Which country has the highest Human Development Index?

Iceland has the highest Human Development Index in 2023, at 0.972, followed by Switzerland (0.97) and Norway (0.97).

Which country has the lowest Human Development Index?

South Sudan has the lowest Human Development Index in 2023, at 0.388.

What is the median Human Development Index across countries?

The median is 0.762 across the 193 countries with data in 2023.

Where does this developing countries data come from?

Rankodex compiles it from World Population Review and the primary sources it cites: International Monetary Fund's World Economic Outlook Database, April 2021; GNI per capita, Atlas method - WorldBank; Low and Middle Income Countries and Regions - International Statistical Institute; List of countries by GNI (nominal) per capita - Wikipedia.

Country rankings

Developing Countries

Name: Developing Countries
Creator: Rankodex

Iceland has the highest Human Development Index in 2023 (0.972), followed by Switzerland (0.97) and Norway (0.97). South Sudan has the lowest (0.388).

Population205 countries · 2 metricsUpdated May 14, 2025Original page

6 sources

Showing

Year

193 of 235 countries

Compare this metric Add to combined ranking Open full map

Human Development Index, 2023

Darker green is better (higher is better). Click a place to highlight it.

Loading map…

Ranking

Best first: the first 15 and last 5 of 193 countries.

Distribution Median and middle halfThe median is the middle value: half of places are above it, half below. The middle half is the range holding the central 50% of places.More in the glossary →

Each dot is one country; the lines mark the median and the middle half.

Median

0.762

Middle half 0.622 – 0.862

Average

0.741

193 countries

Highest

0.972

Iceland

Lowest

0.388

South Sudan

Over time · 1990–2023

The top 5 in 2023, against the median.

Median of all countries
Iceland
Switzerland
Norway
Denmark
Germany

Data

Click a column to sort, a row to highlight that place on the charts.

