Which country has the highest Human Development Index?

Bhutan has the highest Human Development Index in 2023, at 0.698, followed by Iraq (0.695) and Eswatini (0.695).

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 0.578 across the 69 countries with data in 2023.

Where does this fourth world countries data come from?

Rankodex compiles it from World Population Review and the primary sources it cites: The Fourth World - Encyclopedia; Fourth World Definition - Investopedia; Fourth World - Wiki; The Fourth World, Visualized - How Much.

Country rankings

Fourth World Countries

Name: Fourth World Countries
Creator: Rankodex

Bhutan has the highest Human Development Index in 2023 (0.698), followed by Iraq (0.695) and Eswatini (0.695). South Sudan has the lowest (0.388).

Economics69 countries · 1 metricUpdated May 14, 2025Original page

5 sources

ShowingHuman Development IndexBetter directionWhether a higher or a lower value is better. A green arrow means higher is better, a red arrow means lower is better, and no arrow means neither.More in the glossary →

Year

69 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.

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Ranking

Best first: the first 15 and last 5 of 69 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

0.578

Middle half 0.511 – 0.634

Average

0.57

69 countries

Highest

0.698

Bhutan

Lowest

0.388

South Sudan

Over time · 1990–2023

The top 5 in 2023, against the median.

Median of all countries
Bhutan
Iraq
Eswatini
Tajikistan
Tuvalu

Data

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

69 countries · # = rank by Human Development Index

#
1	Bhutan	0.698
2	Iraq	0.695
2	Eswatini	0.695
4	Tajikistan	0.691
5	Tuvalu	0.689
6	India	0.685
6	Bangladesh	0.685
8	El Salvador	0.678
9	Palestine	0.674
9	Equatorial Guinea	0.674
11	Cape Verde	0.668
12	Namibia	0.665
13	Guatemala	0.662
14	Republic of the Congo	0.649
15	Honduras	0.645
16	Kiribati	0.644
17	Sao Tome and Principe	0.637
18	Timor-Leste	0.634
19	Kenya	0.628
19	Ghana	0.628
21	Nepal	0.622
22	Vanuatu	0.621
23	Laos	0.617
24	Angola	0.616
25	Micronesia	0.615
26	Myanmar	0.609
27	Cambodia	0.606
28	Comoros	0.603
29	Zimbabwe	0.598
30	Zambia	0.595
31	Cameroon	0.588
32	Solomon Islands	0.584
33	Uganda	0.582
33	Ivory Coast	0.582
35	Rwanda	0.578
36	Papua New Guinea	0.576
37	Togo	0.571
38	Syria	0.564
39	Mauritania	0.563
40	Nigeria	0.56
41	Tanzania	0.555
42	Haiti	0.554
43	Lesotho	0.55
44	Pakistan	0.544
45	Senegal	0.53
46	Gambia	0.524
47	DR Congo	0.522
48	Malawi	0.517
49	Benin	0.515
50	Guinea-Bissau	0.514
51	Djibouti	0.513
52	Sudan	0.511
53	Liberia	0.51
54	Eritrea	0.503
55	Guinea	0.5
56	Ethiopia	0.497
57	Afghanistan	0.496
58	Mozambique	0.493
59	Madagascar	0.487
60	Yemen	0.47
61	Sierra Leone	0.467
62	Burkina Faso	0.459
63	Burundi	0.439
64	Niger	0.419
64	Mali	0.419
66	Chad	0.416
67	Central African Republic	0.414
68	Somalia	0.404
69	South Sudan	0.388

What correlates with Human Development Index (2023)?

Pearson r against 1,312 other country metrics sharing at least 42 countries. 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 Male Human DevelopmentGender Development Index by Country
r = +0.98 · very strong · n = 64
Plot
GDI Female Human DevelopmentGender Development Index by Country
r = +0.94 · very strong · n = 64
Plot
Education IndexEducation Index by Country
r = +0.87 · very strong · n = 69
Plot
LP EducationLegatum Prosperity IndexA rank: rank 1 is the best
r = −0.85 · very strong · n = 61
Plot
GDI Female Expected SchoolGender Development Index by Country
r = +0.82 · very strong · n = 68
Plot
Literacy Rate - MaleLiteracy Rate by Country
r = +0.81 · very strong · n = 67
Plot

Opposite directions

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

Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) ScorePoverty Rate by Country
r = −0.88 · very strong · n = 60
Plot
% of Pop. in Multidimensional PovertyPoverty Rate by Country
r = −0.88 · very strong · n = 60
Plot
Fertility Rate - Age 45-49Total Fertility Rate
r = −0.78 · very strong · n = 69
Plot
Fertility Rate - Age 50-54Total Fertility Rate
r = −0.73 · very strong · n = 65
Plot
Fertility Rate - Age 40-44Total Fertility Rate
r = −0.72 · very strong · n = 69
Plot
Crude Birth Rate (UN)Birth Rate by Country
r = −0.72 · very strong · n = 66
Plot

Quick answers

Which country has the highest Human Development Index?: Bhutan has the highest Human Development Index in 2023, at 0.698, followed by Iraq (0.695) and Eswatini (0.695).
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 0.578 across the 69 countries with data in 2023.
Where does this fourth world countries data come from?: Rankodex compiles it from World Population Review and the primary sources it cites: The Fourth World - Encyclopedia; Fourth World Definition - Investopedia; Fourth World - Wiki; The Fourth World, Visualized - How Much.