List of countries by Human Development Index (2009)

[[File:UN Human Development Report 2009.PNG|thumb|right|400px|World map indicating the Human Development Index (based on 2007 data, published on 5 October 2009)

(Colour-blind compliant map) For red-green colour vision problems (2007).]]

This is a list of all countries by Human Development Index as included in a United Nations Development Program's Human Development Report released on 5 October 2009, compiled on the basis of data from 2007. It covers 180 UN member states (out of 192), along with Hong Kong (SAR of China) and the Palestinian territories. 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, literacy, education and standards of living for countries worldwide. It is a standard means of measuring well-being, especially child welfare. It is used to distinguish whether the country is a developed, a developing or an underdeveloped country, and also to measure the impact of economic policies on quality of life. The index was developed in 1990 by Pakistani economist Mahbub ul Haq and Indian economist Amartya Sen.

Countries fall into four broad human development categories based on their HDI:
{|class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" |- | Division || Numerical range of HDI || Map legend color |- |- | Very high || 1.000 0.900 || ▇ |- | High || 0.899 0.800 || ▇ |- | Medium || 0.799 0.500 || ▇ |- | Low || 0.499 0.000 || ▇ |}

Starting in the report for 2007, the first category is referred to as developed countries, and the last three are all grouped in developing countries. The original "very high human development" (0.8 to 1) has been split into two as above in the report for 2007.

Some older groupings (high/medium/low income countries) have been removed that were based on the gross national income (GNI) in purchasing power parity (PPP) per capita, and have been replaced by another index based on the gross domestic product (GDP) in purchasing power parity per capita.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.
  • This revision of the index was released on 5 October 2009 and covers the period up to 2007.
  • The number in brackets represents the number of ranks the country has climbed (up or down) relative to the revised estimates for 2006, released on 5 October 2009.

Very high human development (developed countries)

Rank

Country

2007 data

Change compared to 2006 data

2007 data

1

2

3

4

5

6

(1)

7

(1)

8

(3)

9

10

11

(3)

12

(1)

13

(1)

14

(2)

15

16

(2)

17

18

(1)

19

(1)

Rank

Country

2007 data

Change compared to 2006 data

2007 data

20

21

22

23

(1)

24

(1)

25

26

27

(1)

28

(1)

29

30

31

32

33

(1)

34

(1)

35

(2)

36

37

(2)

38

(3)

High human development (developing countries)

Rank

Country

2007 data

Change compared to 2006 data

2007 data

39

(1)

40

41

(1)

42

(2)

43

(2)

44

(1)

45

46

47

(1)

48

(2)

49

(2)

50

(1)

51

52

53

(1)

54

(1)

55

(1)

56

(1)

57

58

(4)

59

(1)

60

(1)

61

(2)

Rank

Country

2007 data

Change compared to 2006 data

2007 data

62

(2)

63

(1)

64

(1)

65

66

67

68

(1)

69

(1)

70

71

(2)

72

73

(2)

74

75

76

77

(5)

78

(5)

79

(1)

80

(3)

81

(2)

82

(1)

83

(3)

Medium human development (developing countries)

Rank

Country

2007 data

Change compared to 2006 data

2007 data

84

(1)

85

(1)

86

(2)

87

(1)

88

(1)

89

(2)

90

(1)

91

(2)

92

(7)

93

(3)

94

(2)

95

(2)

96

(1)

97

(1)

98

(2)

99

(5)

100

(8)

101

102

103

104

105

106

107

(2)

108

(1)

109

(1)

110

111

112

113

114

115

(1)

116

(1)

117

118

119

120

121

Rank

Country

2007 data

Change compared to 2006 data

2007 data

122

(1)

123

(1)

124

125

(1)

126

(1)

127

128

(1)

129

(1)

130

131

132

(1)

133

(1)

134

135

136

137

138

139

140

(1)

141

(1)

142

(2)

143

144

145

146

(2)

147

148

(2)

149

150

151

152

(2)

153

(1)

154

(1)

155

156

157

(1)

158

(1)

Low human development (developing countries)

Rank

Country

2007 data

Change compared to 2006 data

2007 data

159

160

(1)

161

(1)

162

163

164

165

166

167

168

169

170

Rank

Country

2007 data

Change compared to 2006 data

2007 data

171

172

173

(1)

174

(1)

175

(2)

176

(1)

177

(1)

178

(1)

179

(1)

