Human Development Index: Difference between revisions

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{{For|the complete ranking of countries|List of countries by Human Development Index}}

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[[File:HDI2023Incrimental2.svg|thumb|World map of countries or territories by HDI scores in increments of 0.050 (based on 2023 data, published in 2025) {{legend-col|thumb size = |{{Legend|#001a00|≥ 0.950}}|{{Legend|#003c00|0.900–0.950}}|{{Legend|#007f00|0.850–0.899}}|{{Legend|#00c400|0.800–0.849}}|{{Legend|#00f900|0.750–0.799}}|{{Legend|#d3ff00|0.700–0.749}}|{{Legend|#ffee00|0.650–0.699}}|{{Legend|#ffd215|0.600–0.649}}|{{Legend|#ffa83c|0.550–0.599}}|{{Legend|#ff852f|0.500–0.549}}|{{Legend|#ff5b00|0.450–0.499}}|{{Legend|#ff0000|0.400–0.449}}|{{Legend|#a70000|≤ 0.399}}|{{Legend|#C0C0C0|Data unavailable}}}}|alt=World map of Countries scored by HDI|300x300px]]

[[File:2021-22 UN Human Development Report.svg|thumb|World map representing Human Development Index categories (based on 2021 data, published in 2022){{legend-col

|{{Legend|#12334b|Very high (≥ 0.800)}}

|{{Legend|#358293|High (0.700–0.799)}}

|{{Legend|#5dbbcb|Medium (0.550–0.699)}}

|{{Legend|#c1e2e6|Low (≤ 0.549)}}

|{{Legend|#b9b9b9|Data unavailable}}

}}|upright=1.9|alt=World map]]

[[File:2021-22 UN Human Development Report (multicolor).svg|thumb|An alternate version of the world map representing Human Development Index categories (based on 2021 data, published in 2022){{legend-col

|{{Legend|#008c00ff|Very high}}

|{{Legend|#ffcc00ff|High}}

|{{Legend|#ff6600ff|Medium}}

|{{Legend|#d40000ff|Low}}

|{{Legend|#b9b9b9ff|No data}}

}}|upright=1.9|alt=World map]]

[[File:Countries by Human Development Index (2021).svg|thumb|World map of countries or territories by Human Development Index scores in increments of 0.050 (based on 2021 data, published in 2022){{legend-col

|thumb size=wide

|{{Legend|#001a00|≥ 0.950}}

|{{Legend|#003c00|0.900–0.950}}

|{{Legend|#007f00|0.850–0.899}}

|{{Legend|#00c400|0.800–0.849}}

|{{Legend|#00f900|0.750–0.799}}

|{{Legend|#d3ff00|0.700–0.749}}

|{{Legend|#ffee00|0.650–0.699}}

|{{Legend|#ffd215|0.600–0.649}}

|{{Legend|#ffa83c|0.550–0.599}}

|{{Legend|#ff852f|0.500–0.549}}

|{{Legend|#ff5b00|0.450–0.499}}

|{{Legend|#ff0000|0.400–0.449}}

|{{Legend|#a70000|≤ 0.399}}

|{{Legend|#C0C0C0|Data unavailable}}

}}|upright=1.9|alt=World map]]

The '''Human Development Index''' ('''HDI''') is a statisticstatistical composite index of [[life expectancy]], [[Education Index|education]] (mean years of schooling completed and expected years of schooling upon entering the [[Educational system|education system]]), and [[per capita income]] indicators, which is used to rank countries into four tiers of [[Human development (humanity)|human development]]. A country scores a higher level of HDI when the [[life expectancy at birth|lifespan]] is higher, the [[education]] level is higher, and the gross national income [[GNI (PPP) per capita]] is higher. It was developed by Pakistani economist [[Mahbub ul -Haq]] and was further used to measure a country's development by the [[United Nations Development Programme]] ([[UNDP]])'s Human Development Report Office.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=A. Stanton|first=Elizabeth|date=February 2007|title=The Human Development Index: A History|url=https://scholarworks.umass.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1101&context=peri_workingpapers |publisher=ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst |journal=PERI Working Papers|pages=14–15|access-date=28 February 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190228191918/https://scholarworks.umass.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1101&context=peri_workingpapers|archive-date=28 February 2019|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Human Development Index|url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/definition/human-development-index|website=EconomicDefinition of 'Human Development Index' Times|access-date=29 November 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201030929/https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/definition/human-development-index|archive-date=1 December 2017|url-status=livedead }}</ref><ref name="auto">{{cite web|title=TheAbout Human Development concept|url=http://hdr.undp.org/en/humandev/|publisher=UNDP|access-date=29 July 2011|yearwebsite=2010HDR |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120415134936/http://hdr.undp.org/en/humandev/|archive-date=15 April 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Human development index |url=https://www.who.int/data/nutrition/nlis/info/human-development-index |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220103061653/https://www.who.int/data/nutrition/nlis/info/human-development-index |archive-date=2022-01-03 |access-date=2024-06-26 |website=World Health Organization}}</ref>

The 2010 [[Human Development Report]] introduced an [[List of countries by inequality-adjusted HDIHuman Development Index|Inequalityinequality-adjusted Human Development Index]] (IHDI). While the simple HDI remains useful, it stated that "the IHDI is the actual level of human development (accounting for this [[Social inequality|inequality]]), while the HDI can be viewed as an index of 'potential' human development (or the maximum level of HDI) that could be achieved if there werewas no inequality."<ref>[{{cite web|url=http://hdr.undp.org/en/statistics/understanding/indices Human Development Index,|title= "Composite indices — HDI and beyond"], Retrieved|website=Human Development Reports |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160810022820/http://hdr.undp.org/en/statistics/understanding/indices |archive-date=10 August 2016 |access-date=16 January 2021.}}</ref>

The index is based on the human development approach, developed by [[Mahbub ul -Haq]], anchored in [[Amartya Sen|Amartya Sen]]'s]] work on human capabilities, and often framed in terms of whether people are able to "be" and "do" desirable things in life. Examples include –— being: well -fed, sheltered, and healthy; doing: work, education, voting, participating in community life. The freedom of choice is considered central –— someone choosing to be hungry (e.g. when [[Fasting in religion|fasting]] for religious reasons]]) is quiteconsidered different from someone who is hungry because they cannot afford to buy food, or because the country is ingoing through a [[famine]].<ref name="auto1">{{cite web|title=What is Human Development|url=http://hdr.undp.org/en/content/what-human-development|publisher=UNDP|access-date=27 October 2017|yeardate=2017February 19, 2015 |website=HDR |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171027132851/http://hdr.undp.org/en/content/what-human-development|archive-date=27 October 2017|url-status=live|quote=...&nbsp;human development approach, developed by the economist Mahbub Ul Haq&nbsp;...'|last1=Nations |first1=United }}</ref>

The index does not take into account several factors, such as the [[List of countries by wealth per adult|net wealth per capita]] or the relative [[Quality (business)|quality of goods]] in a country. This situation tends to lower the ranking forof some of the most advanced[[developed countries]], such as the [[G7]] members and others.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=R2D0AAAAMAAJ|title=The Courier|date=1994|publisher=Commission of the European Communities|language=en}}</ref>

== Origins ==

The origins of the HDI are found in the annual Human Development Reports produced by the Human Development Report Office of the [[United Nations Development Programme]] (UNDP). These annual reports were devised and launched by Pakistani economist [[Mahbub ul -Haq]] in 1990, and had the explicit purpose "to shift the focus of development economics from [[national income]] accounting to [[People-centered development|people-centered policies]]". HaqHe believed that a simple composite measure of human development was needed to convince the public, academics, and politicians that they can, and should, evaluate development not only by economic advances but also improvements in human [[well-being]].