196 countries · # = rank by Human Development Index

#
1	Iceland	0.972	$58,798 constant 2015 US$
2	Switzerland	0.97	$85,646 constant 2015 US$
2	Norway	0.97	—
4	Denmark	0.962	$61,031 constant 2015 US$
5	Germany	0.959	$45,751 constant 2015 US$
5	Sweden	0.959	$55,636 constant 2015 US$
7	Australia	0.958	$63,524 constant 2015 US$
8	Netherlands	0.955	$50,567 constant 2015 US$
8	Hong Kong	0.955	$47,369 constant 2015 US$
10	Belgium	0.951	$44,357 constant 2015 US$
11	Ireland	0.949	$65,286 constant 2015 US$
12	Finland	0.948	$45,141 constant 2015 US$
13	United Kingdom	0.946	$46,706 constant 2015 US$
13	Singapore	0.946	$59,001 constant 2015 US$
15	United Arab Emirates	0.94	$50,110 constant 2015 US$
16	Canada	0.939	$46,015 constant 2015 US$
17	United States	0.938	$66,068 constant 2015 US$
17	New Zealand	0.938	$41,832 constant 2015 US$
17	Liechtenstein	0.938	—
20	South Korea	0.937	$34,903 constant 2015 US$
21	Slovenia	0.931	$25,240 constant 2015 US$
22	Austria	0.93	$45,054 constant 2015 US$
23	Japan	0.925	$39,324 constant 2015 US$
24	Malta	0.924	$29,914 constant 2015 US$
25	Luxembourg	0.922	$73,047 constant 2015 US$
26	France	0.92	$39,630 constant 2015 US$
27	Israel	0.919	$42,083 constant 2015 US$
28	Spain	0.918	$28,483 constant 2015 US$
29	Italy	0.915	$33,887 constant 2015 US$
29	Czechia	0.915	$19,411 constant 2015 US$
29	San Marino	0.915	—
32	Cyprus	0.913	$28,760 constant 2015 US$
32	Andorra	0.913	—
34	Greece	0.908	$20,737 constant 2015 US$
35	Poland	0.906	$16,744 constant 2015 US$
36	Estonia	0.905	$19,875 constant 2015 US$
37	Saudi Arabia	0.9	$28,155 constant 2015 US$
38	Bahrain	0.899	$26,406 constant 2015 US$
39	Lithuania	0.895	$17,347 constant 2015 US$
40	Portugal	0.89	$22,161 constant 2015 US$
41	Croatia	0.889	$17,028 constant 2015 US$
41	Latvia	0.889	$16,718 constant 2015 US$
43	Qatar	0.886	—
44	Slovakia	0.88	$17,468 constant 2015 US$
45	Chile	0.878	$14,548 constant 2015 US$
46	Hungary	0.87	$15,600 constant 2015 US$
47	Argentina	0.865	$13,043 constant 2015 US$
48	Uruguay	0.862	$18,177 constant 2015 US$
48	Montenegro	0.862	$9,501 constant 2015 US$
50	Oman	0.858	$18,557 constant 2015 US$
51	Turkey	0.853	—
52	Kuwait	0.852	$35,963 constant 2015 US$
53	Antigua and Barbuda	0.851	—
54	Seychelles	0.848	$16,471 constant 2015 US$
55	Romania	0.845	$13,211 constant 2015 US$
55	Bulgaria	0.845	$10,248 constant 2015 US$
57	Georgia	0.844	$5,774 constant 2015 US$
58	Saint Kitts and Nevis	0.84	—
59	Panama	0.839	$15,977 constant 2015 US$
60	Kazakhstan	0.837	$11,422 constant 2015 US$
60	Brunei	0.837	$31,364 constant 2015 US$
62	Serbia	0.833	$7,945 constant 2015 US$
62	Costa Rica	0.833	$13,232 constant 2015 US$
64	Russia	0.832	$9,996 constant 2015 US$
65	Belarus	0.824	$6,513 constant 2015 US$
66	Bahamas	0.82	$30,557 constant 2015 US$
67	Malaysia	0.819	$11,245 constant 2015 US$
68	North Macedonia	0.815	$6,334 constant 2015 US$
69	Armenia	0.811	$5,012 constant 2015 US$
69	Barbados	0.811	—
71	Albania	0.81	$6,378 constant 2015 US$
72	Trinidad and Tobago	0.807	—
73	Mauritius	0.806	$10,512 constant 2015 US$
74	Bosnia and Herzegovina	0.804	$6,432 constant 2015 US$
75	Iran	0.799	$5,032 constant 2015 US$
76	Thailand	0.798	—
76	Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	0.798	—
78	China	0.797	—
79	Peru	0.794	$6,527 constant 2015 US$
80	Grenada	0.791	—
81	Mexico	0.789	$10,541 constant 2015 US$
81	Azerbaijan	0.789	—
83	Colombia	0.788	$6,992 constant 2015 US$
84	Brazil	0.786	$9,123 constant 2015 US$
84	Palau	0.786	$12,287 constant 2015 US$
86	Moldova	0.785	$3,937 constant 2015 US$
87	Ukraine	0.779	$2,807 constant 2015 US$
88	Ecuador	0.777	$6,093 constant 2015 US$
89	Sri Lanka	0.776	$3,747 constant 2015 US$
89	Dominican Republic	0.776	$8,490 constant 2015 US$
89	Guyana	0.776	—
92	Tonga	0.769	$5,188 constant 2015 US$
93	Vietnam	0.766	$3,648 constant 2015 US$
93	Maldives	0.766	$7,188 constant 2015 US$
