Human Development Index (HDI) – Country Rankings 2026

A ranking of the world’s most developed countries, based on the latest international measures of well-being, education, and living standards.

The Human Development Index (HDI), published by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), measures a country’s overall level of development using three key indicators:

1. A long and healthy life measured by life expectancy.

2. Access to education measured by expected years of schooling of children at school-entry age and mean years of schooling of the adult population.

3. A decent standard of living measured by Gross National Income per capita adjusted for the price level of the country.

The HDI was created to shift the assessment of human development away from economic growth. The HDI puts emphasis on people and their capabilities, as opposed to their economic situation alone.

Thirty years ago, UNDP created a new way to conceive and measure progress. Instead of using growth in GDP as the sole measure of development, we ranked the world’s countries by their human development: by whether people in each country have the freedom and opportunity to live the lives they value.

– United Nations Development Programme

Global patterns in human development

Europe dominates the top of the index, with strong social systems, universal healthcare, and broad access to education.

In North America, both the United States and Canada rank among the world’s 20 most developed countries. Several Asian economies, including Singapore, South Korea, and the United Arab Emirates, also perform exceptionally well.

Meanwhile, countries in Sub-Saharan Africa account for most of the lowest-ranked positions, largely due to ongoing conflict, limited infrastructure, and lower life expectancy.

Middle-income countries in Latin America, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia typically fall into the “High Human Development” category, showing steady progress in education and health even when income levels remain moderate.

10 most and least developed countries

Globally, HDI values range from 0.972 in Iceland, the world’s most developed country, to below 0.400 in South Sudan, highlighting vast disparities in living standards, health, and education.

Human Development Index (HDI) – complete ranking

The table below ranks the world’s countries by their Human Development Index (HDI) score according to the latest United Nations Human Development Report published in 2025. The rankings are based on 2023 data, the most recent internationally comparable figures available as of 2026.

Based on these scores, the UNDP places countries into one of four categories:

• Very High Human Development: HDI of 0.800 or greater
• High Human Development: HDI between 0.700 and 0.799
• Medium Human Development: HDI between 0.550 and 0.699
• Low Human Development: HDI below 0.550

Some countries or territories have been omitted due to insufficient data.

Country Name	Score
Iceland	0.972
Norway	0.97
Switzerland	0.97
Denmark	0.962
Germany	0.959
Sweden	0.959
Australia	0.958
Hong Kong, China (SAR)	0.955
Netherlands	0.955
Belgium	0.951
Ireland	0.949
Finland	0.948
Singapore	0.946
United Kingdom	0.946
United Arab Emirates	0.94
Canada	0.939
Liechtenstein	0.938
New Zealand	0.938
United States	0.938
Korea (Republic of)	0.937
Slovenia	0.931
Austria	0.93
Japan	0.925
Malta	0.924
Luxembourg	0.922
France	0.92
Israel	0.919
Spain	0.918
Czechia	0.915
Italy	0.915
San Marino	0.915
Andorra	0.913
Cyprus	0.913
Greece	0.908
Poland	0.906
Estonia	0.905
Saudi Arabia	0.9
Bahrain	0.899
Lithuania	0.895
Portugal	0.89
Croatia	0.889
Latvia	0.889
Qatar	0.886
Slovakia	0.88
Chile	0.878
Hungary	0.87
Argentina	0.865
Montenegro	0.862
Uruguay	0.862
Oman	0.858
Türkiye	0.853
Kuwait	0.852
Antigua and Barbuda	0.851
Seychelles	0.848
Bulgaria	0.845
Romania	0.845
Georgia	0.844
Saint Kitts and Nevis	0.84
Panama	0.839
Brunei Darussalam	0.837
Kazakhstan	0.837
Costa Rica	0.833
Serbia	0.833
Russian Federation	0.832
Belarus	0.824
Bahamas	0.82
Malaysia	0.819
North Macedonia	0.815
Armenia	0.811
Barbados	0.811
Albania	0.81
Trinidad and Tobago	0.807
Mauritius	0.806
Bosnia and Herzegovina	0.804
Iran (Islamic Republic of)	0.799
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	0.798
Thailand	0.798
China	0.797
Peru	0.794
Grenada	0.791
Azerbaijan	0.789
Mexico	0.789
Colombia	0.788
Brazil	0.786
Palau	0.786
Moldova (Republic of)	0.785
Ukraine	0.779
Ecuador	0.777
Dominican Republic	0.776
Guyana	0.776
Sri Lanka	0.776
Tonga	0.769
Maldives	0.766
Viet Nam	0.766
Turkmenistan	0.764
Algeria	0.763
Cuba	0.762
Dominica	0.761
Paraguay	0.756
Egypt	0.754
Jordan	0.754
Lebanon	0.752
Saint Lucia	0.748
Mongolia	0.747
Tunisia	0.746
South Africa	0.741
Uzbekistan	0.74
Bolivia (Plurinational State of)	0.733
Gabon	0.733
Marshall Islands	0.733
Botswana	0.731
Fiji	0.731
Indonesia	0.728
Suriname	0.722
Belize	0.721
Libya	0.721
Jamaica	0.72
Kyrgyzstan	0.72
Philippines	0.72
Morocco	0.71
Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of)	0.709
Samoa	0.708
Nicaragua	0.706
Nauru	0.703
Bhutan	0.698
Eswatini (Kingdom of)	0.695
Iraq	0.695
Tajikistan	0.691
Tuvalu	0.689
Bangladesh	0.685
India	0.685
El Salvador	0.678
Equatorial Guinea	0.674
Palestine, State of	0.674
Cabo Verde	0.668
Namibia	0.665
Guatemala	0.662
Congo	0.649
Honduras	0.645
Kiribati	0.644
Sao Tome and Principe	0.637
Timor-Leste	0.634
Ghana	0.628
Kenya	0.628
Nepal	0.622
Vanuatu	0.621
Lao People's Democratic Republic	0.617
Angola	0.616
Micronesia (Federated States of)	0.615
Myanmar	0.609
Cambodia	0.606
Comoros	0.603
Zimbabwe	0.598
Zambia	0.595
Cameroon	0.588
Solomon Islands	0.584
Côte d'Ivoire	0.582
Uganda	0.582
Rwanda	0.578
Papua New Guinea	0.576
Togo	0.571
Syrian Arab Republic	0.564
Mauritania	0.563
Nigeria	0.56
Tanzania (United Republic of)	0.555
Haiti	0.554
Lesotho	0.55
Pakistan	0.544
Senegal	0.53
Gambia	0.524
Congo (Democratic Republic of the)	0.522
Malawi	0.517
Benin	0.515
Guinea-Bissau	0.514
Djibouti	0.513
Sudan	0.511
Liberia	0.51
Eritrea	0.503
Guinea	0.5
Ethiopia	0.497
Afghanistan	0.496
Mozambique	0.493
Madagascar	0.487
Yemen	0.47
Sierra Leone	0.467
Burkina Faso	0.459
Burundi	0.439
Mali	0.419
Niger	0.419
Chad	0.416
Central African Republic	0.414
Somalia	0.404
South Sudan	0.388

Overall, the world’s average HDI currently stands at around 0.74, placing it in the “High Human Development” category. However, progress remains uneven, with many regions in Sub-Saharan Africa and parts of Asia still struggling.

Challenges such as conflict, inequality, and weak infrastructure continue to limit development outcomes in many parts of the world.