[[File:HDIHuman explainedDevelopment theIndex bestUnderlying wayPrinciples.pngsvg|thumb|upright=3.5|center|The underlying principlesprinciple behind the Human Development Index.<ref name="auto1"/>]]

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Developing countries:

{{legend|#ff7f0e|[[Arab world|Arab States]]}}

{{legend|#2ca02c|[[East Asia]] and the Pacific}}

{{legend|#d62728|[[Europe]] and [[Central Asia]]}}

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In its 2010 Human Development Report, the UNDP began using a new method of calculating the HDI. The following three indices are used:

1.{{anchor|Life Expectancy Index}} Life Expectancy Index (LEI) <math>= \frac{\textrm{LE} - 20}{85-20} = \frac{\textrm{LE} - 20}{65}</math>

::LEI is equal to 1 when [[life expectancy at birth]] is 85 years, and 0 when life expectancy at birth is 20 years.

2. [[Education Index]] (EI) <math>= \frac{{\textrm{MYSI} + \textrm{EYSI}}} {2}</math><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.indiastudychannel.com/resources/141517-New-method-of-calculation-of-Human-Development-Index-HDI.aspx|title=New method of calculation of Human Development Index (HDI)|date=1 June 2011|work=India Study Channel|access-date=19 November 2017|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171110171412/http://www.indiastudychannel.com/resources/141517-New-method-of-calculation-of-Human-Development-Index-HDI.aspx|archive-date=10 November 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>

:2.1 Mean Years of Schooling Index (MYSI) <math>= \frac{\textrm{MYS}}{15}</math><ref>Mean years of schooling (of adults) (years) is a calculation of the average number of years of education received by people ages 25 and older in their lifetime based on education attainment levels of the population converted into years of schooling based on theoretical duration of each level of education attended. Source: {{cite journal |last1=Barro |first1=R. J. |author-link=Robert Barro |first2=J.-W. |last2=Lee |year=2010 |title=A New Data Set of Educational Attainment in the World, 1950–2010 |journal=NBER Working Paper No. 15902 |series=Working Paper Series |url=http://www.nber.org/papers/w15902 |doi=10.3386/w15902 |access-date=29 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110807191234/http://www.nber.org/papers/w15902 |archive-date=7 August 2011 |url-status=live |doi-access=free }}</ref>

:: Fifteen is the projected maximum of this indicator for 2025.

:2.2 Expected Years of Schooling Index (EYSI) <math>= \frac{\textrm{EYS}}{18}</math><ref>(ESYI is a calculation of the number of years a child is expected to attend school, or university, including the years spent on repetition. It is the sum of the age-specific enrollment ratios for primary, secondary, post-secondary non-tertiary and tertiary education and is calculated assuming the prevailing patterns of age-specific enrollment rates were to stay the same throughout the child's life. Expected years of schooling is capped at 18 years. (Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2010). Correspondence on education indicators. March. Montreal.)</ref>

:: Eighteen is equivalent to achieving a [[master's degree]] in most countries.

3. Income Index (II) <math>= \frac{\ln(\textrm{GNIpc}) - \ln(100)}{\ln(75,000) - \ln(100)} = \frac{\ln(\textrm{GNIpc}) - \ln(100)}{\ln(750)}</math>

::II is 1 when GNI per capita is $75,000 and 0 when GNI per capita is $100.

Finally, the HDI is the [[geometric mean]] of the previous three normalized indices:

: <math>\textrm{HDI} = \sqrt[3]{\textrm{LEI}\cdot \textrm{EI} \cdot \textrm{II}}.</math>

<small>LE: [[Life expectancy at birth]]<br />

MYS: Mean years of schooling (i.e. years that a person aged 25 or older has spent in formal education)<br />

EYS: Expected years of schooling (i.e. total expected years of schooling for children under 18 years of age, incl. young men and women aged 13-1713–17)<br />

GNIpc: [[List of countries by GNI (PPP) per capita|Gross national income at purchasing power parity per capita]]</small>

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This methodology was used by the UNDP until their 2011 report.

The formula defining the HDI is promulgated by the United Nations Development Programme ([[United Nations Development Programme|UNDP]]).<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://hdr.undp.org/en/statistics/faq/question,68,en.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071220162154/http://hdr.undp.org/en/statistics/faq/question%2C68%2Cen.html|url-status=dead|title=Definition, Calculator, etc. at UNDP site|archive-date=20 December 2007|access-date=26 May 2020}}</ref> In general, to transform a raw [[Variable (mathematics)|variable]], say <math>x</math>, into a unit-free [[Index (economics)|index]] between 0 and 1 (which allows different indices to be added together), the following [[formula]] is used:

* <math>x\text{ index} = \frac{x - a}{b - a}</math>

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The Human Development Index (HDI) then represents the uniformly weighted sum with {{frac|1|3}} contributed by each of the following factor indices:

* [[Life Expectancy Index]] = <math> = \frac{\text{LE} - 25} {85-25} = \frac{\text{LE} - 25} {60}</math>

* [[Education Index]] = <math> = \frac{2} {3} \times \text{ALI} + \frac{1} {3} \times \text{GEI} </math>

** [[Adult Literacy Index]] (ALI) = <math> = \frac{\text{ALR} - 0} {100 - 0} = \frac{\text{ALR}} {100}</math>

** [[Gross Enrollment Ratio|Gross Enrollment Index]] (GEI) = <math> = \frac{\text{CGER} - 0} {100 - 0} =\frac{\text{CGER}} {100}</math>

* [[Gross domestic product|GDP]] = <math> = \frac{\log\left(GDPpc\righttext{GDPpc}) - \log\left(100\right)} {\log\left(40000\right) - \log(100)} = \leftfrac{\log(\text{GDPpc}) - \log(100)} {\rightlog(400)}</math>

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== 20212023 Human Development Index (20222025 report) ==

{{Main|List of countries by Human Development Index}}

[[File:Average annual HDI growth from 2010 to 2021 published in 2022.png|alt=World map|thumb|upright=1.8|Average annual HDI growth from 2010 to 2021 (published in 2022){{legend-col

{{See also|List of countries by inequality-adjusted Human Development Index}}

[[File:Average annual HDI growth from 2010 to 2023 published in 2025.svg|alt=World map|thumb|Average annual HDI growth from 2010 to 2023 (published in 2025){{legend-col

|thumb size=wide

|{{Legend|#00112B|≥ 1.4%}}

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|{{Legend|#e3dbdb|No data}}

}}]]

The Human Development Report 2025 by the [[United Nations Development Programme]] was released on 6 May 2025; the report calculates HDI values based on data collected in 2023.

{{main|List of countries by Human Development Index}}

{{see also|List of countries by inequality-adjusted Human Development Index}}

The Human Development Report 2022 by the [[United Nations Development Programme]] was released on 8 September 2022 and calculates HDI values based on data collected in 2021.