95	Turkmenistan	0.764	—
96	Algeria	0.763	$5,018 constant 2015 US$
97	Cuba	0.762	—
98	Dominica	0.761	—
99	Paraguay	0.756	$6,336 constant 2015 US$
100	Egypt	0.754	$3,866 constant 2015 US$
100	Jordan	0.754	—
102	Lebanon	0.752	$4,666 constant 2015 US$
103	Saint Lucia	0.748	—
104	Mongolia	0.747	$5,609 constant 2015 US$
105	Tunisia	0.746	$3,869 constant 2015 US$
106	South Africa	0.741	$5,816 constant 2015 US$
107	Uzbekistan	0.74	—
108	Bolivia	0.733	$3,070 constant 2015 US$
108	Gabon	0.733	$9,229 constant 2015 US$
108	Marshall Islands	0.733	$6,701 constant 2015 US$
111	Botswana	0.731	$6,953 constant 2015 US$
111	Fiji	0.731	—
113	Indonesia	0.728	$4,041 constant 2015 US$
114	Suriname	0.722	—
115	Libya	0.721	$6,928 constant 2015 US$
115	Belize	0.721	$5,874 constant 2015 US$
117	Philippines	0.72	$4,135 constant 2015 US$
117	Kyrgyzstan	0.72	$1,639 constant 2015 US$
117	Jamaica	0.72	—
120	Morocco	0.71	$3,380 constant 2015 US$
121	Venezuela	0.709	$1,179 constant 2015 US$
122	Samoa	0.708	$4,681 constant 2015 US$
123	Nicaragua	0.706	$2,127 constant 2015 US$
124	Nauru	0.703	—
125	Bhutan	0.698	$3,054 constant 2015 US$
126	Iraq	0.695	$5,816 constant 2015 US$
126	Eswatini	0.695	$3,334 constant 2015 US$
128	Tajikistan	0.691	$1,079 constant 2015 US$
129	Tuvalu	0.689	—
130	India	0.685	$2,199 constant 2015 US$
130	Bangladesh	0.685	—
132	El Salvador	0.678	$3,991 constant 2015 US$
133	Palestine	0.674	$3,491 constant 2015 US$
133	Equatorial Guinea	0.674	$5,266 constant 2015 US$
135	Cape Verde	0.668	$4,220 constant 2015 US$
136	Namibia	0.665	$4,381 constant 2015 US$
137	Guatemala	0.662	$4,432 constant 2015 US$
138	Republic of the Congo	0.649	$1,546 constant 2015 US$
139	Honduras	0.645	$2,351 constant 2015 US$
140	Kiribati	0.644	$3,328 constant 2015 US$
141	Sao Tome and Principe	0.637	$1,705 constant 2015 US$
142	Timor-Leste	0.634	$1,425 constant 2015 US$
143	Kenya	0.628	$1,796 constant 2015 US$
143	Ghana	0.628	$2,079 constant 2015 US$
145	Nepal	0.622	$1,188 constant 2015 US$
146	Vanuatu	0.621	$3,328 constant 2015 US$
147	Laos	0.617	—
148	Angola	0.616	$3,075 constant 2015 US$
149	Micronesia	0.615	—
150	Myanmar	0.609	—
151	Cambodia	0.606	$2,163 constant 2015 US$
152	Comoros	0.603	$1,400 constant 2015 US$
153	Zimbabwe	0.598	$1,368 constant 2015 US$
154	Zambia	0.595	—
155	Cameroon	0.588	$1,457 constant 2015 US$
156	Solomon Islands	0.584	$1,848 constant 2015 US$
157	Uganda	0.582	$914 constant 2015 US$
157	Ivory Coast	0.582	$2,235 constant 2015 US$
159	Rwanda	0.578	$895 constant 2015 US$
160	Papua New Guinea	0.576	—
161	Togo	0.571	$1,011 constant 2015 US$
162	Syria	0.564	—
163	Mauritania	0.563	$1,982 constant 2015 US$
164	Nigeria	0.56	—
165	Tanzania	0.555	$1,088 constant 2015 US$
166	Haiti	0.554	$1,338 constant 2015 US$
167	Lesotho	0.55	$1,188 constant 2015 US$
168	Pakistan	0.544	$1,680 constant 2015 US$
169	Senegal	0.53	$1,425 constant 2015 US$
170	Gambia	0.524	$741 constant 2015 US$
171	DR Congo	0.522	$494 constant 2015 US$
172	Malawi	0.517	—
173	Benin	0.515	$1,242 constant 2015 US$
174	Guinea-Bissau	0.514	$732 constant 2015 US$
175	Djibouti	0.513	$3,152 constant 2015 US$
176	Sudan	0.511	—
177	Liberia	0.51	—
178	Eritrea	0.503	—
179	Guinea	0.5	$937 constant 2015 US$
180	Ethiopia	0.497	$861 constant 2015 US$
181	Afghanistan	0.496	—
182	Mozambique	0.493	$591 constant 2015 US$
183	Madagascar	0.487	$420 constant 2015 US$
184	Yemen	0.47	—
185	Sierra Leone	0.467	$1,126 constant 2015 US$
186	Burkina Faso	0.459	$727 constant 2015 US$
187	Burundi	0.439	—
188	Niger	0.419	$559 constant 2015 US$
188	Mali	0.419	$935 constant 2015 US$
190	Chad	0.416	$821 constant 2015 US$
191	Central African Republic	0.414	$507 constant 2015 US$
192	Somalia	0.404	$483 constant 2015 US$
193	South Sudan	0.388	—
—	Macau	—	$59,824 constant 2015 US$
—	Isle of Man	—	$81,295 constant 2015 US$
—	Bermuda	—	$116,893 constant 2015 US$

