Sea to the east, west and south...

 (separately ranked), the Macau SAR
Macau
The Macau Special Administrative Region , commonly known as Macau or Macao , is one of the two special administrative regions of the People's Republic of China, the other being Hong Kong...

 and the Republic of China (Taiwan)
Republic of China
The Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan, is a state in East Asia that has evolved from a single-party state with full global recognition and jurisdiction over China into a democratic state with limited international recognition and jurisdiction only over Taiwan and minor islands, though it...

.
0.772 0.009
93 (5) Belize 0.772 0.002
94 (2) Samoa 0.771 0.005
95 (4) Maldives 0.771 0.006
96 (6) Jordan 0.770 0.003
97 (8) Suriname 0.769 0.004
98 (3) Tunisia 0.769 0.006
99 (14) Tonga 0.768 0.001
100 (13) Jamaica 0.766 0.002
101 (3) Paraguay 0.761 0.004
102 (2) Sri Lanka 0.759 0.004
103 (4) Gabon 0.755 0.005
104 (4) Algeria 0.754 0.005
105 (3) Philippines 0.751 0.004
106 (5) El Salvador 0.747 0.001
107 (2) Syria 0.742 0.004
108 (5) Fiji 0.741 0.003
109 (1) Turkmenistan 0.739
110 (4) Palestine 0.737
111 (2) Indonesia 0.734 0.005
112 (5) Honduras 0.732 0.019
113 (2) Bolivia 0.729 0.003
114 (4) Guyana 0.729 0.008
115 (3) Mongolia 0.727 0.007
116 (2) Vietnam 0.725 0.005
117 (4) Moldova 0.720 0.002
118 (3) Equatorial Guinea 0.719 0.007
119 Uzbekistan 0.710 0.004
120 (2) Kyrgyzstan 0.710 0.005
121 (3) Cape Verde 0.708 0.004

Rank Country HDI
2007 data Change compared to 2006 data 2007 data Change compared to 2006 data
122 (1) Guatemala 0.704 0.008
123 (7) Egypt 0.703 0.003
124 (4) Nicaragua 0.699 0.003
125 (1) Botswana 0.694 0.011
126 (3) Vanuatu 0.693 0.005
127 (3) Tajikistan 0.688 0.005
128 (1) Namibia 0.686 0.008
129 (4) South Africa 0.683 0.003
130 (3) Morocco 0.654 0.006
131 (3) São Tomé and Príncipe 0.651 0.006
132 (1) Bhutan 0.619 0.011
133 Laos 0.619 0.006
134 (2) India 0.612 0.008
135 (1) Solomon Islands 0.610 0.006
136 (6) Republic of the Congo 0.601 0.002
137 (1) Cambodia 0.593 0.009
138 (3) Myanmar 0.586 0.002
139 (2) Comoros 0.576 0.003
140 (2) Yemen 0.575 0.007
141 (2) Pakistan 0.572 0.004
142 (1) Swaziland 0.572 0.003
143 (14) Angola 0.564 0.012
144 (1) Nepal 0.553 0.006
145 (2) Madagascar 0.543 0.006
146 (1) Bangladesh 0.543 0.008
147 (3) Kenya 0.541 0.006
148 (1) Papua New Guinea 0.541 0.005
149 (3) Haiti 0.532 0.006
150 (4) Sudan 0.531 0.005
151 (1) Tanzania 0.530 0.011
152 (10) Ghana 0.526 0.008
153 (3) Cameroon 0.523 0.004
154 (14) Mauritania 0.520 0.001
155 (3) Djibouti 0.520 0.003
156 (1) Lesotho 0.514 0.003
157 (1) Uganda 0.514 0.009
158 (4) Nigeria 0.511 0.005

Low human development (Developing Countries)



Rank Country HDI
2007 data Change compared to 2006 data 2007 data Change compared to 2006 data
159 Togo 0.499 0.001
160 (2) Malawi 0.493 0.009
161 Benin 0.492 0.005
162 (4) Timor-Leste 0.489 0.005
163 (3) Côte d'Ivoire 0.484 0.002
164 (1) Zambia 0.481 0.008
165 (1) Eritrea 0.472 0.005
166 (13) Senegal 0.464 0.002
167 (2) Rwanda 0.460 0.005
168 (8) Gambia 0.456 0.003
169 (7) Liberia 0.442 0.008
170 (3) Guinea 0.435 0.002

Rank Country HDI
2007 data Change compared to 2006 data 2007 data Change compared to 2006 data
171 (2) Ethiopia 0.414 0.012
172 (3) Mozambique 0.402 0.005
173 (2) Guinea-Bissau 0.396 0.005
174 (2) Burundi 0.394 0.007
175 (5) Chad 0.392 0.001
176 (2) Democratic Republic of the Congo 0.389 0.018
177 (4) Burkina Faso 0.389 0.005
178 (10) Mali 0.371 0.005
179 (1) Central African Republic 0.369 0.002
180 (1) Sierra Leone 0.365 0.008
181 Afghanistan 0.352 0.002
182 (8) Niger 0.340 0.005

Africa


10 highest HDIs
Rank Country HDI
2007 data Change compared to 2006 data
High human development
1 Libya 0.847 +0.005
2 Seychelles 0.845 +0.004
3 Mauritius 0.804 +0.003
Medium human development
4 Tunisia 0.769 +0.006
5 Gabon 0.755 +0.005
6 Algeria 0.754 +0.005
7 Equatorial Guinea 0.719 +0.007
8 Cape Verde 0.708 +0.004
9 Egypt 0.703 +0.003
10 Botswana 0.694 +0.011


10 lowest HDIs
Rank Country HDI
2007 data Change compared to 2006 data
Low human development
1 Niger 0.340 +0.007
2 Sierra Leone 0.365 +0.008
3 Central African Republic 0.369 +0.002
4 Mali 0.371 +0.005
5 Burkina Faso 0.389 +0.005
6 Democratic Republic of the Congo 0.389 +0.018
7 Chad 0.392 -0.001
8 Burundi 0.394 +0.007
9 Guinea-Bissau 0.396 +0.005
10 Mozambique 0.402 +0.005


Americas


10 highest HDIs
Rank Country HDI
2007 data Change compared to 2006 data
Very high human development
1 Canada 0.966 +0.001
2 United States 0.956 +0.001
3 Barbados 0.903 +0.004
High human development
4 Chile 0.878 +0.004
5 Antigua and Barbuda 0.868 +0.008
6 Argentina 0.866 +0.005
7 Uruguay 0.865 +0.005
8 Cuba 0.863 +0.007
9 Bahamas 0.856 +0.002
10 Mexico 0.854 +0.005


10 lowest HDIs
Rank Country HDI
2007 data Change compared to 2006 data
Medium human development
1 Haiti 0.532 +0.006
2 Nicaragua 0.699 +0.003
3 Guatemala 0.704 +0.008
4 Guyana 0.729 +0.008
5 Bolivia 0.729 +0.003
6 Honduras 0.732 +0.003
7 El Salvador 0.747 +0.001
8 Paraguay 0.761 +0.004
9 Jamaica 0.766 -0.002
10 Suriname 0.769 +0.004


Asia & Oceania


10 highest HDIs
Rank Country HDI
2007 data Change compared to 2006 data
Very high human development
1 Australia 0.970 +0.002
2 Japan 0.960 +0.002
3 New Zealand 0.950 +0.002
4 Singapore 0.944 +0.002
5 Hong Kong 0.944 +0.001
6 South Korea 0.937 +0.004
7 Israel 0.935 +0.003
8 Brunei 0.920 +0.001
9 Kuwait 0.916 +0.004
10 Cyprus 0.914 +0.003


10 lowest HDIs
Rank Country HDI
2007 data Change compared to 2006 data
Low human development
1 Afghanistan 0.352 +0.002
2 Timor-Leste 0.489 +0.005
Medium human development
3 Papua New Guinea 0.541 +0.005
4 Bangladesh 0.543 +0.008
5 Nepal 0.553 +0.006
6 Pakistan 0.572 +0.004
7 Yemen 0.575 +0.007
8 Myanmar 0.586 +0.002
9 Cambodia 0.593 +0.009
10 Solomon Islands 0.610 +0.006


Europe


10 highest HDIs
Rank Country HDI
2007 data Change compared to 2006 data
Very high human development
1 Norway 0.971 +0.001
2 Iceland 0.969 +0.002
3 Ireland 0.965 +0.001
4 Netherlands 0.964 +0.003
5 Sweden 0.963 +0.002
6 France 0.961 +0.003
7 Switzerland 0.960 +0.001
8 Luxembourg 0.960 +0.001
9 Finland 0.959 +0.004
10 Austria 0.955 +0.003


10 lowest HDIs
Rank Country HDI
2007 data Change compared to 2006 data
Medium human development
1 Moldova 0.720 +0.002
2 Ukraine 0.796 +0.007
High human development
3 Bosnia and Herzegovina 0.812 +0.005
4 Macedonia 0.817 +0.004
5 Russia 0.817 +0.006
6 Albania 0.818 +0.004
7 Belarus 0.826 +0.007
8 Serbia 0.826 +0.005
9 Montenegro 0.834 +0.006
10 Romania 0.837 +0.005


HDI by regions & groups



Region or Group HDI
2007
HDI
2005
Very high human development
European Union (EU27)
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 Member States, located primarily in Europe. Committed to regional integration, the EU was established by the Treaty of Maastricht on 1 November 1993 upon the foundations of the pre-existing European Economic Community...