The following countries rankedRanked from 1 to 6674 in the year 20212023, the following countries are considered to be ofhave "very high human development":<ref name="2022 componentscomponents3">{{cite book |url=https://hdr.undp.org/content/human-development-report-2025 |title=Human Development Report 20212025 -22: UncertainA Times,matter Unsettledof Liveschoice: ShapingPeople ourand Futurepossibilities in athe Transformingage Worldof AI |date=86 SeptemberMay 20222025 |publisher=United Nations Development Programme |isbn=978-9-211-26451-7 |pagespublication-date=272–2766 |website=hdr.undp.orgMay 2025 |urlpages=https://hdr.undp.org/system/files/documents/global-report-document/hdr2021-22pdf_1.pdf |access-date=86 SeptemberMay 2022 |archive-date=8 September 20222025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/2022090811423220250506064128/https://hdr.undp.org/systemcontent/files/documents/globalhuman-development-report-document/hdr2021-22pdf_1.pdf2025 |urlarchive-statusdate=live6 May 2025}}</ref>

{|class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"

|+ {{sronly|Table of countries by HDI}}

<!-- Very High, High, Medium & Low HDI labels should not be added due to accessibility and sorting issues, mainly [[WP:DTAB]]. See also [[Talk:List of countries by Human Development Index#Very High, High, Medium & Low HDI labels]] for more details. -->|-

!scope="colgroup" colspan="2"| Rank

!scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:17em;"| Nation

!scope="colgroup" colspan="2"| HDI

|-

!scope="colgroup"; colspan="2"; | Rank

!scope="col" style="width:5em;" data-sort-type="number"| 2021 data (2022 report){{Zero width space}}<ref name="2022 components">{{cite book |title=Human Development Report 2021-22: Uncertain Times, Unsettled Lives: Shaping our Future in a Transforming World |date=8 September 2022 |publisher=United Nations Development Programme |isbn=978-9-211-26451-7 |pages=272–276 |website=hdr.undp.org |url=https://hdr.undp.org/system/files/documents/global-report-document/hdr2021-22pdf_1.pdf |access-date=8 September 2022 |archive-date=8 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220908114232/hdr.undp.org/system/files/documents/global-report-document/hdr2021-22pdf_1.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>

!scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:14em; "| Country or territory

!scope="col" style="width:5em;" data-sort-type="number"| Change since 2015{{Zero width space}}<ref name="2022 trends">{{cite book |title=Human Development Report 2021-22: Uncertain Times, Unsettled Lives: Shaping our Future in a Transforming World |date=8 September 2022 |publisher=United Nations Development Programme |isbn=978-9-211-26451-7 |pages=277–280 |website=hdr.undp.org |url=https://hdr.undp.org/system/files/documents/global-report-document/hdr2021-22pdf_1.pdf |access-date=8 September 2022 |archive-date=8 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220908114232/hdr.undp.org/system/files/documents/global-report-document/hdr2021-22pdf_1.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>

!scope="colgroup" colspan="2";| HDI

!scope="col" style="width:5em;" data-sort-type="number"| 2021 data (2022 report){{Zero width space}}<ref name="2022 components" />

!scope="col" style="width:5em;" data-sort-type="number"| Average annual growth (2010–2021){{Zero width space}}<ref name="2022 trends" />

|-

!scope="col" style="width:5em;" data-sort-type="number"| 2023 data (2025 report){{Zero width space}}

| {{sort|0.962|1}} || {{sort|0|{{steady}}}}

!scope="col" style="text-alignwidth:left5em;" scopedata-sort-type="rownumber" | Change since 2015{{flag|SwitzerlandZero width space}}

!scope="col" style="width:5em;" data-sort-type="number"| 2023 data (2025 report){{Zero width space}}<ref name="2022 components32">{{cite book |url=https://hdr.undp.org/content/human-development-report-2025 |title=Human Development Report 2025 - A matter of choice: People and possibilities in the age of AI |date=6 May 2025 |publisher=United Nations Development Programme |isbn= |publication-date=6 May 2025 |pages= |access-date=6 May 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250506064128/https://hdr.undp.org/content/human-development-report-2025 |archive-date=6 May 2025}}</ref>

|| 0.962 || {{sort|0.0019|{{increase}} 0.19%}}

!scope="col" style="width:5em;" data-sort-type="number"| Average annual growth (2010–2023){{Zero width space}}