What correlates with Human Development Index (2023)?

Pearson r against 1,415 other country metrics sharing at least 116 countries, 1 near-identical series hidden. Ranks are read by standing: a better rank counts as higher, whether rank 1 is the best place on a list or the worst. Correlation is not causation.

Higher together

Places that have a higher Human Development Index tend to score higher on these (or rank better)

GDI Female Human DevelopmentGender Development Index by Country
r = +0.99 · very strong · n = 183
Plot
Social Progress IndexSocial Progress Index by Country
r = +0.96 · very strong · n = 168
Plot
Education IndexEducation Index by Country
r = +0.96 · very strong · n = 192
Plot
LP Living ConditionsLegatum Prosperity IndexA rank: rank 1 is the best
r = −0.95 · very strong · n = 166
Plot
LP EducationLegatum Prosperity IndexA rank: rank 1 is the best
r = −0.95 · very strong · n = 166
Plot
Energy Equity ScoreEnergy Trilemma Energy Performance Index
r = +0.95 · very strong · n = 126
Plot

Opposite directions

Places that have a higher Human Development Index tend to score lower on these (or rank worse)

Public ServicesFailed States
r = −0.92 · very strong · n = 177
Plot
Gender Inequality Index ScoreGender Inequality Index by Country
r = −0.92 · very strong · n = 165
Plot
Still Birth RateStillbirth Rates by Country
r = −0.90 · very strong · n = 191
Plot
% ChildrenChildren in the World by Country
r = −0.90 · very strong · n = 187
Plot
% of Pop. Living on Less Than $10 USD/DayPoverty Rate by Country
r = −0.90 · very strong · n = 159
Plot
Individuals Making Under $10kWealth Inequality by Country
r = −0.90 · very strong · n = 169
Plot

Quick answers

Which country has the highest Human Development Index?: Iceland has the highest Human Development Index in 2023, at 0.972, followed by Switzerland (0.97) and Norway (0.97).
Which country has the lowest Human Development Index?: South Sudan has the lowest Human Development Index in 2023, at 0.388.
What is the median Human Development Index across countries?: The median is 0.762 across the 193 countries with data in 2023.
Where does this developing countries data come from?: Rankodex compiles it from World Population Review and the primary sources it cites: International Monetary Fund's World Economic Outlook Database, April 2021; GNI per capita, Atlas method - WorldBank; Low and Middle Income Countries and Regions - International Statistical Institute; List of countries by GNI (nominal) per capita - Wikipedia.