0.937
OECD
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development is an international organisation of 30 countries that accept the principles of representative democracy and free-market economy...

0.932 0.925
High human development
Gulf Cooperation Council 0.868
Central
Central Europe
Central Europe is the region lying between the variously defined areas of Eastern and Western Europe. The term and widespread interest in the region itself came back into fashion after the end of the Cold War, which, along with the Iron Curtain, had divided Europe politically into East and West,...

 and Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is a region lying in the Eastern part of Europe. The term is highly context-dependent and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...

 and the CIS
Commonwealth of Independent States

This is a list of all countries by Human Development Index
Human Development Index
The Human Development Index is an index used to rank countries by level of "human development", which usually also implies whether a country is developed, developing, or underdeveloped.-Summary:...

as included in a United Nations Development Program's Human Development Report
Human development (humanity)
In the scope of humanity, human development is an international and economic development paradigm.-Scope of human development:Human development is a development paradigm that is about much more than the rise or fall of national incomes...

 released on October 5, 2009, compiled on the basis of data from 2007. It covers 180 UN member states
United Nations member states
There are currently 192 United Nations member states, and each of them is a member of the United Nations General Assembly.According to the United Nations Charter, Chapter II, Article 4:...

 (out of 192), along with: Hong Kong (SAR of China)
Hong Kong
Hong Kong , officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, is a highly autonomous territory of the People's Republic of China, facing Guangdong to the north and the South China Sea to the east, west and south...

 and PA-governed territories
Palestinian territories
The Palestinian territories are composed of two discontiguous regions, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, whose final status has yet to be determined. The territories, which were originally contained within the British Mandate of Palestine, were captured and occupied by Jordan and by Egypt in the...

. Twelve UN member states are not included due to lack of 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
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...

, literacy
Literacy
Literacy is a concept claimed and defined by a range of different theoretical fields. In everyday terms, "literacy" is typically described as the ability to read and write...

, education
Education
Education in its broadest sense is any act or experience that has a formative effect on the mind, character or physical ability of an individual...

 and standards of living
Standard of living
Standard of living is generally measured by standards such as real income per person and poverty rate. Other measures such as access and quality of health care, income growth inequality and educational standards are also used. Examples are access to certain goods , or measures of health such as...

 for countries worldwide. It is a standard means of measuring well-being, especially child welfare
Child welfare
Child protection is used to describe a set of usually government-run services designed to protect children and young people who are 18 or under and encourage family stability...

. It is used to distinguish whether the country is a developed
Developed country
The term developed country is used to describe countries that have a high level of development according to some criteria. Which criteria, and which countries are classified as being developed, is a contentious issue and there is fierce debate about this. Economic criteria have tended to dominate...

, a developing
Developing country
Developing country is a term generally used to describe a nation with a low level of material well being. There is no single internationally-recognized definition of developed country, and the levels of development may vary widely within so-called developing countries, with some developing...

 or an under-developed country
Least Developed Countries
Least Developed Countries are countries which according to the United Nations exhibit the lowest indicators of socioeconomic development, with the lowest Human Development Index ratings of all countries in the world...

, and also to measure the impact of economic policies on quality of life. The index was developed in 1990 by Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country located at the crossroads of South Asia, the Middle East, and Central Asia...

i economist
Economics
Economics is the social science that studies the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...

 Mahbub ul Haq
Mahbub ul Haq
Mahbub ul Haq , born in the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir, was an influential and world renowned Pakistani economist. He is the pioneer of Human development theory and founder of the Human Development Report...

 and India
India
India, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the west, and the Bay of Bengal...

n economist Amartya Sen
Amartya Sen
Amartya Kumar Sen CH , is an Indian Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics-winning economist, and Thomas W. Lamont University Professor and Professor of Economics and Philosophy at Harvard University. He is also a fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge...

.

Countries fall into four broad categories based on their HDI: very high (added in the report for 2007), high (split in the same report), medium and low human development. Starting in the report for 2007, the first category is referred as developed countries
Developed country
The term developed country is used to describe countries that have a high level of development according to some criteria. Which criteria, and which countries are classified as being developed, is a contentious issue and there is fierce debate about this. Economic criteria have tended to dominate...

, and the last three are all grouped in developing countries
Developing country
Developing country is a term generally used to describe a nation with a low level of material well being. There is no single internationally-recognized definition of developed country, and the levels of development may vary widely within so-called developing countries, with some developing...

.

Some older groupings (high/medium/low income countries) have been removed that were based on the gross national income
Gross National Income
Gross national income ' comprises the total value produced within a country , together with its income received from other countries , less similar payments made to other countries....

 (GNI) in purchasing power parity
Purchasing power parity
The purchasing power parity theory uses the long-term equilibrium exchange rate of two currencies to equalize their purchasing power...

 (PPP) per capita, and have been replaced by another index based on the gross domestic product
Gross domestic product
The gross domestic product or gross domestic income is a basic measure of a country's economic performance and is the market value of all final goods and services made within the borders of a country in a year...

 (GDP) in purchasing power parity per capita.

Complete list of countries

= increase. = steady. = decrease.
  • Similar HDI values in the current list do not lead to ranking ties, since the HDI rank is actually determined using HDI values to the sixth decimal point.
  • The number in brackets represents the number of ranks the country has climbed (up or down) since the 2005 survey.


Note: This revision of the index was released on December 18, 2008. This so-called "statistical update" covers the period up to 2006 and was published without an accompanying report on human development. The update is relevant due to newly released estimates of purchasing power parities
Purchasing power parity
The purchasing power parity theory uses the long-term equilibrium exchange rate of two currencies to equalize their purchasing power...

 (PPP), implying substantial adjustments for many countries, resulting in changes in HDI values and, in many cases, HDI ranks.

Very high human development (Developed Countries)


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Rank Country HDI
2007 data Change compared to 2006 data 2007 data
As published in United Nations Development Programme's Human Development Report "Human Development Indices - A statistical update 2008"; Table 1 "Human development index trends" 2006 and 2005 values are used, as these are the revised values rather than those originally published as shown in Appendix A1.
Change compared to 2006 data
1 {{increase}} (1) Norway 0.971 {{Increase}} 0.001
2 {{increase}} (2) Australia 0.970 {{Increase}} 0.002
3 {{decrease}} (2) Iceland 0.969 {{Increase}} 0.002
4 {{decrease}} (1) Canada 0.966 {{Increase}} 0.001
5 {{steady}} Ireland 0.965 {{Increase}} 0.001
6 {{steady}} Netherlands 0.964 {{Increase}} 0.003
7 {{steady}} Sweden 0.963 {{Increase}} 0.002
8 {{increase}} (3) France 0.961 {{Increase}} 0.003
9 {{increase}} (1) Switzerland 0.960 {{Increase}} 0.001
10 {{decrease}} (2) Japan 0.960 {{Increase}} 0.002
11 {{decrease}} (2) Luxembourg 0.960 {{Increase}} 0.001
12 {{steady}} Finland 0.959 {{Increase}} 0.004
13 {{increase}} (2) United States 0.956 {{Increase}} 0.001
14 {{steady}} Austria 0.955 {{Increase}} 0.003
15 {{increase}} (1) Spain 0.955 {{Increase}} 0.003
16 {{decrease}} (2) Denmark 0.955 {{Increase}} 0.002
17 {{steady}} Belgium 0.953 {{Increase}} 0.002
18 {{increase}} (1) Italy 0.951 {{Increase}} 0.001
19 {{N/A}} Liechtenstein 0.951 {{Increase}} 0.001

{{col-break}}
Rank Country HDI
2007 data Change compared to 2006 data 2007 data Change compared to 2006 data
20 {{steady}} New Zealand 0.950 {{Increase}} 0.002
21 {{steady}} United Kingdom 0.947 {{Increase}} 0.002
22 {{increase}} (1) Germany 0.947 {{Increase}} 0.002
23 {{increase}} (5) Singapore 0.944 {{Increase}} 0.002
24 {{decrease}} (2) Hong Kong 0.944 {{Increase}} 0.001
25 {{decrease}} (7) Greece 0.942 {{Increase}} 0.004
26 {{decrease}} (1) South Korea 0.937 {{Increase}} 0.004
27 {{decrease}} (3) Israel 0.935 {{Increase}} 0.003
28 {{steady}} Andorra 0.934 {{Increase}} 0.001
29 {{decrease}} (3) Slovenia 0.929 {{Increase}} 0.005
30 {{decrease}} (3) Brunei 0.920 {{Increase}} 0.001
31 {{decrease}} (2) Kuwait 0.916 {{Increase}} 0.004
32 {{decrease}} (2) Cyprus 0.914 {{Increase}} 0.003
33 {{increase}} (1) Qatar 0.910 {{Increase}} 0.005
34 {{decrease}} (1) Portugal 0.909 {{Increase}} 0.002
35 {{decrease}} (4) United Arab Emirates 0.903 {{Increase}} 0.007
36 {{decrease}} (1) Czech Republic 0.903 {{Increase}} 0.004
37 {{steady}} Barbados 0.903 {{Increase}} 0.004
38 {{decrease}} (2) Malta 0.902 {{Increase}} 0.003

{{col-end}}

High human development (Developing Countries)