|-

| {{sort|0.961|2}} || {{sort|0|{{steady}}}}

! style="text-align:left" scope="row" | {{flag|Norway}}

|| 0.961 || {{sort|0.0019|{{increase}} 0.19%}}

|-

| {{sort|0.959|3}} 1|| {{sort|02|{{steadyincrease}} (2)}}

! style="text-align:left" scope="row" | {{flag|Iceland}}

|| 0.959 972|| {{sort|0.005628|{{increase}} 0.5628%}}

|-

| {{sortrowspan="2" |0.952|4}} 2|| {{sort|3-1|{{increasedecrease}} (31)}}

! style="text-align:left" scope="row" | {{flag|Hong KongNorway}}

| rowspan="2" | 0.952 970|| {{sort|0.004425|{{increase}} 0.4425%}}

|-

| {{sort|0.951|5}} || {{sort|3|{{increasesteady}} (3)}}

! style="text-align:left" scope="row" | {{flag|AustraliaSwitzerland}}

|| 0.951 || {{sort|0.002724|{{increase}} 0.2724%}}

|-

| {{sort|0.948|6}} 4|| {{sort|02|{{steadyincrease}} (2)}}

! style="text-align:left" scope="row" | {{flag|Denmark}}

|| 0.948 962|| {{sort|0.003435|{{increase}} 0.3435%}}

|-

| rowspan="2" |5

| {{sort|0.947|7}} || {{sort|-2|{{decrease}} (2)}}

| {{sort|-1|{{decrease}} (1)}}

! style="text-align:left" scope="row" | {{flag|Germany}}

| rowspan="2" |0.959

| {{sort|0.19|{{increase}} 0.19%}}

|-

| {{sort|0|{{steady}}}}

! style="text-align:left" scope="row" | {{flag|Sweden}}

|| 0.947 || {{sort|0.003638|{{increase}} 0.3638%}}

|-

|7

| {{sort|0.945|8}} || {{sort|6|{{increase}} (6)}}

| {{sort|1|{{increase}} (1)}}

! style="text-align:left" scope="row" | {{flag|Ireland}}

! style="text-align:left" scope="row" | {{flag|Australia}}

|| 0.945 || {{sort|0.0040|{{increase}} 0.40%}}

|0.958

| {{sort|0.20|{{increase}} 0.20%}}

|-

| {{sortrowspan="2" |0.942|9}} 8|| {{sort|-52|{{decreaseincrease}} (52)}}

! style="text-align:left" scope="row" | {{flag|Germany}}

|| 0.942 || {{sort|0.0016|{{increase}} 0.16%}}

|-

| {{sort|0.941|10}} || {{sort|-1|{{decrease}} (1)}}

! style="text-align:left" scope="row" | {{flag|Netherlands}}

| rowspan="2" | 0.941 955|| {{sort|0.002426|{{increase}} 0.2426%}}

|-

| {{sort|0.940-1|11}} || {{sort|0|{{steadydecrease}} (1)}}

! style="text-align:left" scope="row" | {{flag|Hong Kong}}

| {{sort|0.38|{{increase}} 0.38%}}

|-

|10

| {{sort|3|{{increase}} (3)}}

! style="text-align:left" scope="row" | {{flag|Belgium}}

|0.951

| {{sort|0.26|{{increase}} 0.26%}}

|-

| 11|| {{sort|4|{{increase}} (4)}}

! style="text-align:left" scope="row" | {{flag|Ireland}}

| 0.949|| {{sort|0.38|{{increase}} 0.38%}}

|-

|12

| {{sort|-4|{{decrease}} (4)}}

! style="text-align:left" scope="row" | {{flag|Finland}}

|0.948

|| 0.940 || {{sort|0.0029|{{increase}} 0.29%}}

| {{sort|0.27|{{increase}} 0.27%}}

|-

| {{sortrowspan="2" |0.939|12}} 13|| {{sort|-12|{{decrease}} (12)}}

! style="text-align:left" scope="row" | {{flag|Singapore}}

| rowspan="2" | 0.939 946|| {{sort|0.002925|{{increase}} 0.2925%}}

|-

| rowspan="2" | {{sort|0.937|13}} || {{sort|2|{{increase}} (2)}}

! style="text-align:left" scope="row" | {{flag|BelgiumUnited Kingdom}}

| rowspan="2"| 0.937 || {{sort|0.002524|{{increase}} 0.2524%}}

|-

| 15|| {{sort|-327|{{decreaseincrease}} (327)}}

! style="text-align:left" scope="row" | {{flag|NewUnited ZealandArab Emirates}}

| 0.940|| {{sort|01.001504|{{increase}} 01.1504%}}

|-

| {{sort|0.936|15}} 16|| {{sort|-2|{{decrease}} (2)}}

! style="text-align:left" scope="row" | {{flag|Canada}}

|| 0.936 939|| {{sort|0.002522|{{increase}} 0.2522%}}

|-

| {{sort|0.935rowspan="3" |16}} 17|| {{sort|-1|{{decreaseincrease}} (1)}}

! style="text-align:left" scope="row" | {{flag|Liechtenstein}}

| rowspan="3" | 0.935 938|| {{sort|0.002223|{{increase}} 0.2223%}}

|-

| {{sort|0.930|17}} || {{sort|3-5|{{increasedecrease}} (35)}}

! style="text-align:left" scope="row" | {{flag|LuxembourgNew Zealand}}

|| 0.930 || {{sort|0.001813|{{increase}} 0.1813%}}

|-

| {{sort|0.929|18}} || {{sort|-3|{{decreasesteady}} (3)}}

! style="text-align:left" scope="row" | {{flag|United KingdomStates}}

|| 0.929 || {{sort|0.001710|{{increase}} 0.1710%}}

|-

| rowspan="2" | {{sort|0.925|19}} 20|| {{sort|01|{{steadyincrease}} (1)}}

! style="text-align:left" scope="row" | {{flag|Japan}}

| rowspan="2"| 0.925 || {{sort|0.0027|{{increase}} 0.27%}}

|-

| {{sort|3|{{increase}} (3)}}

! style="text-align:left" scope="row" | {{flag|South Korea}}

| 0.937|| {{sort|0.003536|{{increase}} 0.3536%}}

|-

| {{sort|0.921|21}} || {{sort|-32|{{decreaseincrease}} (32)}}

! style="text-align:left" scope="row" | {{flag|United StatesSlovenia}}

|| 0.921 931|| {{sort|0.001033|{{increase}} 0.1033%}}

|-

|22

| {{sort|0.919|22}} || {{sort|0|{{steady}}}}

| {{sort|-3|{{decrease}} (3)}}

! style="text-align:left" scope="row" | {{flag|Israel}}

! style="text-align:left" scope="row" | {{flag|Austria}}

|| 0.919 || {{sort|0.0025|{{increase}} 0.25%}}

|0.930

| {{sort|0.21|{{increase}} 0.21%}}

