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 third world countries data come from?

Rankodex compiles it from World Population Review and the primary sources it cites: Cold War Alliances 1975 - Wiki; B. R. Tomlinson, 'What Was the Third World?' - Journal of Contemporary History, 38.2 (2003), pp.307-321.; Cold War Map 1953 - Wiki; Three Worlds Theory - Wiki. Last updated 2026-10-28.

Country rankings

Third World Countries

Name: Third 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).

Economics Politics & Government69 countries · 6 metricsUpdated Oct 28, 2026Original page

10 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	No	Third World	Third World	Third World	—
2	Iraq	0.695	No	First World	Third World	Third World	—
2	Eswatini	0.695	No	Western Colony	Third World	Third World	—
4	Tajikistan	0.691	No	Second World	Second World	First World	As part of the USSR
5	Tuvalu	0.689	Yes	Western Colony	Third World	Third World	—
6	India	0.685	No	Third World	Third World	Third World	—
6	Bangladesh	0.685	Yes	First World	Third World	Third World	—
8	El Salvador	0.678	No	First World	First World	Third World	—
9	Palestine	0.674	No	Third World	Third World	Third World	—
9	Equatorial Guinea	0.674	No	Western Colony	Third World	Third World	—
11	Cape Verde	0.668	No	First World	First World	Third World	—
12	Namibia	0.665	No	Western Colony	First World	Third World	—
13	Guatemala	0.662	No	First World	First World	Third World	—
14	Republic of the Congo	0.649	No	Western Colony	Third World	Third World	—
15	Honduras	0.645	No	First World	First World	Third World	—
16	Kiribati	0.644	Yes	Western Colony	Third World	Third World	—
17	Sao Tome and Principe	0.637	No	Western Colony	Third World	Third World	—
18	Timor-Leste	0.634	Yes	Western Colony	First World	Third World	—
19	Kenya	0.628	No	Western Colony	Third World	Third World	—
19	Ghana	0.628	No	Western Colony	Third World	Third World	—
21	Nepal	0.622	Yes	Third World	Third World	Third World	—
22	Vanuatu	0.621	No	Western Colony	First World	Third World	—
23	Laos	0.617	Yes	Western Colony	Third World	Third World	—
24	Angola	0.616	Yes	Western Colony	First World	Third World	—
25	Micronesia	0.615	No	Western Colony	Third World	Third World	—
26	Myanmar	0.609	Yes	Second World	Third World	Third World	—
27	Cambodia	0.606	Yes	Second World	Second World	Third World	—
28	Comoros	0.603	Yes	Western Colony	Third World	Third World	—
29	Zimbabwe	0.598	No	Western Colony	First World	Third World	—
30	Zambia	0.595	Yes	Western Colony	Third World	Third World	—
31	Cameroon	0.588	No	Western Colony	Third World	Third World	—
32	Solomon Islands	0.584	Yes	Western Colony	First World	Third World	—
33	Uganda	0.582	Yes	Western Colony	Third World	Third World	—
33	Ivory Coast	0.582	No	Western Colony	Third World	Third World	—
35	Rwanda	0.578	Yes	Western Colony	Third World	Third World	—
36	Papua New Guinea	0.576	No	Western Colony	First World	Third World	—
37	Togo	0.571	Yes	Western Colony	Third World	Third World	—
38	Syria	0.564	No	Third World	Second World	Third World	—
39	Mauritania	0.563	Yes	Western Colony	Third World	Third World	—
40	Nigeria	0.56	No	Western Colony	Third World	Third World	—
41	Tanzania	0.555	Yes	Western Colony	Third World	Third World	—
42	Haiti	0.554	Yes	First World	First World	Third World	—
43	Lesotho	0.55	Yes	Western Colony	Third World	Third World	—
44	Pakistan	0.544	No	First World	First World	Third World	—
45	Senegal	0.53	Yes	Western Colony	Third World	Third World	—
46	Gambia	0.524	Yes	Western Colony	Third World	Third World	—
47	DR Congo	0.522	Yes	Western Colony	Third World	Third World	—
48	Malawi	0.517	Yes	Western Colony	Third World	Third World	—
49	Benin	0.515	Yes	Western Colony	Third World	Third World	—
50	Guinea-Bissau	0.514	Yes	Western Colony	Second World	Third World	—
51	Djibouti	0.513	Yes	Western Colony	Third World	Third World	—
52	Sudan	0.511	Yes	Western Colony	Third World	Third World	—
53	Liberia	0.51	Yes	First World	Third World	Third World	—
54	Eritrea	0.503	Yes	First World	Second World	Third World	—
55	Guinea	0.5	Yes	Western Colony	Third World	Third World	—
56	Ethiopia	0.497	Yes	First World	Second World	Third World	—
57	Afghanistan	0.496	Yes	Second World	Third World	Third World	—
58	Mozambique	0.493	Yes	Western Colony	First World	Third World	—
59	Madagascar	0.487	Yes	Western Colony	Third World	Third World	—
60	Yemen	0.47	Yes	Third World, Western Colony	Second World, Third World	Third World	—
61	Sierra Leone	0.467	Yes	Western Colony	Third World	Third World	—
62	Burkina Faso	0.459	Yes	Western Colony	Third World	Third World	—
63	Burundi	0.439	Yes	Western Colony	Third World	Third World	—
64	Niger	0.419	Yes	Western Colony	Third World	Third World	—
64	Mali	0.419	Yes	Western Colony	Third World	Third World	—
66	Chad	0.416	Yes	Western Colony	Third World	Third World	—
67	Central African Republic	0.414	Yes	Western Colony	Third World	Third World	—
68	Somalia	0.404	Yes	Western Colony	Second World	Third World	—
69	South Sudan	0.388	Yes	Western Colony	Third World	Third World	—

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 third world countries data come from?: Rankodex compiles it from World Population Review and the primary sources it cites: Cold War Alliances 1975 - Wiki; B. R. Tomlinson, 'What Was the Third World?' - Journal of Contemporary History, 38.2 (2003), pp.307-321.; Cold War Map 1953 - Wiki; Three Worlds Theory - Wiki. Last updated 2026-10-28.