{{col-begin}}
{{col-break}}
Rank Country HDI
2007 data Change compared to 2006 data 2007 data Change compared to 2006 data
39 {{decrease}} (7) Bahrain 0.895 {{Increase}} 0.001
40 {{increase}} (2) Estonia 0.883 {{Increase}} 0.005
41 {{decrease}} (3) Poland 0.880 {{Increase}} 0.004
42 {{decrease}} (1) Slovakia 0.880 {{Increase}} 0.007
43 {{decrease}} (5) Hungary 0.879 {{Increase}} 0.001
44 {{decrease}} (4) Chile 0.878 {{Increase}} 0.004
45 {{steady}} Croatia 0.871 {{Increase}} 0.004
46 {{decrease}} (3) Lithuania 0.870 {{Increase}} 0.005
47 {{increase}} (12) Antigua and Barbuda 0.868 {{Increase}} 0.008
48 {{decrease}} (4) Latvia 0.866 {{Increase}} 0.007
49 {{decrease}} (3) Argentina 0.866 {{Increase}} 0.005
50 {{decrease}} (3) Uruguay 0.865 {{Increase}} 0.005
51 {{decrease}} (3) Cuba 0.863 {{Increase}} 0.007
52 {{decrease}} (6) Bahamas 0.856 {{Increase}} 0.002
53 {{decrease}} (2) Mexico 0.854 {{Increase}} 0.005
54 {{decrease}} (4) Costa Rica 0.854 {{Increase}} 0.005
55 {{decrease}} (3) Libya 0.847 {{Increase}} 0.005
56 {{decrease}} (3) Oman 0.846 {{Increase}} 0.003
57 {{decrease}} (3) Seychelles 0.845 {{Increase}} 0.004
58 {{increase}} (3) Venezuela 0.844 {{Increase}} 0.011
59 {{decrease}} (4) Saudi Arabia 0.843 {{Increase}} 0.003
60 {{decrease}} (2) Panama 0.840 {{Increase}} 0.007
61 {{decrease}} (5) Bulgaria 0.840 {{Increase}} 0.005

{{col-break}}
Rank Country HDI
2007 data Change compared to 2006 data 2007 data Change compared to 2006 data
62 {{decrease}} (2) Saint Kitts and Nevis 0.838 {{Increase}} 0.003
63 {{decrease}} (1) Romania 0.837 {{Increase}} 0.005
64 {{decrease}} (8) Trinidad and Tobago 0.837 {{Increase}} 0.005
65 {{decrease}} (1) Montenegro 0.834 {{Increase}} 0.006
66 {{decrease}} (3) Malaysia 0.829 {{Increase}} 0.004
67 {{decrease}} (2) Serbia 0.826 {{Increase}} 0.005
68 {{increase}} (1) Belarus 0.826 {{Increase}} 0.007
69 {{decrease}} (3) Saint Lucia 0.821 {{Steady}}
70 {{decrease}} (1) Albania 0.818 {{Increase}} 0.004
71 {{increase}} (2) Russia 0.817 {{Increase}} 0.006
72 {{decrease}} (4) Macedonia 0.817 {{Increase}} 0.004
73 {{increase}} (4) Dominica 0.814 {{Steady}}
74 {{increase}} (12) Grenada 0.813 {{Increase}} 0.003
75 {{decrease}} (5) Brazil 0.813 {{Increase}} 0.005
76 {{decrease}} (1) Bosnia and Herzegovina 0.812 {{Increase}} 0.005
77 {{increase}} (3) Colombia 0.807 {{Increase}} 0.007
78 {{increase}} (1) Peru 0.806 {{Increase}} 0.007
79 {{increase}} (3) Turkey 0.806 {{Increase}} 0.004
80 {{decrease}} (8) Ecuador 0.806 {{Increase}} 0.001
81 {{decrease}} (7) Mauritius 0.804 {{Increase}} 0.003
82 {{decrease}} (11) Kazakhstan 0.804 {{Increase}} 0.003
83 {{decrease}} (2) Lebanon 0.803 {{Increase}} 0.003

{{col-end}}

Medium human development (Developing Countries)


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{{col-break}}
Rank Country HDI
2007 data Change compared to 2006 data 2007 data Change compared to 2006 data
84 {{decrease}} (1) Armenia 0.798 {{Increase}} 0.011
85 {{decrease}} (3) Ukraine 0.796 {{Increase}} 0.007
86 {{increase}} (11) Azerbaijan 0.787 {{Increase}} 0.014
87 {{decrease}} (6) Thailand 0.783 {{Increase}} 0.003
88 {{decrease}} (4) Iran 0.782 {{Increase}} 0.005
89 {{increase}} (5) Georgia 0.778 {{Increase}} 0.010
90 {{increase}} (1) Dominican Republic 0.777 {{Increase}} 0.006
91 {{increase}} (1) Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 0.772 {{Increase}} 0.005
92 {{increase}} (2) ChinaIncludes data for mainland China
People's Republic of China
The People's Republic of China , commonly known as China, is the largest country in East Asia and the most populous in the world with over 1.3 billion people, approximately one-fifth of the world's population...

; excludes the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR)
Hong Kong
Hong Kong , officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, is a highly autonomous territory of the People's Republic of China, facing Guangdong to the north and the South China Sea to the east, west and south...

 (separately ranked), the Macau SAR
Macau
The Macau Special Administrative Region , commonly known as Macau or Macao , is one of the two special administrative regions of the People's Republic of China, the other being Hong Kong...

 and the Republic of China (Taiwan)
Republic of China
The Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan, is a state in East Asia that has evolved from a single-party state with full global recognition and jurisdiction over China into a democratic state with limited international recognition and jurisdiction only over Taiwan and minor islands, though it...

.
0.772 {{Increase}} 0.009
93 {{decrease}} (5) Belize 0.772 {{Increase}} 0.002
94 {{increase}} (2) Samoa 0.771 {{Increase}} 0.005
95 {{increase}} (4) Maldives 0.771 {{Increase}} 0.006
96 {{decrease}} (6) Jordan 0.770 {{Increase}} 0.003
97 {{decrease}} (8) Suriname 0.769 {{Increase}} 0.004
98 {{decrease}} (3) Tunisia 0.769 {{Increase}} 0.006
99 {{decrease}} (14) Tonga 0.768 {{Increase}} 0.001
100 {{decrease}} (13) Jamaica 0.766 {{Decrease}} 0.002
101 {{decrease}} (3) Paraguay 0.761 {{Increase}} 0.004
102 {{increase}} (2) Sri Lanka 0.759 {{Increase}} 0.004
103 {{increase}} (4) Gabon 0.755 {{Increase}} 0.005
104 {{decrease}} (4) Algeria 0.754 {{Increase}} 0.005
105 {{decrease}} (3) Philippines 0.751 {{Increase}} 0.004
106 {{decrease}} (5) El Salvador 0.747 {{Increase}} 0.001
107 {{decrease}} (2) Syria 0.742 {{Increase}} 0.004
108 {{decrease}} (5) Fiji 0.741 {{Decrease}} 0.003
109 {{decrease}} (1) Turkmenistan 0.739 {{Steady}}
110 {{decrease}} (4) Palestine 0.737 {{Steady}}
111 {{decrease}} (2) Indonesia 0.734 {{Increase}} 0.005
112 {{increase}} (5) Honduras 0.732 {{Increase}} 0.019
113 {{decrease}} (2) Bolivia 0.729 {{Increase}} 0.003
114 {{decrease}} (4) Guyana 0.729 {{Increase}} 0.008
115 {{decrease}} (3) Mongolia 0.727 {{Increase}} 0.007
116 {{decrease}} (2) Vietnam 0.725 {{Increase}} 0.005
117 {{decrease}} (4) Moldova 0.720 {{Increase}} 0.002
118 {{decrease}} (3) Equatorial Guinea 0.719 {{Increase}} 0.007
119 {{steady}} Uzbekistan 0.710 {{Increase}} 0.004
120 {{increase}} (2) Kyrgyzstan 0.710 {{Increase}} 0.005
121 {{decrease}} (3) Cape Verde 0.708 {{Increase}} 0.004

{{col-break}}
Rank Country HDI
2007 data Change compared to 2006 data 2007 data Change compared to 2006 data
122 {{decrease}} (1) Guatemala 0.704 {{Increase}} 0.008
123 {{decrease}} (7) Egypt 0.703 {{Increase}} 0.003
124 {{decrease}} (4) Nicaragua 0.699 {{Increase}} 0.003
125 {{increase}} (1) Botswana 0.694 {{Increase}} 0.011
126 {{decrease}} (3) Vanuatu 0.693 {{Increase}} 0.005
127 {{decrease}} (3) Tajikistan 0.688 {{Increase}} 0.005
128 {{increase}} (1) Namibia 0.686 {{Increase}} 0.008
129 {{decrease}} (4) South Africa 0.683 {{Increase}} 0.003
130 {{decrease}} (3) Morocco 0.654 {{Increase}} 0.006
131 {{decrease}} (3) São Tomé and Príncipe 0.651 {{Increase}} 0.006
132 {{decrease}} (1) Bhutan 0.619 {{Increase}} 0.011
133 {{steady}} Laos 0.619 {{Increase}} 0.006
134 {{decrease}} (2) India 0.612 {{Increase}} 0.008
135 {{decrease}} (1) Solomon Islands 0.610 {{Increase}} 0.006
136 {{decrease}} (6) Republic of the Congo 0.601 {{Decrease}} 0.002
137 {{decrease}} (1) Cambodia 0.593 {{Increase}} 0.009
138 {{decrease}} (3) Myanmar 0.586 {{Increase}} 0.002
139 {{decrease}} (2) Comoros 0.576 {{Increase}} 0.003
140 {{decrease}} (2) Yemen 0.575 {{Increase}} 0.007
141 {{decrease}} (2) Pakistan 0.572 {{Increase}} 0.004
142 {{decrease}} (1) Swaziland 0.572 {{Increase}} 0.003
143 {{increase}} (14) Angola 0.564 {{Increase}} 0.012
144 {{increase}} (1) Nepal 0.553 {{Increase}} 0.006
145 {{decrease}} (2) Madagascar 0.543 {{Increase}} 0.006
146 {{increase}} (1) Bangladesh 0.543 {{Increase}} 0.008
147 {{decrease}} (3) Kenya 0.541 {{Increase}} 0.006
148 {{increase}} (1) Papua New Guinea 0.541 {{Increase}} 0.005
149 {{decrease}} (3) Haiti 0.532 {{Increase}} 0.006
150 {{decrease}} (4) Sudan 0.531 {{Increase}} 0.005
151 {{increase}} (1) Tanzania 0.530 {{Increase}} 0.011
152 {{decrease}} (10) Ghana 0.526 {{Increase}} 0.008
153 {{decrease}} (3) Cameroon 0.523 {{Increase}} 0.004
154 {{decrease}} (14) Mauritania 0.520 {{Increase}} 0.001
155 {{decrease}} (3) Djibouti 0.520 {{Increase}} 0.003
156 {{decrease}} (1) Lesotho 0.514 {{Increase}} 0.003
157 {{decrease}} (1) Uganda 0.514 {{Increase}} 0.009
158 {{decrease}} (4) Nigeria 0.511 {{Increase}} 0.005
{{col-end}}