|-

|23

| rowspan="2" | {{sort|0.918|23}} || {{sort|4|{{increase}} (4)}}

| {{sort|-3|{{decrease}} (3)}}

! style="text-align:left" scope="row" | {{flag|Japan}}

|0.925

| {{sort|0.16|{{increase}} 0.16%}}

|-

|24

| {{sort|5|{{increase}} (5)}}

! style="text-align:left" scope="row" | {{flag|Malta}}

|0.924

| rowspan="2"| 0.918 || {{sort|0.0058|{{increase}} 0.58%}}

| {{sort|0.50|{{increase}} 0.50%}}

|-

|25

| {{sort|1|{{increase}} (1)}}

| {{sort|-3|{{decrease}} (3)}}

! style="text-align:left" scope="row" | {{flag|Slovenia}}

! style="text-align:left" scope="row" | {{flag|Luxembourg}}

| {{sort|0.0028|{{increase}} 0.28%}}

|0.922

| {{sort|0.14|{{increase}} 0.14%}}

|-

| {{sort|0.916|25}} 26|| {{sort|-41|{{decrease}} (41)}}

! style="text-align:left" scope="row" | {{flag|AustriaFrance}}

|| 0.916 920|| {{sort|0.001428|{{increase}} 0.1428%}}

|-

| {{sort|0.911|26}} 27|| {{sort|9-3|{{increasedecrease}} (93)}}

! style="text-align:left" scope="row" | {{flag|United Arab EmiratesIsrael}}

|| 0.911 919|| {{sort|0.008026|{{increase}} 0.8026%}}

|-

| {{sort|0.905|27}} 28|| {{sort|0|{{steady}}}}

! style="text-align:left" scope="row" | {{flag|Spain}}

|| 0.905 918|| {{sort|0.003840|{{increase}} 0.3840%}}

|-

| {{sort|0.903rowspan="3" |28}} 29|| {{sort|-3|{{decrease}} (3)}}

! style="text-align:left" scope="row" | {{flag|FranceCzechia}}

| rowspan="3" | 0.903 915|| {{sort|0.002722|{{increase}} 0.2722%}}

|-

| {{sort|0.896|29}} || {{sort|3|{{increase}} (3)}}

! style="text-align:left" scope="row" | {{flag|Cyprus}}

|| 0.896 || {{sort|0.0041|{{increase}} 0.41%}}

|-

| {{sort|0.895|30}} || {{sort|-1|{{decreaseincrease}} (1)}}

! style="text-align:left" scope="row" | {{flag|Italy}}

|| 0.895 || {{sort|0.001324|{{increase}} 0.1324%}}

|-

| {{sort|0.890|31}} || {{sort|-2|{{decrease}} (2)}}

! style="text-align:left" scope="row" | {{flag|EstoniaSan Marino}}

|| 0.890 || {{sort|-0.003032|{{increasedecrease}} 0.3032%}}

|-

| {{sort|0.889rowspan="2" | 32}} || {{sort|-61|{{decreaseincrease}} (61)}}

! style="text-align:left" scope="row" | {{flag|CzechiaAndorra}}

| rowspan="2" | 0.889 913|| {{sort|0.002020|{{increase}} 0.20%}}

|-

| {{sort|3|{{increase}} (3)}}

! style="text-align:left" scope="row" | {{flag|Cyprus}}

| {{sort|0.45|{{increase}} 0.45%}}

|-

| {{sort|0.887|33}} 34|| {{sort|-23|{{decrease}} (23)}}

! style="text-align:left" scope="row" | {{flag|Greece}}

|| 0.887 908|| {{sort|0.001918|{{increase}} 0.1918%}}

|-

|35

| {{sort|0.876|34}} || {{sort|-1|{{decrease}} (1)}}

| {{sort|-1|{{decrease}} (1)}}

! style="text-align:left" scope="row" | {{flag|Poland}}

|0.906

|| 0.876 || {{sort|0.0037|{{increase}} 0.37%}}

| {{sort|0.35|{{increase}} 0.35%}}

|-

| rowspan="3" | {{sort|0.875|35}} 36|| {{sort|3-5|{{increasedecrease}} (35)}}

! style="text-align:left" scope="row" | {{flag|Estonia}}

| 0.905|| {{sort|0.33|{{increase}} 0.33%}}

|-

|37

| {{sort|9|{{increase}} (9)}}

! style="text-align:left" scope="row" | {{flag|Saudi Arabia}}

|0.900

| {{sort|0.70|{{increase}} 0.70%}}

|-

| 38|| {{sort|-1|{{decrease}} (1)}}

! style="text-align:left" scope="row" | {{flag|Bahrain}}

| rowspan="3"| 0.875 899|| {{sort|0.007380|{{increase}} 0.7380%}}

|-

|39

| {{sort|1|{{increase}} (1)}}

| {{sort|-4|{{decrease}} (4)}}

! style="text-align:left" scope="row" | {{flag|Lithuania}}

|0.895

| {{sort|0.0035|{{increase}} 0.35%}}

| {{sort|0.32|{{increase}} 0.32%}}

|-

| 40|| {{sort|2|{{increase}} (2)}}

! style="text-align:left" scope="row" | {{flag|Saudi Arabia}}

| {{sort|0.0064|{{increase}} 0.64%}}

|-

| {{sort|0.866|38}} || {{sort|2|{{increase}} (2)}}

! style="text-align:left" scope="row" | {{flag|Portugal}}

|| 0.866 890|| {{sort|0.004042|{{increase}} 0.4042%}}

|-

| {{sort|0.863rowspan="2" |39}} 41|| {{sort|-1|{{increasedecrease}} (1)}}

! style="text-align:left" scope="row" | {{flag|Latvia}}

|| 0.863 || {{sort|0.0042|{{increase}} 0.42%}}

|-

| rowspan="2" | {{sort|0.858|40}} || {{sort|-6|{{decrease}} (6)}}

! style="text-align:left" scope="row" | {{flag|Andorra}}

| rowspan="2"| 0.858 || {{sort|0.0011|{{increase}} 0.11%}}

|-

| {{sort|5|{{increase}} (5)}}

! style="text-align:left" scope="row" | {{flag|Croatia}}

| rowspan="2" | 0.889|| {{sort|0.004053|{{increase}} 0.4053%}}

|-

| rowspan="2" | {{sort|0.855|42}} || {{sort|14|{{increase}} (14)}}

! style="text-align:left" scope="row" | {{flag|ChileLatvia}}

| rowspan="2"| 0.855 || {{sort|0.004651|{{increase}} 0.4651%}}

|-

| 43|| {{sort|1-4|{{increasedecrease}} (14)}}

! style="text-align:left" scope="row" | {{flag|Qatar}}

| 0.886|| {{sort|0.002345|{{increase}} 0.2345%}}

|-

|44

| {{sort|0.853|44}} || {{sort|-1000|NA}}<ref group="Note" name=olddata>HDI not available before 2018 in latest report</ref>

