Human Development Index Facts for Kids

"HDI" and "Hdi" redirect here. For other uses, see HDI (disambiguation).

World map showing countries ranked by their HDI scores in 2023. Darker green means higher development, while red means lower.

≥ 0.950
0.900–0.950
0.850–0.899
0.800–0.849
0.750–0.799
0.700–0.749
0.650–0.699
0.600–0.649
0.550–0.599
0.500–0.549
0.450–0.499
0.400–0.449
≤ 0.399
Data unavailable

The Human Development Index (HDI) is a special way to measure how well a country is doing. It looks at three main things: how long people live, how much education they get, and how much money they earn. By combining these, the HDI helps us understand a country's overall progress and the well-being of its people. Countries are then grouped into four levels of human development. A higher HDI score means people generally live longer, have more schooling, and earn more money.

This index was created by a Pakistani economist named Mahbub ul-Haq. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) uses it to publish yearly reports on human development around the world. In 2010, a new version called the Inequality-adjusted Human Development Index (IHDI) was introduced. It shows how much inequality affects a country's development. The regular HDI shows what's possible, while the IHDI shows the actual development when differences between people are considered.

The HDI is based on the idea that development isn't just about money. It's about whether people can "be" and "do" important things in life. This includes being healthy, having a home, and getting enough food. It also means being able to work, go to school, vote, and take part in community life. The freedom to make choices is very important. For example, someone choosing to fast for religious reasons is different from someone who is hungry because they cannot afford food. The HDI does not measure everything, like how much wealth people have or the quality of goods in a country.

Why was the HDI created?
How is the HDI measured?
Countries with High Human Development
- Top Countries Over Time
See also

Why was the HDI created?

The idea for the HDI came from the annual Human Development Reports. These reports are made by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Mahbub ul-Haq started these reports in 1990. His main goal was to change how people thought about a country's progress. He wanted to move the focus from just looking at how much money a country made to looking at how well its people were doing. He believed that a simple way to measure human development was needed. This would help convince everyone that development should be judged by people's well-being, not just by economic growth.

The main ideas behind the Human Development Index, showing how it focuses on people's well-being.

How is the HDI measured?

The HDI measures a country's development by looking at three key areas. These areas are combined to give a single score. The method for calculating the HDI was updated in 2010.

This chart shows how HDI scores have changed in different parts of the world between 1990 and 2021.

World OECD countries

Developing countries: Arab States East Asia and the Pacific Europe and Central Asia Latin America and the Caribbean South Asia Sub-Saharan Africa

A Long and Healthy Life

This part of the HDI looks at how long people are expected to live. It uses the life expectancy at birth. A higher life expectancy means people are generally healthier and have better access to healthcare.

Knowledge and Learning

This dimension measures how much education people receive. It considers two things:

Mean years of schooling: This is the average number of years adults (25 years or older) have spent in formal education.
Expected years of schooling: This is the total number of years a child entering school today can expect to spend in education.

A Good Standard of Living

This part of the HDI measures a country's wealth. It uses the GNI per person. GNI per person is the average income of each person in a country. It helps show if people have enough money to live comfortably.

The final HDI score is found by combining these three measurements. It gives a number between 0 and 1. A score closer to 1 means a country has very high human development.

Looking at Past HDI Calculations

Before 2010, the HDI was calculated using a slightly different method. It still looked at life expectancy and standard of living (using gross domestic product per person). However, for education, it used the adult literacy rate and how many students were enrolled in primary, secondary, and higher education. The goal was always the same: to understand human development beyond just economic numbers.

This chart shows how HDI scores changed in different regions between 1975 and 2004.

OECD Europe (not in the OECD), and CIS Latin America and the Caribbean East Asia

Arab League South Asia Sub-Saharan Africa

Countries with High Human Development

The Human Development Report 2025 was released on May 6, 2025. This report used data collected in 2023 to calculate the HDI values. Countries are ranked based on their scores. The countries with the highest scores are considered to have "very high human development."

This map shows the average yearly growth of HDI from 2010 to 2023. Darker blue means faster growth, while red means a decrease.

≥ 1.4%
1.2%…1.4%
1%…1.2%
0.8%…1%
0.6%…0.8%
0.4%…0.6%
0.2%…0.4%
0%…0.2%
−0.5%…0%
−1%…−0.5%
< −1%
No data

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Here are some of the top-ranked countries from the 2023 data (published in the 2025 report):

Table of countries by HDI
Rank	Country or territory	HDI
2023 data (2025 report)	Country or territory	Average annual growth (2010–2023)	2023 data (2025 report)	Average annual growth (2010–2023)
1	(2)	Iceland	0.972	0.28%
2	(1)	Norway	0.970	0.25%
2		Switzerland	0.970	0.24%
4	(2)	Denmark	0.962	0.35%
5	(1)	Germany	0.959	0.19%
5		Sweden	0.959	0.38%
7	(1)	Australia	0.958	0.20%
8	(2)	Netherlands	0.955	0.26%
8	(1)	Hong Kong	0.955	0.38%
10	(3)	Belgium	0.951	0.26%

Top Countries Over Time

It's interesting to see which countries have been ranked highest in the HDI over the years. Norway has been the top country many times, followed by Canada, Iceland, Switzerland, and Japan.

The year shown is when the information for the index was gathered. The year in parentheses is when the report was officially published.