Low human development (Developing Countries)


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Rank Country HDI
2007 data Change compared to 2006 data 2007 data Change compared to 2006 data
159 {{steady}} Togo 0.499 {{Increase}} 0.001
160 {{increase}} (2) Malawi 0.493 {{Increase}} 0.009
161 {{steady}} Benin 0.492 {{Increase}} 0.005
162 {{decrease}} (4) Timor-Leste 0.489 {{Increase}} 0.005
163 {{increase}} (3) Côte d'Ivoire 0.484 {{Increase}} 0.002
164 {{decrease}} (1) Zambia 0.481 {{Increase}} 0.008
165 {{decrease}} (1) Eritrea 0.472 {{Increase}} 0.005
166 {{decrease}} (13) Senegal 0.464 {{increase}} 0.002
167 {{decrease}} (2) Rwanda 0.460 {{Increase}} 0.005
168 {{decrease}} (8) Gambia 0.456 {{Increase}} 0.003
169 {{increase}} (7) Liberia 0.442 {{Increase}} 0.008
170 {{decrease}} (3) Guinea 0.435 {{Increase}} 0.002

{{col-break}}
Rank Country HDI
2007 data Change compared to 2006 data 2007 data Change compared to 2006 data
171 {{decrease}} (2) Ethiopia 0.414 {{Increase}} 0.012
172 {{increase}} (3) Mozambique 0.402 {{Increase}} 0.005
173 {{decrease}} (2) Guinea-Bissau 0.396 {{Increase}} 0.005
174 {{decrease}} (2) Burundi 0.394 {{Increase}} 0.007
175 {{decrease}} (5) Chad 0.392 {{Decrease}} 0.001
176 {{increase}} (2) Democratic Republic of the Congo 0.389 {{Increase}} 0.018
177 {{decrease}} (4) Burkina Faso 0.389 {{Increase}} 0.005
178 {{decrease}} (10) Mali 0.371 {{Increase}} 0.005
179 {{decrease}} (1) Central African Republic 0.369 {{Increase}} 0.002
180 {{decrease}} (1) Sierra Leone 0.365 {{Increase}} 0.008
181 {{N/A}} Afghanistan 0.352 {{Increase}} 0.002
182 {{decrease}} (8) Niger 0.340 {{Increase}} 0.005
{{col-end}}

Africa


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{{col-break}}
10 highest HDIs
Rank Country HDI
2007 data Change compared to 2006 data
High human development
1 Libya 0.847 {{Increase}} +0.005
2 Seychelles 0.845 {{Increase}} +0.004
3 Mauritius 0.804 {{Increase}} +0.003
Medium human development
4 Tunisia 0.769 {{Increase}} +0.006
5 Gabon 0.755 {{Increase}} +0.005
6 Algeria 0.754 {{Increase}} +0.005
7 Equatorial Guinea 0.719 {{Increase}} +0.007
8 Cape Verde 0.708 {{Increase}} +0.004
9 Egypt 0.703 {{Increase}} +0.003
10 Botswana 0.694 {{Increase}} +0.011

{{col-break}}
10 lowest HDIs
Rank Country HDI
2007 data Change compared to 2006 data
Low human development
1 Niger 0.340 {{Increase}} +0.007
2 Sierra Leone 0.365 {{Increase}} +0.008
3 Central African Republic 0.369 {{Increase}} +0.002
4 Mali 0.371 {{Increase}} +0.005
5 Burkina Faso 0.389 {{Increase}} +0.005
6 Democratic Republic of the Congo 0.389 {{Increase}} +0.018
7 Chad 0.392 {{Decrease}} -0.001
8 Burundi 0.394 {{Increase}} +0.007
9 Guinea-Bissau 0.396 {{Increase}} +0.005
10 Mozambique 0.402 {{Increase}} +0.005

{{col-end}}

Americas


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{{col-break}}
10 highest HDIs
Rank Country HDI
2007 data Change compared to 2006 data
Very high human development
1 Canada 0.966 {{Increase}} +0.001
2 United States 0.956 {{Increase}} +0.001
3 Barbados 0.903 {{Increase}} +0.004
High human development
4 Chile 0.878 {{Increase}} +0.004
5 Antigua and Barbuda 0.868 {{Increase}} +0.008
6 Argentina 0.866 {{Increase}} +0.005
7 Uruguay 0.865 {{Increase}} +0.005
8 Cuba 0.863 {{Increase}} +0.007
9 Bahamas 0.856 {{Increase}} +0.002
10 Mexico 0.854 {{Increase}} +0.005

{{col-break}}
10 lowest HDIs
Rank Country HDI
2007 data Change compared to 2006 data
Medium human development
1 Haiti 0.532 {{Increase}} +0.006
2 Nicaragua 0.699 {{Increase}} +0.003
3 Guatemala 0.704 {{Increase}} +0.008
4 Guyana 0.729 {{Increase}} +0.008
5 Bolivia 0.729 {{Increase}} +0.003
6 Honduras 0.732 {{Increase}} +0.003
7 El Salvador 0.747 {{Increase}} +0.001
8 Paraguay 0.761 {{Increase}} +0.004
9 Jamaica 0.766 {{Decrease}} -0.002
10 Suriname 0.769 {{Increase}} +0.004

{{col-end}}

Asia & Oceania


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{{col-break}}
10 highest HDIs
Rank Country HDI
2007 data Change compared to 2006 data
Very high human development
1 Australia 0.970 {{Increase}} +0.002
2 Japan 0.960 {{Increase}} +0.002
3 New Zealand 0.950 {{Increase}} +0.002
4 Singapore 0.944 {{Increase}} +0.002
5 Hong Kong 0.944 {{Increase}} +0.001
6 South Korea 0.937 {{Increase}} +0.004
7 Israel 0.935 {{Increase}} +0.003
8 Brunei 0.920 {{Increase}} +0.001
9 Kuwait 0.916 {{Increase}} +0.004
10 Cyprus 0.914 {{Increase}} +0.003

{{col-break}}
10 lowest HDIs
Rank Country HDI
2007 data Change compared to 2006 data
Low human development
1 Afghanistan 0.352 {{Increase}} +0.002
2 Timor-Leste 0.489 {{Increase}} +0.005
Medium human development
3 Papua New Guinea 0.541 {{Increase}} +0.005
4 Bangladesh 0.543 {{Increase}} +0.008
5 Nepal 0.553 {{Increase}} +0.006
6 Pakistan 0.572 {{Increase}} +0.004
7 Yemen 0.575 {{Increase}} +0.007
8 Myanmar 0.586 {{Increase}} +0.002
9 Cambodia 0.593 {{Increase}} +0.009
10 Solomon Islands 0.610 {{Increase}} +0.006

{{col-end}}

Europe


{{col-begin}}
{{col-break}}
10 highest HDIs
Rank Country HDI
2007 data Change compared to 2006 data
Very high human development
1 Norway 0.971 {{Increase}} +0.001
2 Iceland 0.969 {{Increase}} +0.002
3 Ireland 0.965 {{Increase}} +0.001
4 Netherlands 0.964 {{Increase}} +0.003
5 Sweden 0.963 {{Increase}} +0.002
6 France 0.961 {{Increase}} +0.003
7 Switzerland 0.960 {{Increase}} +0.001
8 Luxembourg 0.960 {{Increase}} +0.001
9 Finland 0.959 {{Increase}} +0.004
10 Austria 0.955 {{Increase}} +0.003

{{col-break}}
10 lowest HDIs
Rank Country HDI
2007 data Change compared to 2006 data
Medium human development
1 Moldova 0.720 {{Increase}} +0.002
2 Ukraine 0.796 {{Increase}} +0.007
High human development
3 Bosnia and Herzegovina 0.812 {{Increase}} +0.005
4 Macedonia 0.817 {{Increase}} +0.004
5 Russia 0.817 {{Increase}} +0.006
6 Albania 0.818 {{Increase}} +0.004
7 Belarus 0.826 {{Increase}} +0.007
8 Serbia 0.826 {{Increase}} +0.005
9 Montenegro 0.834 {{Increase}} +0.006
10 Romania 0.837 {{Increase}} +0.005

{{col-end}}

HDI by regions & groups


{{col-begin}}
{{col-break}}
Region or Group HDI
2007
HDI
2005
Very high human development
European Union (EU27)
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 Member States, located primarily in Europe. Committed to regional integration, the EU was established by the Treaty of Maastricht on 1 November 1993 upon the foundations of the pre-existing European Economic Community...