| {{sort|-6|{{decrease}} (6)}}

! style="text-align:left" scope="row" | {{flag|San Marino}}

|| 0.853 || {{sort|-1|NA}}<ref group="Note" name="olddata" />

|-

| {{sort|0.848|45}} || {{sort|-5|{{decrease}} (5)}}

! style="text-align:left" scope="row" | {{flag|Slovakia}}

|0.880

|| 0.848 || {{sort|0.0009|{{increase}} 0.09%}}

| {{sort|0.14|{{increase}} 0.14%}}

|-

| 45|| {{sort|-1|{{decrease}} (1)}}

! style="text-align:left" scope="row" | {{flag|Chile}}

| 0.878|| {{sort|0.47|{{increase}} 0.47%}}

|-

| {{sort|0.846|46}} || {{sort|1|{{increase}} (1)}}

! style="text-align:left" scope="row" | {{flag|Hungary}}

|| 0.846 870|| {{sort|0.002022|{{increase}} 0.2022%}}

|-

| {{sort|0.842|47}} || {{sort|-47|{{decrease}} (47)}}

! style="text-align:left" scope="row" | {{flag|Argentina}}

|| 0.842 865|| {{sort|0.000915|{{increase}} 0.0915%}}

|-

| {{sort|0.838rowspan="2" | 48}} || {{sort|60|{{increasesteady}} (6)}}

! style="text-align:left" scope="row" | {{flag|Montenegro}}

| rowspan="2" | 0.862|| {{sort|0.38|{{increase}} 0.38%}}

|-

| {{sort|13|{{increase}} (13)}}

! style="text-align:left" scope="row" | {{flag|Uruguay}}

| {{sort|0.47|{{increase}} 0.47%}}

|-

|50

| {{sort|1|{{increase}} (1)}}

! style="text-align:left" scope="row" | {{flag|Oman}}

|0.858

| {{sort|0.22|{{increase}} 0.22%}}

|-

| 51|| {{sort|7|{{increase}} (7)}}

! style="text-align:left" scope="row" | {{flag|Turkey}}

|| 0.838 853|| {{sort|01.010310|{{increase}} 1.0310%}}

|-

| {{sort|0.832|49}} 52|| {{sort|31|{{increase}} (31)}}

! style="text-align:left" scope="row" | {{flag|Montenegro}}

|| 0.832 || {{sort|0.0027|{{increase}} 0.27%}}

|-

| {{sort|0.831|50}} || {{sort|-1|{{decrease}} (1)}}

! style="text-align:left" scope="row" | {{flag|Kuwait}}

|| 0.831 852|| {{sort|0.002036|{{increase}} 0.2036%}}

|-

| {{sort|0.829|51}} 53|| {{sort|-35|{{decrease}} (35)}}

! style="text-align:left" scope="row" | {{flag|BruneiAntigua and Barbuda}}

|| 0.829 851|| {{sort|0.000118|{{increase}} 0.0118%}}

|-

|54

| {{sort|0.822|52}} || {{sort|-2|{{decrease}} (2)}}

|{{sort|5|{{increase}} (5)}}

! style="text-align:left" scope="row" | {{flag|Russia}}

! style="text-align:left" scope="row" | {{flag|Seychelles}}

|| 0.822 || {{sort|0.0029|{{increase}} 0.29%}}

|0.848

|{{sort|0.30|{{increase}} 0.30%}}

|-

| rowspan="2" |55

| {{sort|0.821|53}} || {{sort|3|{{decrease}} (4)}}

|{{sort|1|{{increase}} (1)}}

! style="text-align:left" scope="row" | {{flag|Bulgaria}}

| rowspan="2" |0.845

|{{sort|0.09|{{increase}} 0.09%}}

|-

| {{sort|2|{{increase}} (2)}}

! style="text-align:left" scope="row" | {{flag|Romania}}

|| 0.821 || {{sort|0.001614|{{increase}} 0.1614%}}

|-

|57

| {{sort|0.816|54}} || {{sort|-3|{{decrease}} (3)}}

| {{sort|6|{{increase}} (6)}}

! style="text-align:left" scope="row" | {{flag|Oman}}

! style="text-align:left" scope="row" | {{flag|Georgia}}

|| 0.816 || {{sort|0.0032|{{increase}} 0.32%}}

|0.844

| {{sort|0.54|{{increase}} 0.54%}}

|-

| {{sort|0.812|55}} 58|| {{sort|-24|{{decrease}} (24)}}

! style="text-align:left" scope="row" | {{flag|BahamasSaint Kitts and Nevis}}

|| 0.812 840|| {{sort|0.000049|{{increase}} 0.0049%}}

|-

|59

| {{sort|0.811|56}} || {{sort|4|{{increase}} (4)}}

| {{sort|6|{{increase}} (6)}}

! style="text-align:left" scope="row" | {{flag|Kazakhstan}}

! style="text-align:left" scope="row" | {{flag|Panama}}

|| 0.811 || {{sort|0.0051|{{increase}} 0.51%}}

|0.839

| {{sort|0.47|{{increase}} 0.47%}}

|-

| {{sortrowspan="2" |0.810|57}} 60|| {{sort|-212|{{decrease}} (212)}}

! style="text-align:left" scope="row" | {{flag|Trinidad and TobagoBrunei}}

| rowspan="2" | 0.810 837|| {{sort|+0.002313|{{increase}} 0.2313%}}

|-

| rowspan="2" | {{sort|0.809|58}} || {{sort|4-1|{{increasedecrease}} (41)}}

! style="text-align:left" scope="row" | {{flag|Kazakhstan}}

|{{sort|0.38|{{increase}} 0.38%}}

|-

| rowspan="2" |62

| {{sort|3|{{increase}} (3)}}

! style="text-align:left" scope="row" | {{flag|Costa Rica}}

| rowspan="2" | 0.809 |833
| {{sort|0.004339|{{increase}} 0.4339%}}

|-

| {{sort|05|{{steadyincrease}} (5)}}

! style="text-align:left" scope="row" | {{flag|UruguaySerbia}}

| {{sort|0.002539|{{increase}} 0.2539%}}

|-

| 64|| {{sort|-12|{{decrease}} (12)}}

! style="text-align:left" scope="row" | {{flag|Russia}}

| 0.832|| {{sort|0.25|{{increase}} 0.25%}}

|-

|65

| {{sort|0.808|60}} || {{sort|-3|{{decrease}} (3)}}

|{{sort|-10|{{decrease}} (10)}}

! style="text-align:left" scope="row" | {{flag|Belarus}}

|0.824

|| 0.808 || {{sort|0.0021|{{increase}} 0.21%}}

|{{sort|0.12|{{increase}} 0.12%}}

|-

| {{sort|0.805|61}} 66|| {{sort|0-3|{{steadydecrease}} (3)}}

! style="text-align:left" scope="row" | {{flag|PanamaBahamas}}

|| 0.805 820|| {{sort|0.003721|{{increase}} 0.3721%}}

|-

| {{sort|0.803|62}} 67|| {{sort|12|{{increase}} (12)}}

! style="text-align:left" scope="row" | {{flag|Malaysia}}

|| 0.803 819|| {{sort|0.003941|{{increase}} 0.3941%}}

|-

|68

| rowspan="3" | {{sort|0.802|63}} || {{sort|7|{{increase}} (7)}}

|{{sort|4|{{increase}} (4)}}

! style="text-align:left" scope="row" | {{flag|Georgia}}

! style="text-align:left" scope="row" | {{flag|North Macedonia}}

| rowspan="3"| 0.802 || {{sort|0.0050|{{increase}} 0.50%}}

|0.815

|{{sort|0.21|{{increase}} 0.21%}}

|-

| rowspan="2" | 69|| {{sort|29|{{increase}} (29)}}

! style="text-align:left" scope="row" | {{flag|MauritiusBarbados}}

| rowspan="2" | 0.811|| {{sort|0.005518|{{increase}} 0.5518%}}

|-

| {{sort|40|{{increasesteady}} (4)}}

! style="text-align:left" scope="row" | {{flag|SerbiaArmenia}}

| {{sort|0.004152|{{increase}} 0.4152%}}

|-

|71

|{{sort|0|{{steady}}}}

! style="text-align:left" scope="row" | {{flag|Albania}}

|0.810

|{{sort|0.25|{{increase}} 0.25%}}

|-

| 72|| {{sort|-10|{{decrease}} (10)}}

! style="text-align:left" scope="row" | {{flag|Trinidad and Tobago}}

| 0.807|| {{sort|0.30|{{increase}} 0.30%}}

|-

| 73|| {{sort|0|{{steady}}}}

! style="text-align:left" scope="row" | {{flag|Mauritius}}

| 0.806|| {{sort|0.44|{{increase}} 0.44%}}

|-

|74

| {{sort|0.800|66}} || {{sort|6|{{increase}} (6)}}

|{{sort|7|{{increase}} (7)}}

! style="text-align:left" scope="row" | {{flag|Thailand}}

! style="text-align:left" scope="row" | {{flag|Bosnia and Herzegovina}}

|| 0.800 || {{sort|0.0075|{{increase}} 0.75%}}

|0.804

|{{sort|0.68|{{increase}} 0.68%}}

|}

== Past top countries ==

The list below displays the top-ranked country from each year of the Human Development Index. Norway has been ranked the highest sixteen times, Canada eight times, Japan and Iceland twicethree times, and Switzerland onceand Japan 2 times each.

=== In each original HDI ===

The year represents the time period from which the statistics for the index were derived. In parentheses is the year when the report was published.

{{columns-list|colwidth=25em|* 2023 (2025): {{Flagcountry|Iceland}}

* 2022 (2024): {{Flagcountry|Switzerland}}

* 2021 (2022): {{Flagcountry|Switzerland}}

* 2019 (2020): {{Flagcountry|Norway}}

Line 471 ⟶ 516:

* 1993 (1996): {{Flagcountry|Canada}}

* 1992 (1995): {{Flagcountry|Canada}}

* ????1994 (1994): {{Flagcountry|Canada}}

* ????1993 (1993): {{Flagcountry|Japan}}

* 1990 (1992): {{Flagcountry|Canada}}

* 1990 (1991): {{Flagcountry|Japan}}

Line 483 ⟶ 528:

==Country/region specific HDI lists==

{{Div col}}

* [[List of regions of Afghanistan by Human Development Index|Afghan regions]]

* [[List of provinces of Angola by Human Development Index|Angolan provinces]]

* [[List of African countries by Human Development Index|African countries]]

* [[List of Argentinecounties provincesof Albania by Human Development Index|ArgentineanAlbanian provincescounties]]

* [[List of AustralianAlgerian statesregions by Human Development Index|AustralianAlgerian statesregions]]

