Human Development Index (HDI) – Country Rankings 2025

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A ranking of the world’s most developed countries using the latest Human Development Index (HDI) from the UN Development Programme.

Used by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to measure a country’s development, the Human Development Index (HDI) is an index assessing three key dimensions of human development:

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 alone. 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

10 least & most developed countries

Least developed

  1. South Sudan
  2. Somalia
  3. Central African Republic
  4. Chad
  5. Niger
  6. Mali
  7. Burundi
  8. Burkina Faso
  9. Sierra Leone
  10. Yemen

Most developed

  1. Iceland
  2. Norway
  3. Switzerland
  4. Denmark
  5. Germany
  6. Sweden
  7. Australia
  8. Hong Kong, China (SAR)
  9. Netherlands
  10. Belgium

Human Development Index (HDI) – complete ranking

The table below ranks the world’s countries by their HDI score according to the latest Human Development Report (2025). The figures are based on the most recent available data, covering the year 2023.

Country NameScore
Iceland0.972
Norway0.97
Switzerland0.97
Denmark0.962
Germany0.959
Sweden0.959
Australia0.958
Hong Kong, China (SAR)0.955
Netherlands0.955
Belgium0.951
Ireland0.949
Finland0.948
Singapore0.946
United Kingdom0.946
United Arab Emirates0.94
Canada0.939
Liechtenstein0.938
New Zealand0.938
United States0.938
Korea (Republic of)0.937
Slovenia0.931
Austria0.93
Japan0.925
Malta0.924
Luxembourg0.922
France0.92
Israel0.919
Spain0.918
Czechia0.915
Italy0.915
San Marino0.915
Andorra0.913
Cyprus0.913
Greece0.908
Poland0.906
Estonia0.905
Saudi Arabia0.9
Bahrain0.899
Lithuania0.895
Portugal0.89
Croatia0.889
Latvia0.889
Qatar0.886
Slovakia0.88
Chile0.878
Hungary0.87
Argentina0.865
Montenegro0.862
Uruguay0.862
Oman0.858
Türkiye0.853
Kuwait0.852
Antigua and Barbuda0.851
Seychelles0.848
Bulgaria0.845
Romania0.845
Georgia0.844
Saint Kitts and Nevis0.84
Panama0.839
Brunei Darussalam0.837
Kazakhstan0.837
Costa Rica0.833
Serbia0.833
Russian Federation0.832
Belarus0.824
Bahamas0.82
Malaysia0.819
North Macedonia0.815
Armenia0.811
Barbados0.811
Albania0.81
Trinidad and Tobago0.807
Mauritius0.806
Bosnia and Herzegovina0.804
Iran (Islamic Republic of)0.799
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines0.798
Thailand0.798
China0.797
Peru0.794
Grenada0.791
Azerbaijan0.789
Mexico0.789
Colombia0.788
Brazil0.786
Palau0.786
Moldova (Republic of)0.785
Ukraine0.779
Ecuador0.777
Dominican Republic0.776
Guyana0.776
Sri Lanka0.776
Tonga0.769
Maldives0.766
Viet Nam0.766
Turkmenistan0.764
Algeria0.763
Cuba0.762
Dominica0.761
Paraguay0.756
Egypt0.754
Jordan0.754
Lebanon0.752
Saint Lucia0.748
Mongolia0.747
Tunisia0.746
South Africa0.741
Uzbekistan0.74
Bolivia (Plurinational State of)0.733
Gabon0.733
Marshall Islands0.733
Botswana0.731
Fiji0.731
Indonesia0.728
Suriname0.722
Belize0.721
Libya0.721
Jamaica0.72
Kyrgyzstan0.72
Philippines0.72
Morocco0.71
Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of)0.709
Samoa0.708
Nicaragua0.706
Nauru0.703
Bhutan0.698
Eswatini (Kingdom of)0.695
Iraq0.695
Tajikistan0.691
Tuvalu0.689
Bangladesh0.685
India0.685
El Salvador0.678
Equatorial Guinea0.674
Palestine, State of0.674
Cabo Verde0.668
Namibia0.665
Guatemala0.662
Congo0.649
Honduras0.645
Kiribati0.644
Sao Tome and Principe0.637
Timor-Leste0.634
Ghana0.628
Kenya0.628
Nepal0.622
Vanuatu0.621
Lao People's Democratic Republic0.617
Angola0.616
Micronesia (Federated States of)0.615
Myanmar0.609
Cambodia0.606
Comoros0.603
Zimbabwe0.598
Zambia0.595
Cameroon0.588
Solomon Islands0.584
Côte d'Ivoire0.582
Uganda0.582
Rwanda0.578
Papua New Guinea0.576
Togo0.571
Syrian Arab Republic0.564
Mauritania0.563
Nigeria0.56
Tanzania (United Republic of)0.555
Haiti0.554
Lesotho0.55
Pakistan0.544
Senegal0.53
Gambia0.524
Congo (Democratic Republic of the)0.522
Malawi0.517
Benin0.515
Guinea-Bissau0.514
Djibouti0.513
Sudan0.511
Liberia0.51
Eritrea0.503
Guinea0.5
Ethiopia0.497
Afghanistan0.496
Mozambique0.493
Madagascar0.487
Yemen0.47
Sierra Leone0.467
Burkina Faso0.459
Burundi0.439
Mali0.419
Niger0.419
Chad0.416
Central African Republic0.414
Somalia0.404
South Sudan0.388

The following countries or territories have been omitted due to insufficient data.

  • North Korea
  • Monaco

Source: United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)

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Caitriona Maria is an education writer and owner of The Facts Institute. A teacher for seven years, she has been committed to providing students with the best learning opportunities possible, both domestically and abroad. Dedicated to unlocking students' potential, Caitriona has taught English in several countries and continues to explore new cultures through her travels.