0.937 {{Increase}} {{N/A}}
OECD
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development is an international organisation of 30 countries that accept the principles of representative democracy and free-market economy...

0.932 {{Increase}} 0.925
High human development
Gulf Cooperation Council 0.868 {{Increase}} {{N/A}}
Central
Central Europe
Central Europe is the region lying between the variously defined areas of Eastern and Western Europe. The term and widespread interest in the region itself came back into fashion after the end of the Cold War, which, along with the Iron Curtain, had divided Europe politically into East and West,...

 and Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is a region lying in the Eastern part of Europe. The term is highly context-dependent and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...

 and the CIS
Commonwealth of Independent States
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This is a list of all countries by Human Development Index
Human Development Index
The Human Development Index is an index used to rank countries by level of "human development", which usually also implies whether a country is developed, developing, or underdeveloped.-Summary:...

as included in a United Nations Development Program's Human Development Report
Human development (humanity)
In the scope of humanity, human development is an international and economic development paradigm.-Scope of human development:Human development is a development paradigm that is about much more than the rise or fall of national incomes...

 released on October 5, 2009, compiled on the basis of data from 2007. It covers 180 UN member states
United Nations member states
There are currently 192 United Nations member states, and each of them is a member of the United Nations General Assembly.According to the United Nations Charter, Chapter II, Article 4:...

 (out of 192), along with: Hong Kong (SAR of China)
Hong Kong
Hong Kong , officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, is a highly autonomous territory of the People's Republic of China, facing Guangdong to the north and the South China Sea to the east, west and south...

 and PA-governed territories
Palestinian territories
The Palestinian territories are composed of two discontiguous regions, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, whose final status has yet to be determined. The territories, which were originally contained within the British Mandate of Palestine, were captured and occupied by Jordan and by Egypt in the...

. Twelve UN member states are not included due to lack of 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
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...

, literacy
Literacy
Literacy is a concept claimed and defined by a range of different theoretical fields. In everyday terms, "literacy" is typically described as the ability to read and write...

, education
Education
Education in its broadest sense is any act or experience that has a formative effect on the mind, character or physical ability of an individual...

 and standards of living
Standard of living
Standard of living is generally measured by standards such as real income per person and poverty rate. Other measures such as access and quality of health care, income growth inequality and educational standards are also used. Examples are access to certain goods , or measures of health such as...

 for countries worldwide. It is a standard means of measuring well-being, especially child welfare
Child welfare
Child protection is used to describe a set of usually government-run services designed to protect children and young people who are 18 or under and encourage family stability...

. It is used to distinguish whether the country is a developed
Developed country
The term developed country is used to describe countries that have a high level of development according to some criteria. Which criteria, and which countries are classified as being developed, is a contentious issue and there is fierce debate about this. Economic criteria have tended to dominate...

, a developing
Developing country
Developing country is a term generally used to describe a nation with a low level of material well being. There is no single internationally-recognized definition of developed country, and the levels of development may vary widely within so-called developing countries, with some developing...

 or an under-developed country
Least Developed Countries
Least Developed Countries are countries which according to the United Nations exhibit the lowest indicators of socioeconomic development, with the lowest Human Development Index ratings of all countries in the world...

, and also to measure the impact of economic policies on quality of life. The index was developed in 1990 by Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country located at the crossroads of South Asia, the Middle East, and Central Asia...

i economist
Economics
Economics is the social science that studies the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...

 Mahbub ul Haq
Mahbub ul Haq
Mahbub ul Haq , born in the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir, was an influential and world renowned Pakistani economist. He is the pioneer of Human development theory and founder of the Human Development Report...

 and India
India
India, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the west, and the Bay of Bengal...

n economist Amartya Sen
Amartya Sen
Amartya Kumar Sen CH , is an Indian Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics-winning economist, and Thomas W. Lamont University Professor and Professor of Economics and Philosophy at Harvard University. He is also a fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge...

.

Countries fall into four broad categories based on their HDI: very high (added in the report for 2007), high (split in the same report), medium and low human development. Starting in the report for 2007, the first category is referred as developed countries
Developed country
The term developed country is used to describe countries that have a high level of development according to some criteria. Which criteria, and which countries are classified as being developed, is a contentious issue and there is fierce debate about this. Economic criteria have tended to dominate...

, and the last three are all grouped in developing countries
Developing country
Developing country is a term generally used to describe a nation with a low level of material well being. There is no single internationally-recognized definition of developed country, and the levels of development may vary widely within so-called developing countries, with some developing...

.

Some older groupings (high/medium/low income countries) have been removed that were based on the gross national income
Gross National Income
Gross national income ' comprises the total value produced within a country , together with its income received from other countries , less similar payments made to other countries....

 (GNI) in purchasing power parity
Purchasing power parity
The purchasing power parity theory uses the long-term equilibrium exchange rate of two currencies to equalize their purchasing power...

 (PPP) per capita, and have been replaced by another index based on the gross domestic product
Gross domestic product
The gross domestic product or gross domestic income is a basic measure of a country's economic performance and is the market value of all final goods and services made within the borders of a country in a year...

 (GDP) in purchasing power parity per capita.

Complete list of countries

= increase. = steady. = decrease.
  • Similar HDI values in the current list do not lead to ranking ties, since the HDI rank is actually determined using HDI values to the sixth decimal point.
  • The number in brackets represents the number of ranks the country has climbed (up or down) since the 2005 survey.


Note: This revision of the index was released on December 18, 2008. This so-called "statistical update" covers the period up to 2006 and was published without an accompanying report on human development. The update is relevant due to newly released estimates of purchasing power parities
Purchasing power parity
The purchasing power parity theory uses the long-term equilibrium exchange rate of two currencies to equalize their purchasing power...

 (PPP), implying substantial adjustments for many countries, resulting in changes in HDI values and, in many cases, HDI ranks.

Very high human development (Developed Countries)


{{col-begin}}
{{col-break}}
Rank Country HDI
2007 data Change compared to 2006 data 2007 data
As published in United Nations Development Programme's Human Development Report "Human Development Indices - A statistical update 2008"; Table 1 "Human development index trends" 2006 and 2005 values are used, as these are the revised values rather than those originally published as shown in Appendix A1.
Change compared to 2006 data
1 {{increase}} (1) Norway 0.971 {{Increase}} 0.001
2 {{increase}} (2) Australia 0.970 {{Increase}} 0.002
3 {{decrease}} (2) Iceland 0.969 {{Increase}} 0.002
4 {{decrease}} (1) Canada 0.966 {{Increase}} 0.001
5 {{steady}} Ireland 0.965 {{Increase}} 0.001
6 {{steady}} Netherlands 0.964 {{Increase}} 0.003
7 {{steady}} Sweden 0.963 {{Increase}} 0.002
8 {{increase}} (3) France 0.961 {{Increase}} 0.003
9 {{increase}} (1) Switzerland 0.960 {{Increase}} 0.001
10 {{decrease}} (2) Japan 0.960 {{Increase}} 0.002
11 {{decrease}} (2) Luxembourg 0.960 {{Increase}} 0.001
12 {{steady}} Finland 0.959 {{Increase}} 0.004
13 {{increase}} (2) United States 0.956 {{Increase}} 0.001
14 {{steady}} Austria 0.955 {{Increase}} 0.003
15 {{increase}} (1) Spain 0.955 {{Increase}} 0.003
16 {{decrease}} (2) Denmark 0.955 {{Increase}} 0.002
17 {{steady}} Belgium 0.953 {{Increase}} 0.002
18 {{increase}} (1) Italy 0.951 {{Increase}} 0.001
19 {{N/A}} Liechtenstein 0.951 {{Increase}} 0.001

{{col-break}}
Rank Country HDI
2007 data Change compared to 2006 data 2007 data Change compared to 2006 data
20 {{steady}} New Zealand 0.950 {{Increase}} 0.002
21 {{steady}} United Kingdom 0.947 {{Increase}} 0.002
22 {{increase}} (1) Germany 0.947 {{Increase}} 0.002
23 {{increase}} (5) Singapore 0.944 {{Increase}} 0.002
24 {{decrease}} (2) Hong Kong 0.944 {{Increase}} 0.001
25 {{decrease}} (7) Greece 0.942 {{Increase}} 0.004
26 {{decrease}} (1) South Korea 0.937 {{Increase}} 0.004
27 {{decrease}} (3) Israel 0.935 {{Increase}} 0.003
28 {{steady}} Andorra 0.934 {{Increase}} 0.001
29 {{decrease}} (3) Slovenia 0.929 {{Increase}} 0.005
30 {{decrease}} (3) Brunei 0.920 {{Increase}} 0.001
31 {{decrease}} (2) Kuwait 0.916 {{Increase}} 0.004
32 {{decrease}} (2) Cyprus 0.914 {{Increase}} 0.003
33 {{increase}} (1) Qatar 0.910 {{Increase}} 0.005
34 {{decrease}} (1) Portugal 0.909 {{Increase}} 0.002
35 {{decrease}} (4) United Arab Emirates 0.903 {{Increase}} 0.007
36 {{decrease}} (1) Czech Republic 0.903 {{Increase}} 0.004
37 {{steady}} Barbados 0.903 {{Increase}} 0.004
38 {{decrease}} (2) Malta 0.902 {{Increase}} 0.003