* [[List of Argentine provinces by Human Development Index|Argentine provinces]]

* [[List of Armenian provinces by Human Development Index|Armenian provinces]]

* [[List of Australian states and territories by Human Development Index|Australian states and territories]]

* [[List of Austrian states by Human Development Index|Austrian states]]

* [[List of regions of Baltic StatesAzerbaijan by Human Development Index|BalticAzerbaijani Regionsregions]]

* [[List of regions of Baltic States by Human Development Index|Baltic regions]]

*[[List of regions of Bangladesh by Human Development Index|Bangladeshi districts and divisions]]

* [[List of Belgian provinces by Human Development Index|Belgian provinces]]

* [[List of Bolivian departments by Human Development Index|Bolivian departments]]

Line 499 ⟶ 551:

* [[List of Danish regions by Human Development Index|Danish regions]]

* [[List of provinces of the Netherlands by Human Development Index|Dutch provinces]]

* [[List of governorates of Egypt by Human Development Index|Egyptian governorates]]

* [[List of Ethiopian regions by Human Development Index|Ethiopian regions]]

* [[List of sovereign states in Europe by Human Development Index|European countries]]

* [[List of Finnish regions by Human Development Index|Finnish regions]]

* [[List of French regions by Human Development Index|French regions]]

* [[List of German states by Human Development Index|German states]]

* [[List of Georgian regions by Human Development Index|Georgian regions]]

* [[List of Greek regions by Human Development Index|Greek regions]]

* [[List of Indian states by Human Development Index|Indian states]]

Line 510 ⟶ 565:

* [[List of Governorates of Iraq by Human Development Index|Iraqi governorates]]

* [[List of Italian regions by Human Development Index|Italian regions]]

* [[List of regions of Kazakhstan by Human Development Index|Kazakhstan regions]]

* [[List of Japanese prefectures by Human Development Index|Japanese prefectures]]

* [[List of Jordanian governorates by Human Development Index|Jordanian governorates]]

* [[List of Latin American countries by Human Development Index|Latin American countries]]

* [[List of Malaysian states by Human Development Index|Malaysian states]]

* [[List of Mexican states by Human Development Index|Mexican states]]

* [[List of administrative divisions of Myanmar by Human Development Index|Myanmar administrative divisions]]

* [[List of Nepalese provinces by Human Development Index|Nepalese provinces]]

* [[List of regions of New Zealand by Human Development Index|New Zealand regions]]

* [[List of Nigerian states by Human Development Index|Nigerian states]]

*[[List of Norwegian regions by Human Development Index|Norwegian regions]]

* [[List of administrative units of Pakistan by Human Development Index|Pakistani administrative units]]

* [[List of Philippine provinces by HDI|Philippine provinces]]

* [[List of regions of Palestine by Human Development Index|Palestinian regions]]

* [[List of Polish voivodeships by Human Development Index|Polish voivodeships]]

* [[List of Portuguese regions by Human Development Index|Portuguese Regions]]

* [[List of Romanian regions by Human Development Index|Romanian regions]]

* [[List of federal subjects of Russia by Human Development Index|Russian federal subjects]]

* [[List of Serbian regions by Human Development Index|Serbian Regions]]

* [[List of South African provinces by HDI|South African provinces]]

* [[List of regions of South Korea by Human Development Index|South Korean regions]]

* [[List of Spanish autonomous communities by Human Development Index|Spanish communities]]

* [[List of Swedish regions by Human Development Index|Swedish regions]]

* [[List of governorates of Syria by Human Development Index|Syrian governorates ]]

* [[List of regions of Switzerland by Human Development Index|Swiss regions]]

* [[List of regions of Thailand by Human Development Index|Thai regions]]

* [[List of Turkish regions by Human Development Index|Turkish regions]]

* [[List of regions of the United Kingdom by Human Development Index|UK regions]]

* [[List of Ukrainian regions by Human Development Index|Ukrainian regions]]

* [[List of U.S. states by Human Development Index|U.S. states]] ([[American Human Development Report]] (AHDR))

* [[Ranked list of Venezuelan states#By human development index|Venezuelan states]]

Line 535 ⟶ 600:

== Criticism ==

[[File:Per-capita-co-emissions-vs-human-development-index.svg|thumb|HDI in relation to consumption-based {{chem2|CO2}} emissions per capita]]

[[File:Human welfare and ecological footprint.jpg|thumb|HDI vis-à-vis [[ecological footprint]]]]

The Human Development Index has been criticized on a number of grounds, including alleged lack of consideration of technological development or contributions to the human civilization,{{Citation needed|date=April 2022}} focusing exclusively on national performance and ranking, lack of attention to development from a global perspective, measurement error of the underlying statistics, and on the UNDP's changes in formula which can lead to severe misclassification in the categorisation of "low", "medium", "high" or "very high" human development countries.<ref name="Wolff et al. 2011">{{cite journal |last1=Wolff |first1=Hendrik |last2=Chong |first2=Howard |last3=Auffhammer |first3=Maximilian |year=2011 |title=Classification, Detection and Consequences of Data Error: Evidence from the Human Development Index |journal=Economic Journal |volume=121 |issue=553 |pages=843–870 |doi=10.1111/j.1468-0297.2010.02408.x |s2cid=18069132 |url=https://scholarship.sha.cornell.edu/articles/338 |hdl=1813/71597 |hdl-access=free |access-date=13 July 2019 |archive-date=8 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200808041651/https://scholarship.sha.cornell.edu/articles/338/ |url-status=live |issn=0013-0133}}</ref>

There have also been various criticism towards the lack of consideration regarding sustainability<ref>{{Cite journal |last=WWF |first=WWF |title=Living Planet Report 2014 |url=http://assets.worldwildlife.org/publications/723/files/original/WWF-LPR2014-low_res.pdf?1413912230 |journal=[[Living Planet Report]] |volume=2014 |pages=60–62}}</ref> (which later got addressed by the [[planetary pressures-adjusted HDI]]), social inequality<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Harttgen |first1=Kenneth |last2=Klasen |first2=Stephan |date=2012-05-01 |title=A Household-Based Human Development Index |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0305750X11002336 |journal=World Development |volume=40 |issue=5 |pages=878–899 |doi=10.1016/j.worlddev.2011.09.011 |issn=0305-750X|hdl=10419/37505 |hdl-access=free |url-access=subscription }}</ref> (which got addressed by the [[inequality-adjusted HDI]]), [[unemployment]]<ref name="b208"/> or [[democracy]].<ref name="b208">{{cite journal | last=Leiwakabessy | first=Erly | last2=Amaluddin | first2=Amaluddin | title=A Modified Human Development Index, Democracy And Economic Growth In Indonesia | journal=Humanities & Social Sciences Reviews | volume=8 | issue=2 | date=2 May 2020 | issn=2395-6518 | doi=10.18510/hssr.2020.8282 | pages=732–743| doi-access=free }}</ref>