180

181

182

List of countries by continent

Africa

10 highest HDIs

Rank

Country

HDI

2007 data

Change compared to 2006 data

High human development

1

0.847

2

0.845

3

0.804

Medium human development

4

0.769

5

0.755

6

0.754

7

0.719

8

0.708

9

0.703

10

0.694

10 lowest HDIs

Rank

Country

HDI

2007 data

Change compared to 2006 data

Low human development

1

0.340

2

0.365

3

0.369

4

0.371

5

0.389

6

0.389

7

0.392

8

0.394

9

0.396

10

0.402

Americas

10 highest HDIs

Rank

Country

HDI

2007 data

Change compared to 2006 data

Very high human development

1

0.966

2

0.956

3

0.903

High human development

4

0.878

5

0.868

6

0.866

7

0.865

8

0.863

9

0.856

10

0.854

10 lowest HDIs

Rank

Country

HDI

2007 data

Change compared to 2006 data

Medium human development

1

0.532

2

0.699

3

0.704

4

0.729

5

0.729

6

0.732

7

0.747

8

0.761

9

0.766

10

0.769

Asia & Oceania

10 highest HDIs

Rank

Country

HDI

2007 data

Change compared to 2006 data

Very high human development

1

0.970

2

0.960

3

0.950

4

0.944

5

0.944

6

0.937

7

0.935

8

0.920

9

0.916

10

0.914

10 lowest HDIs

Rank

Country

HDI

2007 data

Change compared to 2006 data

Low human development

1

0.352

2

0.489

Medium human development

3

0.541

4

0.543

5

0.553

6

0.572

7

0.575

8

0.586

9

0.593

10

0.610

Europe

10 highest HDIs

Rank

Country

HDI

2007 data

Change compared to 2006 data

Very high human development

1

0.971

2

0.969

3

0.965

4

0.964

5

0.963

6

0.961

7

0.960

8

0.960

9

0.959

10

0.955

10 lowest HDIs

Rank

Country

HDI

2007 data

Change compared to 2006 data

Medium human development

1

0.720

2

0.778

3

0.787

4

0.796

5

0.798

High human development

6

0.804

7

0.806

8

0.812

9

0.817

10

nowrap| 0.817

List of countries by non-continental region

European Union

10 highest HDIs

Rank

Country

HDI

2007 data

Change compared to 2006 data

Very high human development

1

0.965

2

0.964

3

0.963

4

0.961

5

0.960

6

0.959

7

0.955

8

0.955

9

0.955

10

0.953

10 lowest HDIs

Rank

Country

HDI

2007 data

Change compared to 2006 data

High human development

1

0.837

2

0.840

3

0.866

4

0.870

5

0.879

6

0.880

7

0.880

8

0.883

Very High human development

9

0.902

10

0.903

Middle East and North Africa

10 highest HDIs

Rank

Country

HDI

2007 data

Change compared to 2006 data

Very high human development

1

0.935

2

0.916

3

0.914

4

0.910

5

0.903

High human development

6

0.895

7

0.847

8

0.846

9

0.843

10

0.806

10 lowest HDIs

Rank

Country

HDI

2007 data

Change compared to 2006 data

Medium human development

1

0.520

2

0.520

3

0.531

4

0.575

5

0.576

6

0.654

7

0.703

8

0.737

9

0.742

10

0.754

HDI by regions & groups

Region or Group

HDI
2007

HDI
2005

Very high human development

European Union (EU27)

0.937

OECD

0.932

0.925

High human development

Gulf Cooperation Council

0.868

Central and Eastern Europe and the CIS

0.821

0.814

Latin America and the Caribbean

0.821

0.810

Medium human development

East Asia and the Pacific

0.770

0.762

World

0.753

0.743

Arab states

0.719

0.713

South Asia

0.612

0.606

Sub-Saharan Africa

0.514

0.495

Group

Classification
(2007)

HDI

min

max

average
(2007)

Very high human development

Developed countries

0.900

High human development

Developing countries

0.800

Medium human development

0.500

Low human development

Least developed countries

0.000

World

—

0.000

Older group
(up to 2005)

GNI per capita
(US$)

min

max

High-income countries

10 726

—

– High-income OECD

Middle-income countries

876

10 725

Low-income countries

—

875

World

—

—

– Developing countries

– Least developed countries

Countries missing from latest report

UN member states (latest UNDP data)

Year

Country

HDI

Rank

Publication

Data

Very high human development

1997

0.946

1997

0.944

High human development

1998

0.861

Medium human development

1998

1995

0.766

75

1998

0.663

2000

1998

0.583

126

1998

0.583

1998

0.569

1998

0.563

1998

0.515

2007

2005

0.513

151

Low human development

2001

2001

0.384

161

Non-UN members (not calculated by the UNDP)

Year

Country or Territory

HDI

Rank

Publication

Data

Very high human development

2009

2007

0.943

25

1998

0.942

2008

2005

0.929

24

1998

0.927

2008

2005

0.912

28

2010

2007

0.944

23

High human development

2008

2005

0.878

34

2007

2004

0.870

35

2008

2005

0.864

42

2008

2005

0.862

43

Medium human development

2004

2002

0.733

See also

  • List of countries by future Human Development Index projections of the United Nations
  • List of African countries by Human Development Index
  • List of Argentine provinces by Human Development Index
  • List of Australian states and territories by HDI
  • List of Brazilian states by Human Development Index
  • American Human Development Report
  • List of Chilean regions by Human Development Index
  • List of Chinese administrative divisions by Human Development Index
  • List of European countries by Human Development Index
  • List of Indian states by Human Development Index
  • List of Indonesian provinces by HDI
  • List of Mexican states by Human Development Index
  • List of Pakistani Districts by Human Development Index
  • List of Philippine provinces by HDI
  • List of Russian federal subjects by HDI
  • Happy Planet Index
  • OSCE countries statistics
  • Satisfaction with Life Index