{{col-end}}

High human development (Developing Countries)


{{col-begin}}
{{col-break}}
Rank Country HDI
2007 data Change compared to 2006 data 2007 data Change compared to 2006 data
39 {{decrease}} (7) Bahrain 0.895 {{Increase}} 0.001
40 {{increase}} (2) Estonia 0.883 {{Increase}} 0.005
41 {{decrease}} (3) Poland 0.880 {{Increase}} 0.004
42 {{decrease}} (1) Slovakia 0.880 {{Increase}} 0.007
43 {{decrease}} (5) Hungary 0.879 {{Increase}} 0.001
44 {{decrease}} (4) Chile 0.878 {{Increase}} 0.004
45 {{steady}} Croatia 0.871 {{Increase}} 0.004
46 {{decrease}} (3) Lithuania 0.870 {{Increase}} 0.005
47 {{increase}} (12) Antigua and Barbuda 0.868 {{Increase}} 0.008
48 {{decrease}} (4) Latvia 0.866 {{Increase}} 0.007
49 {{decrease}} (3) Argentina 0.866 {{Increase}} 0.005
50 {{decrease}} (3) Uruguay 0.865 {{Increase}} 0.005
51 {{decrease}} (3) Cuba 0.863 {{Increase}} 0.007
52 {{decrease}} (6) Bahamas 0.856 {{Increase}} 0.002
53 {{decrease}} (2) Mexico 0.854 {{Increase}} 0.005
54 {{decrease}} (4) Costa Rica 0.854 {{Increase}} 0.005
55 {{decrease}} (3) Libya 0.847 {{Increase}} 0.005
56 {{decrease}} (3) Oman 0.846 {{Increase}} 0.003
57 {{decrease}} (3) Seychelles 0.845 {{Increase}} 0.004
58 {{increase}} (3) Venezuela 0.844 {{Increase}} 0.011
59 {{decrease}} (4) Saudi Arabia 0.843 {{Increase}} 0.003
60 {{decrease}} (2) Panama 0.840 {{Increase}} 0.007
61 {{decrease}} (5) Bulgaria 0.840 {{Increase}} 0.005

{{col-break}}
Rank Country HDI
2007 data Change compared to 2006 data 2007 data Change compared to 2006 data
62 {{decrease}} (2) Saint Kitts and Nevis 0.838 {{Increase}} 0.003
63 {{decrease}} (1) Romania 0.837 {{Increase}} 0.005
64 {{decrease}} (8) Trinidad and Tobago 0.837 {{Increase}} 0.005
65 {{decrease}} (1) Montenegro 0.834 {{Increase}} 0.006
66 {{decrease}} (3) Malaysia 0.829 {{Increase}} 0.004
67 {{decrease}} (2) Serbia 0.826 {{Increase}} 0.005
68 {{increase}} (1) Belarus 0.826 {{Increase}} 0.007
69 {{decrease}} (3) Saint Lucia 0.821 {{Steady}}
70 {{decrease}} (1) Albania 0.818 {{Increase}} 0.004
71 {{increase}} (2) Russia 0.817 {{Increase}} 0.006
72 {{decrease}} (4) Macedonia 0.817 {{Increase}} 0.004
73 {{increase}} (4) Dominica 0.814 {{Steady}}
74 {{increase}} (12) Grenada 0.813 {{Increase}} 0.003
75 {{decrease}} (5) Brazil 0.813 {{Increase}} 0.005
76 {{decrease}} (1) Bosnia and Herzegovina 0.812 {{Increase}} 0.005
77 {{increase}} (3) Colombia 0.807 {{Increase}} 0.007
78 {{increase}} (1) Peru 0.806 {{Increase}} 0.007
79 {{increase}} (3) Turkey 0.806 {{Increase}} 0.004
80 {{decrease}} (8) Ecuador 0.806 {{Increase}} 0.001
81 {{decrease}} (7) Mauritius 0.804 {{Increase}} 0.003
82 {{decrease}} (11) Kazakhstan 0.804 {{Increase}} 0.003
83 {{decrease}} (2) Lebanon 0.803 {{Increase}} 0.003

{{col-end}}

Medium human development (Developing Countries)


{{col-begin}}
{{col-break}}
Rank Country HDI
2007 data Change compared to 2006 data 2007 data Change compared to 2006 data
84 {{decrease}} (1) Armenia 0.798 {{Increase}} 0.011
85 {{decrease}} (3) Ukraine 0.796 {{Increase}} 0.007
86 {{increase}} (11) Azerbaijan 0.787 {{Increase}} 0.014
87 {{decrease}} (6) Thailand 0.783 {{Increase}} 0.003
88 {{decrease}} (4) Iran 0.782 {{Increase}} 0.005
89 {{increase}} (5) Georgia 0.778 {{Increase}} 0.010
90 {{increase}} (1) Dominican Republic 0.777 {{Increase}} 0.006
91 {{increase}} (1) Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 0.772 {{Increase}} 0.005
92 {{increase}} (2) ChinaIncludes data for mainland China
People's Republic of China
The People's Republic of China , commonly known as China, is the largest country in East Asia and the most populous in the world with over 1.3 billion people, approximately one-fifth of the world's population...

; excludes the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR)
Hong Kong
Hong Kong , officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, is a highly autonomous territory of the People's Republic of China, facing Guangdong to the north and the South China Sea to the east, west and south...

 (separately ranked), the Macau SAR
Macau
The Macau Special Administrative Region , commonly known as Macau or Macao , is one of the two special administrative regions of the People's Republic of China, the other being Hong Kong...

 and the Republic of China (Taiwan)
Republic of China
The Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan, is a state in East Asia that has evolved from a single-party state with full global recognition and jurisdiction over China into a democratic state with limited international recognition and jurisdiction only over Taiwan and minor islands, though it...

.
0.772 {{Increase}} 0.009
93 {{decrease}} (5) Belize 0.772 {{Increase}} 0.002
94 {{increase}} (2) Samoa 0.771 {{Increase}} 0.005
95 {{increase}} (4) Maldives 0.771 {{Increase}} 0.006
96 {{decrease}} (6) Jordan 0.770 {{Increase}} 0.003
97 {{decrease}} (8) Suriname 0.769 {{Increase}} 0.004
98 {{decrease}} (3) Tunisia 0.769 {{Increase}} 0.006
99 {{decrease}} (14) Tonga 0.768 {{Increase}} 0.001
100 {{decrease}} (13) Jamaica 0.766 {{Decrease}} 0.002
101 {{decrease}} (3) Paraguay 0.761 {{Increase}} 0.004
102 {{increase}} (2) Sri Lanka 0.759 {{Increase}} 0.004
103 {{increase}} (4) Gabon 0.755 {{Increase}} 0.005
104 {{decrease}} (4) Algeria 0.754 {{Increase}} 0.005
105 {{decrease}} (3) Philippines 0.751 {{Increase}} 0.004
106 {{decrease}} (5) El Salvador 0.747 {{Increase}} 0.001
107 {{decrease}} (2) Syria 0.742 {{Increase}} 0.004
108 {{decrease}} (5) Fiji 0.741 {{Decrease}} 0.003
109 {{decrease}} (1) Turkmenistan 0.739 {{Steady}}
110 {{decrease}} (4) Palestine 0.737 {{Steady}}
111 {{decrease}} (2) Indonesia 0.734 {{Increase}} 0.005
112 {{increase}} (5) Honduras 0.732 {{Increase}} 0.019
113 {{decrease}} (2) Bolivia 0.729 {{Increase}} 0.003
114 {{decrease}} (4) Guyana 0.729 {{Increase}} 0.008
115 {{decrease}} (3) Mongolia 0.727 {{Increase}} 0.007
116 {{decrease}} (2) Vietnam 0.725 {{Increase}} 0.005
117 {{decrease}} (4) Moldova 0.720 {{Increase}} 0.002
118 {{decrease}} (3) Equatorial Guinea 0.719 {{Increase}} 0.007
119 {{steady}} Uzbekistan 0.710 {{Increase}} 0.004
120 {{increase}} (2) Kyrgyzstan 0.710 {{Increase}} 0.005
121 {{decrease}} (3) Cape Verde 0.708 {{Increase}} 0.004