=== Sources of data error ===

Economists Hendrik Wolff, Howard Chong and [[Maximilian Auffhammer]] discuss the HDI from the perspective of data error in the underlying health, education and income statistics used to construct the HDI. They identified three sources of data error which are due to (i) data updating, (ii) formula revisions and (iii) thresholds to classify a country's development status and conclude that 11%, 21% and 34% of all countries can be interpreted as currently misclassified in the development bins due to the three sources of data error, respectively. The authors suggest that the United Nations should discontinue the practice of classifying countries into development bins because: the cut-off values seem arbitrary, can provide incentives for strategic behavior in reporting official statistics, and have the potential to misguide politicians, investors, charity donors and the public who use the HDI at large.<ref name="Wolff et al. 2011" />

The removal of [[literacy]] from HDI has been criticized because [[educational attainment]] evaluates only the quantity of education but not the quality or the outcomes of education and can result in [[perverse incentive]]s.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kovacevic |first=Milorad |date=2011 |title=Review of HDI Critiques and Potential Improvements |url=https://hdr.undp.org/system/files/documents/hdrp201033.pdf |access-date=27 August 2025 |website=United Nations Development Programme, Human Development Reports, Research Paper 2010/33}}</ref>

In 2010, the UNDP reacted to the criticism and updated the thresholds to classify nations as low, medium, and high human development countries. In a comment to ''[[The Economist]]'' in early January 2011, the Human Development Report Office responded<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.economist.com/user/UNDP%2BHuman%2BDevelopment%2BReport%2BOffice/comments |title=UNDP Human Development Report Office's comments |date=January 2011 |newspaper=The Economist |access-date=12 January 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110211083547/http://www.economist.com/user/UNDP%2BHuman%2BDevelopment%2BReport%2BOffice/comments |archive-date=11 February 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref> to a 6 January 2011 article in the magazine<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.economist.com/node/17849159?story_id=17849159 |title=The Economist (pages 60–61 in the issue of Jan 8, 2011) |date=6 January 2011 |access-date=12 January 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110113063006/http://www.economist.com/node/17849159?story_id=17849159 |archive-date=13 January 2011 |url-status=live }}</ref> which discusses the Wolff ''et al.'' paper. The Human Development Report Office states that they undertook a systematic revision of the methods used for the calculation of the HDI, and that the new methodology directly addresses the critique by Wolff ''et al.'' in that it generates a system for continuously updating the human-development categories whenever formula or data revisions take place.

Economists Hendrik Wolff, Howard Chong and [[Maximilian Auffhammer]] discuss the HDI from the perspective of data error in the underlying health, education and income statistics used to construct the HDI. They have identified three sources of data error which are: (i) data updating, (ii) formula revisions and (iii) thresholds to classify a country's development status. They conclude that 11%, 21% and 34% of all countries can be interpreted as currently misclassified in the development bins due to the three sources of data error, respectively. Wolff, Chong and Auffhammer suggest that the United Nations should discontinue the practice of classifying countries into development bins because the cut-off values seem arbitrary, and the classifications can provide incentives for strategic behavior in reporting official statistics, as well as having the potential to misguide politicians, investors, charity donors and the public who use the HDI at large.<ref name="Wolff et al. 2011" />

In 2010, the UNDP reacted to the criticism by updating the thresholds to classify nations as low, medium, and high human development countries. In a comment to ''[[The Economist]]'' in early January 2011, the Human Development Report Office responded<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.economist.com/user/UNDP%2BHuman%2BDevelopment%2BReport%2BOffice/comments |title=UNDP Human Development Report Office's comments |date=January 2011 |newspaper=The Economist |access-date=12 January 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110211083547/http://www.economist.com/user/UNDP%2BHuman%2BDevelopment%2BReport%2BOffice/comments |archive-date=11 February 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref> to an article published in the magazine on 6&nbsp;January 2011<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.economist.com/international/2011/01/06/wrong-numbers |title=The Economist (pages 60–61 in the issue of Jan 8, 2011) |date=6 January 2011 |access-date=12 January 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110113063006/http://www.economist.com/node/17849159?story_id=17849159 |archive-date=13 January 2011 |url-status=live }}</ref> which discusses the Wolff ''et al.'' paper. The Human Development Report Office states that they undertook a systematic revision of the methods used for the calculation of the HDI, and that the new methodology directly addresses the critique by Wolff ''et al.'' in that it generates a system for continuously updating the human-development categories whenever formula or data revisions take place.

In 2013, Salvatore Monni and Alessandro Spaventa emphasized that in the debate of GDP versus HDI, it is often forgotten that these are both external indicators that prioritize different benchmarks upon which the quantification of societal welfare can be predicated. The larger question is whether it is possible to shift the focus of policy from a battle between competing paradigms to a mechanism for eliciting information on well-being directly from the population.<ref name="Monni and Spaventa, 2013">{{cite journal |last1=Monni |first1=Salvatore |last2=Spaventa |first2=Alessandro |year=2013 |title=Beyond Gdp and HDI: Shifting the focus from Paradigms to Politics |journal=Development |volume=56 |issue=2 |pages=227–231 |doi=10.1057/dev.2013.30 |s2cid=84722678 }}</ref>

== See also ==

{{Portal|Modern history|World}}

===Indices===

{{portal|Modern history|World}}

{{div col|colwidth=18em}}

* [[Bhutan GNH Index]]

* [[Broad measures of economic progress]]

* [[Corruption Perceptions Index]]

* [[Democracy Index]]

* [[Fragile States Index]]

* [[Gender Inequality Index]]

* [[International development]]

* [[Gender-related Development Index]]

* [[Genuine Progress Indicator]] (GPI)

* [[Global Peace Index]] (GPI)

* [[Green gross domestic product]] (Green GDP)

* [[Green national product]]

* [[Gross domestic product]]

* [[Gross National Well-being]] (GNW)

* [[Happy Planet Index]] (HPI)

* [[Human Poverty Index]]

* [[Inequality-adjusted Human Development Index]] (IHDI)

* [[Legatum Prosperity Index]]

* [[List of countriessovereign states by Humanpercentage of population living Developmentin Indexpoverty]]

* [[Living planet index]]

* [[Multidimensional Poverty Index]]

* [[OECD Better Life Index]] (BLI)

* [[Right to an adequate standard of living]]

* [[Planetary pressures–adjusted Human Development Index]] (PHDI)

* [[Press Freedom Index]]

* [[Rule of Law Index]]

* [[Social Progress Index]]

* [[Sustainable Development Goals]] (SDGs)

* [[Where-to-be-born Index]]

* [[World Happiness Report]]

{{div col end}}

===Other===

{{div col|colwidth=18em}}

* [[Developing country]]

* [[Economic development]]

* [[Ethics of care]]

* [[Happiness economics]]

* [[Human Development and Capability Association]]

* [[Humanistic economics]]

* [[International development]]

* [[List of countries by percentage of population living in poverty]]

* [[List of countries by share of income of the richest one percent]]

* [[Right to an adequate standard of living]]

* [[Subjective life satisfaction]]

* [[Sustainable Development Goals]] (SDGs)

{{div col end}}

== Notes ==

{{reflist|group=lower-alpha}}

{{reflist|group=Note}}

== References ==

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[[Category:Environmental economics]]

[[Category:International rankings]]

[[Category:Science and technology in India]]

[[Category:Science and technology in Pakistan]]

[[Category:American inventions]]

[[Category:British inventions]]

[[Category:Indian inventions]]

[[Category:Pakistani inventions]]

[[Category:1990 establishments]]