{{col-break}}
Rank Country HDI
2007 data Change compared to 2006 data 2007 data Change compared to 2006 data
122 {{decrease}} (1) Guatemala 0.704 {{Increase}} 0.008
123 {{decrease}} (7) Egypt 0.703 {{Increase}} 0.003
124 {{decrease}} (4) Nicaragua 0.699 {{Increase}} 0.003
125 {{increase}} (1) Botswana 0.694 {{Increase}} 0.011
126 {{decrease}} (3) Vanuatu 0.693 {{Increase}} 0.005
127 {{decrease}} (3) Tajikistan 0.688 {{Increase}} 0.005
128 {{increase}} (1) Namibia 0.686 {{Increase}} 0.008
129 {{decrease}} (4) South Africa 0.683 {{Increase}} 0.003
130 {{decrease}} (3) Morocco 0.654 {{Increase}} 0.006
131 {{decrease}} (3) São Tomé and Príncipe 0.651 {{Increase}} 0.006
132 {{decrease}} (1) Bhutan 0.619 {{Increase}} 0.011
133 {{steady}} Laos 0.619 {{Increase}} 0.006
134 {{decrease}} (2) India 0.612 {{Increase}} 0.008
135 {{decrease}} (1) Solomon Islands 0.610 {{Increase}} 0.006
136 {{decrease}} (6) Republic of the Congo 0.601 {{Decrease}} 0.002
137 {{decrease}} (1) Cambodia 0.593 {{Increase}} 0.009
138 {{decrease}} (3) Myanmar 0.586 {{Increase}} 0.002
139 {{decrease}} (2) Comoros 0.576 {{Increase}} 0.003
140 {{decrease}} (2) Yemen 0.575 {{Increase}} 0.007
141 {{decrease}} (2) Pakistan 0.572 {{Increase}} 0.004
142 {{decrease}} (1) Swaziland 0.572 {{Increase}} 0.003
143 {{increase}} (14) Angola 0.564 {{Increase}} 0.012
144 {{increase}} (1) Nepal 0.553 {{Increase}} 0.006
145 {{decrease}} (2) Madagascar 0.543 {{Increase}} 0.006
146 {{increase}} (1) Bangladesh 0.543 {{Increase}} 0.008
147 {{decrease}} (3) Kenya 0.541 {{Increase}} 0.006
148 {{increase}} (1) Papua New Guinea 0.541 {{Increase}} 0.005
149 {{decrease}} (3) Haiti 0.532 {{Increase}} 0.006
150 {{decrease}} (4) Sudan 0.531 {{Increase}} 0.005
151 {{increase}} (1) Tanzania 0.530 {{Increase}} 0.011
152 {{decrease}} (10) Ghana 0.526 {{Increase}} 0.008
153 {{decrease}} (3) Cameroon 0.523 {{Increase}} 0.004
154 {{decrease}} (14) Mauritania 0.520 {{Increase}} 0.001
155 {{decrease}} (3) Djibouti 0.520 {{Increase}} 0.003
156 {{decrease}} (1) Lesotho 0.514 {{Increase}} 0.003
157 {{decrease}} (1) Uganda 0.514 {{Increase}} 0.009
158 {{decrease}} (4) Nigeria 0.511 {{Increase}} 0.005
{{col-end}}

Low human development (Developing Countries)


{{col-begin}}
{{col-break}}
Rank Country HDI
2007 data Change compared to 2006 data 2007 data Change compared to 2006 data
159 {{steady}} Togo 0.499 {{Increase}} 0.001
160 {{increase}} (2) Malawi 0.493 {{Increase}} 0.009
161 {{steady}} Benin 0.492 {{Increase}} 0.005
162 {{decrease}} (4) Timor-Leste 0.489 {{Increase}} 0.005
163 {{increase}} (3) Côte d'Ivoire 0.484 {{Increase}} 0.002
164 {{decrease}} (1) Zambia 0.481 {{Increase}} 0.008
165 {{decrease}} (1) Eritrea 0.472 {{Increase}} 0.005
166 {{decrease}} (13) Senegal 0.464 {{increase}} 0.002
167 {{decrease}} (2) Rwanda 0.460 {{Increase}} 0.005
168 {{decrease}} (8) Gambia 0.456 {{Increase}} 0.003
169 {{increase}} (7) Liberia 0.442 {{Increase}} 0.008
170 {{decrease}} (3) Guinea 0.435 {{Increase}} 0.002

{{col-break}}
Rank Country HDI
2007 data Change compared to 2006 data 2007 data Change compared to 2006 data
171 {{decrease}} (2) Ethiopia 0.414 {{Increase}} 0.012
172 {{increase}} (3) Mozambique 0.402 {{Increase}} 0.005
173 {{decrease}} (2) Guinea-Bissau 0.396 {{Increase}} 0.005
174 {{decrease}} (2) Burundi 0.394 {{Increase}} 0.007
175 {{decrease}} (5) Chad 0.392 {{Decrease}} 0.001
176 {{increase}} (2) Democratic Republic of the Congo 0.389 {{Increase}} 0.018
177 {{decrease}} (4) Burkina Faso 0.389 {{Increase}} 0.005
178 {{decrease}} (10) Mali 0.371 {{Increase}} 0.005
179 {{decrease}} (1) Central African Republic 0.369 {{Increase}} 0.002
180 {{decrease}} (1) Sierra Leone 0.365 {{Increase}} 0.008
181 {{N/A}} Afghanistan 0.352 {{Increase}} 0.002
182 {{decrease}} (8) Niger 0.340 {{Increase}} 0.005
{{col-end}}

Africa


{{col-begin}}
{{col-break}}
10 highest HDIs
Rank Country HDI
2007 data Change compared to 2006 data
High human development
1 Libya 0.847 {{Increase}} +0.005
2 Seychelles 0.845 {{Increase}} +0.004
3 Mauritius 0.804 {{Increase}} +0.003
Medium human development
4 Tunisia 0.769 {{Increase}} +0.006
5 Gabon 0.755 {{Increase}} +0.005
6 Algeria 0.754 {{Increase}} +0.005
7 Equatorial Guinea 0.719 {{Increase}} +0.007
8 Cape Verde 0.708 {{Increase}} +0.004
9 Egypt 0.703 {{Increase}} +0.003
10 Botswana 0.694 {{Increase}} +0.011

{{col-break}}
10 lowest HDIs
Rank Country HDI
2007 data Change compared to 2006 data
Low human development
1 Niger 0.340 {{Increase}} +0.007
2 Sierra Leone 0.365 {{Increase}} +0.008
3 Central African Republic 0.369 {{Increase}} +0.002
4 Mali 0.371 {{Increase}} +0.005
5 Burkina Faso 0.389 {{Increase}} +0.005
6 Democratic Republic of the Congo 0.389 {{Increase}} +0.018
7 Chad 0.392 {{Decrease}} -0.001
8 Burundi 0.394 {{Increase}} +0.007
9 Guinea-Bissau 0.396 {{Increase}} +0.005
10 Mozambique 0.402 {{Increase}} +0.005

{{col-end}}

Americas


{{col-begin}}
{{col-break}}
10 highest HDIs
Rank Country HDI
2007 data Change compared to 2006 data
Very high human development
1 Canada 0.966 {{Increase}} +0.001
2 United States 0.956 {{Increase}} +0.001
3 Barbados 0.903 {{Increase}} +0.004
High human development
4 Chile 0.878 {{Increase}} +0.004
5 Antigua and Barbuda 0.868 {{Increase}} +0.008
6 Argentina 0.866 {{Increase}} +0.005
7 Uruguay 0.865 {{Increase}} +0.005
8 Cuba 0.863 {{Increase}} +0.007
9 Bahamas 0.856 {{Increase}} +0.002
10 Mexico 0.854 {{Increase}} +0.005

{{col-break}}
10 lowest HDIs
Rank Country HDI
2007 data Change compared to 2006 data
Medium human development
1 Haiti 0.532 {{Increase}} +0.006
2 Nicaragua 0.699 {{Increase}} +0.003
3 Guatemala 0.704 {{Increase}} +0.008
4 Guyana 0.729 {{Increase}} +0.008
5 Bolivia 0.729 {{Increase}} +0.003
6 Honduras 0.732 {{Increase}} +0.003
7 El Salvador 0.747 {{Increase}} +0.001
8 Paraguay 0.761 {{Increase}} +0.004
9 Jamaica 0.766 {{Decrease}} -0.002
10 Suriname 0.769 {{Increase}} +0.004

{{col-end}}

Asia & Oceania


{{col-begin}}
{{col-break}}
10 highest HDIs
Rank Country HDI
2007 data Change compared to 2006 data
Very high human development
1 Australia 0.970 {{Increase}} +0.002
2 Japan 0.960 {{Increase}} +0.002
3 New Zealand 0.950 {{Increase}} +0.002
4 Singapore 0.944 {{Increase}} +0.002
5 Hong Kong 0.944 {{Increase}} +0.001
6 South Korea 0.937 {{Increase}} +0.004
7 Israel 0.935 {{Increase}} +0.003
8 Brunei 0.920 {{Increase}} +0.001
9 Kuwait 0.916 {{Increase}} +0.004
10 Cyprus 0.914 {{Increase}} +0.003

{{col-break}}
10 lowest HDIs
Rank Country HDI
2007 data Change compared to 2006 data
Low human development
1 Afghanistan 0.352 {{Increase}} +0.002
2 Timor-Leste 0.489 {{Increase}} +0.005
Medium human development
3 Papua New Guinea 0.541 {{Increase}} +0.005
4 Bangladesh 0.543 {{Increase}} +0.008
5 Nepal 0.553 {{Increase}} +0.006
6 Pakistan 0.572 {{Increase}} +0.004
7 Yemen 0.575 {{Increase}} +0.007
8 Myanmar 0.586 {{Increase}} +0.002
9 Cambodia 0.593 {{Increase}} +0.009
10 Solomon Islands 0.610 {{Increase}} +0.006

{{col-end}}

Europe


{{col-begin}}
{{col-break}}
10 highest HDIs
Rank Country HDI
2007 data Change compared to 2006 data
Very high human development
1 Norway 0.971 {{Increase}} +0.001
2 Iceland 0.969 {{Increase}} +0.002
3 Ireland 0.965 {{Increase}} +0.001
4 Netherlands 0.964 {{Increase}} +0.003
5 Sweden 0.963 {{Increase}} +0.002
6 France 0.961 {{Increase}} +0.003
7 Switzerland 0.960 {{Increase}} +0.001
8 Luxembourg 0.960 {{Increase}} +0.001
9 Finland 0.959 {{Increase}} +0.004
10 Austria 0.955 {{Increase}} +0.003

{{col-break}}
10 lowest HDIs
Rank Country HDI
2007 data Change compared to 2006 data
Medium human development
1 Moldova 0.720 {{Increase}} +0.002
2 Ukraine 0.796 {{Increase}} +0.007
High human development
3 Bosnia and Herzegovina 0.812 {{Increase}} +0.005
4 Macedonia 0.817 {{Increase}} +0.004
5 Russia 0.817 {{Increase}} +0.006
6 Albania 0.818 {{Increase}} +0.004
7 Belarus 0.826 {{Increase}} +0.007
8 Serbia 0.826 {{Increase}} +0.005
9 Montenegro 0.834 {{Increase}} +0.006
10 Romania 0.837 {{Increase}} +0.005

{{col-end}}

HDI by regions & groups


{{col-begin}}
{{col-break}}
Region or Group HDI
2007
HDI
2005
Very high human development
European Union (EU27)
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 Member States, located primarily in Europe. Committed to regional integration, the EU was established by the Treaty of Maastricht on 1 November 1993 upon the foundations of the pre-existing European Economic Community...

0.937 {{Increase}} {{N/A}}
OECD
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development is an international organisation of 30 countries that accept the principles of representative democracy and free-market economy...

0.932 {{Increase}} 0.925
High human development
Gulf Cooperation Council 0.868 {{Increase}} {{N/A}}
Central
Central Europe
Central Europe is the region lying between the variously defined areas of Eastern and Western Europe. The term and widespread interest in the region itself came back into fashion after the end of the Cold War, which, along with the Iron Curtain, had divided Europe politically into East and West,...

 and Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is a region lying in the Eastern part of Europe. The term is highly context-dependent and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...

 and the CIS
Commonwealth of Independent States
{{Redirect|CIS}}{{Redirect|CIS}}{{Redirect|CIS}}{{Redirect|CIS}}{{Redirect|CIS}}{{Redirect|CIS}}{{Infobox Geopolitical organisation|native_name = Commonwealth of Independent States...

0.821 {{Increase}} 0.814
Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages  – particularly Spanish, Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,501 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...

 and the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a region consisting of the Caribbean Sea, its islands , and the surrounding coasts...

0.821 {{Increase}} 0.810
Medium human development
East Asia and the Pacific
Asia-Pacific
Asia-Pacific or Apac is that part of the world in or near the Western Pacific Ocean. The area includes much of East Asia, Southeast Asia, Australasia and Oceania)....

0.770 {{Increase}} 0.762
World
World
World is a highly common name for the planet Earth, but it was originally used to mean the sum of human civilization living on it, specifically human experience, history, or the 'human condition' in general....

0.753 {{Increase}} 0.743
Arab states 0.719 {{Increase}} 0.713
South Asia
South Asia
South Asia, also known as Southern Asia, is the southern region of the Asian continent, which comprises the sub-Himalayan countries and, for some authorities , also includes the adjoining countries on the west and the east...

0.612 {{Increase}} 0.606
Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa is a geographical term used to describe the area of the African continent which lies south of the Sahara, or those African countries which are fully or partially located south of the Sahara...

0.514 {{Increase}} 0.495

{{col-break}}
Group Classification
(2007)
HDI
min max average
(2007)
average
(2005)
Very high human development Developed countries
Developed country
The term developed country is used to describe countries that have a high level of development according to some criteria. Which criteria, and which countries are classified as being developed, is a contentious issue and there is fierce debate about this. Economic criteria have tended to dominate...

0.900 1.000 0.955 {{Increase}} 0.897
High human development Developing countries
Developing country
Developing country is a term generally used to describe a nation with a low level of material well being. There is no single internationally-recognized definition of developed country, and the levels of development may vary widely within so-called developing countries, with some developing...

0.800 0.899 0.833 {{Increase}}
Medium human development 0.500 0.799 0.686 {{Decrease}} 0.698
Low human development 0.000 0.499 0.423 {{Decrease}} 0.436
World
World
World is a highly common name for the planet Earth, but it was originally used to mean the sum of human civilization living on it, specifically human experience, history, or the 'human condition' in general....

0.000 1.000 0.753 {{Increase}} 0.743
Older group
(up to 2005)
GNI per capita
(US$)
Old
HDI
min max
High-income countries 10 726 0.936
– High-income OECD
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development is an international organisation of 30 countries that accept the principles of representative democracy and free-market economy...

0.950
Middle-income countries 876 10 725 0.776
Low-income countries 875 0.570
World
World
World is a highly common name for the planet Earth, but it was originally used to mean the sum of human civilization living on it, specifically human experience, history, or the 'human condition' in general....

0.743
Developing countries
Developing country
Developing country is a term generally used to describe a nation with a low level of material well being. There is no single internationally-recognized definition of developed country, and the levels of development may vary widely within so-called developing countries, with some developing...

0.688
Least developed countries
Least Developed Countries
Least Developed Countries are countries which according to the United Nations exhibit the lowest indicators of socioeconomic development, with the lowest Human Development Index ratings of all countries in the world...

0.480

{{col-end}}

UN member states (latest UNDP data)

Year Country HDI Rank Source
Publication Data
Very high human development
1997 {{N/A}} Monaco 0.946 {{N/A}} date=December 2008}}
1997 {{N/A}} San Marino 0.944 {{N/A}} date=December 2008}}
High human development
1998 {{N/A}} Palau 0.861 {{N/A}} date=December 2008}}
Medium human development
1998 1995 North Korea 0.766 75
1998 {{N/A}} Nauru 0.663 {{N/A}} date=December 2008}}
2000 1998 Iraq 0.583 126
1998 {{N/A}} Tuvalu 0.583 {{N/A}} date=December 2008}}
1998 {{N/A}} Micronesia 0.569 {{N/A}} date=December 2008}}
1998 {{N/A}} Marshall Islands 0.563 {{N/A}} date=December 2008}}
1998 {{N/A}} Kiribati 0.515 {{N/A}} date=December 2008}}
2007 2005 Zimbabwe 0.513 151
Low human development
2001 2001 Somalia 0.284 161 Somalia's last inclusion in the HDI ranking was in the 1996 report (1993 data).

{{col-break}}

Non-UN members (not calculated by the UNDP)

Year Country or Territory HDI Rank Source
Publication Data
Very high human development
2009 2007 Taiwan 0.943 25 As the UN does not recognize
China and the United Nations
China's seat in the United Nations and membership of the United Nations Security Council has been occupied by the People's Republic of China since October 25, 1971. The representatives of the PRC first attended the UN, including the United Nations Security Council, as China's representatives on...

 the Taiwan
Republic of China
The Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan, is a state in East Asia that has evolved from a single-party state with full global recognition and jurisdiction over China into a democratic state with limited international recognition and jurisdiction only over Taiwan and minor islands, though it...

 as a state
Sovereign state
A sovereign state is a political association with effective internal and external sovereignty over a geographic area and population which is not dependent on, or subject to any other power or state...

, the HDI report does not include data for "Taiwan, Province of China
Chinese Taipei
Chinese Taipei is the designated name used by the Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan, to participate in some international organizations and almost all sporting events, such as the Olympics and Asian Games...

" (the term used by the UN to refer to the domain of the Taiwan; see Political status of Taiwan
Political status of Taiwan
The controversy regarding the political status of Taiwan hinges on whether Taiwan, including Penghu, should remain effectively independent as territory of the Republic of China , become unified with the territories now governed by the People's Republic of China , or formally declare independence...

). The ROC's government calculated its HDI as of 2007 to be 0.943 based on the following data: life expectancy of 78.4 years; adult literacy rate of 97.6%; combined gross enrollment rate of 101.9%; and GDP per capita (PPP) of US$
United States dollar
The United States dollar is the unit of currency of the United States. The U.S. dollar is normally abbreviated as the dollar sign, $, or as USD or US$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies and from others that use the $ symbol. It is divided into 100 cents .The U.S...

30,352.|group="nb"}}
1998 {{N/A}} Puerto Rico 0.942 {{N/A}} date=December 2008}}
2008 2005 Martinique 0.929 24
1998 {{N/A}} Greenland 0.927 {{N/A}} date=December 2008}}
2008 2005 Guadeloupe 0.912 28
2006 2004 Macau 0.909 28
High human development
2008 2005 New Caledonia 0.878 34
2007 2004 Réunion 0.870 35
2008 2005 French Polynesia 0.864 42
2008 2005 French Guiana 0.862 43
Medium human development
2004 2002 Kosovo 0.733 {{N/A}}

{{col-end}}

See also

  • American Human Development Report
    American Human Development Report
    The Measure of America: American Human Development Report 2008-2009, published by Columbia University Press and Social Science Research Council, applies the Human Development approach to the United States and includes a modified American Human Development Index.- Description :The American Human...

  • Happy Planet Index
    Happy Planet Index
    The Happy Planet Index is an index of human well-being and environmental impact that was introduced by the New Economics Foundation in July 2006. The index is designed to challenge well-established indices of countries’ development, such as Gross Domestic Product and the Human Development Index...

  • List of European countries by Human Development Index
  • OSCE countries statistics
  • Satisfaction with Life Index
    Satisfaction with Life Index
    The Satisfaction with Life Index was created by Adrian G. White, an Analytic Social Psychologist at the University of Leicester, using data from a metastudy...


External links



{{Population country lists}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:List Of Countries By Human Development Index}}
{{link FA|pt}}