Developed Countries

Last updated May 20, 2025

Human Development Index 2023
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Human Development Index 2023Question Mark
1IcelandIceland0.972
2SwitzerlandSwitzerland0.97
2NorwayNorway0.97
4DenmarkDenmark0.962
5SwedenSweden0.959
5GermanyGermany0.959
7AustraliaAustralia0.958
8NetherlandsNetherlands0.955
9BelgiumBelgium0.951
10IrelandIreland0.949
11FinlandFinland0.948
12SingaporeSingapore0.946
12United KingdomUnited Kingdom0.946
14United Arab EmiratesUnited Arab Emirates0.94
15CanadaCanada0.939
16New ZealandNew Zealand0.938
16LiechtensteinLiechtenstein0.938
16United StatesUnited States0.938
19South KoreaSouth Korea0.937
20SloveniaSlovenia0.931
21AustriaAustria0.93
22JapanJapan0.925
23MaltaMalta0.924
24LuxembourgLuxembourg0.922
25FranceFrance0.92
26IsraelIsrael0.919
27SpainSpain0.918
28ItalyItaly0.915
28San MarinoSan Marino0.915
28Czech RepublicCzech Republic0.915
31AndorraAndorra0.913
31CyprusCyprus0.913
33GreeceGreece0.908
34PolandPoland0.906
35EstoniaEstonia0.905
36Saudi ArabiaSaudi Arabia0.9
37BahrainBahrain0.899
38LithuaniaLithuania0.895
39PortugalPortugal0.89
40LatviaLatvia0.889
40CroatiaCroatia0.889
42QatarQatar0.886
43SlovakiaSlovakia0.88
44ChileChile0.878
45HungaryHungary0.87
46ArgentinaArgentina0.865
47MontenegroMontenegro0.862
47UruguayUruguay0.862
49OmanOman0.858
50TurkeyTurkey0.853
51KuwaitKuwait0.852
52Antigua and BarbudaAntigua and Barbuda0.851
53SeychellesSeychelles0.848
54RomaniaRomania0.845
54BulgariaBulgaria0.845
56GeorgiaGeorgia0.844
57Saint Kitts and NevisSaint Kitts and Nevis0.84
58PanamaPanama0.839
59BruneiBrunei0.837
59KazakhstanKazakhstan0.837
61Costa RicaCosta Rica0.833
61SerbiaSerbia0.833
63RussiaRussia0.832
64BelarusBelarus0.824
65BahamasBahamas0.82
66MalaysiaMalaysia0.819
67North MacedoniaNorth Macedonia0.815
68ArmeniaArmenia0.811
68BarbadosBarbados0.811
70AlbaniaAlbania0.81
71Trinidad and TobagoTrinidad and Tobago0.807
72MauritiusMauritius0.806
73Bosnia and HerzegovinaBosnia and Herzegovina0.804
74IranIran0.799
75ThailandThailand0.798
75Saint Vincent and the GrenadinesSaint Vincent and the Grenadines0.798
77ChinaChina0.797
78PeruPeru0.794
79GrenadaGrenada0.791
80MexicoMexico0.789
80AzerbaijanAzerbaijan0.789
82ColombiaColombia0.788
83BrazilBrazil0.786
83PalauPalau0.786
85MoldovaMoldova0.785
86UkraineUkraine0.779
87EcuadorEcuador0.777
88GuyanaGuyana0.776
88Dominican RepublicDominican Republic0.776
88Sri LankaSri Lanka0.776
91TongaTonga0.769
92MaldivesMaldives0.766
92VietnamVietnam0.766
94TurkmenistanTurkmenistan0.764
95AlgeriaAlgeria0.763
96CubaCuba0.762
97DominicaDominica0.761
98ParaguayParaguay0.756
99EgyptEgypt0.754
99JordanJordan0.754
101LebanonLebanon0.752
102Saint LuciaSaint Lucia0.748
103MongoliaMongolia0.747
104TunisiaTunisia0.746
105South AfricaSouth Africa0.741
106UzbekistanUzbekistan0.74
107Marshall IslandsMarshall Islands0.733
107GabonGabon0.733
107BoliviaBolivia0.733
110FijiFiji0.731
110BotswanaBotswana0.731
112IndonesiaIndonesia0.728
113SurinameSuriname0.722
114LibyaLibya0.721
114BelizeBelize0.721
116JamaicaJamaica0.72
116KyrgyzstanKyrgyzstan0.72
116PhilippinesPhilippines0.72
119MoroccoMorocco0.71
120VenezuelaVenezuela0.709
121SamoaSamoa0.708
122NicaraguaNicaragua0.706
123NauruNauru0.703
124BhutanBhutan0.698
125IraqIraq0.695
125EswatiniEswatini0.695
127TajikistanTajikistan0.691
128TuvaluTuvalu0.689
129BangladeshBangladesh0.685
129IndiaIndia0.685
131El SalvadorEl Salvador0.678
132PalestinePalestine0.674
132Equatorial GuineaEquatorial Guinea0.674
134Cape VerdeCape Verde0.668
135NamibiaNamibia0.665
136GuatemalaGuatemala0.662
137Republic of the CongoRepublic of the Congo0.649
138HondurasHonduras0.645
139KiribatiKiribati0.644
140Sao Tome and PrincipeSao Tome and Principe0.637
141Timor LesteTimor Leste0.634
142KenyaKenya0.628
142GhanaGhana0.628
144NepalNepal0.622
145VanuatuVanuatu0.621
146LaosLaos0.617
147AngolaAngola0.616
148MicronesiaMicronesia0.615
149MyanmarMyanmar0.609
150CambodiaCambodia0.606
151ComorosComoros0.603
152ZimbabweZimbabwe0.598
153ZambiaZambia0.595
154CameroonCameroon0.588
155Solomon IslandsSolomon Islands0.584
156UgandaUganda0.582
156Ivory CoastIvory Coast0.582
158RwandaRwanda0.578
159Papua New GuineaPapua New Guinea0.576
160TogoTogo0.571
161SyriaSyria0.564
162MauritaniaMauritania0.563
163NigeriaNigeria0.56
164TanzaniaTanzania0.555
165HaitiHaiti0.554
166LesothoLesotho0.55
167PakistanPakistan0.544
168SenegalSenegal0.53
169GambiaGambia0.524
170DR CongoDR Congo0.522
171MalawiMalawi0.517
172BeninBenin0.515
173Guinea BissauGuinea Bissau0.514
174DjiboutiDjibouti0.513
175SudanSudan0.511
176LiberiaLiberia0.51
177EritreaEritrea0.503
178GuineaGuinea0.5
179EthiopiaEthiopia0.497
180AfghanistanAfghanistan0.496
181MozambiqueMozambique0.493
182MadagascarMadagascar0.487
183YemenYemen0.47
184Sierra LeoneSierra Leone0.467
185Burkina FasoBurkina Faso0.459
186BurundiBurundi0.439
187MaliMali0.419
187NigerNiger0.419
189ChadChad0.416
190Central African RepublicCentral African Republic0.414
191SomaliaSomalia0.404
192South SudanSouth Sudan0.388

Levels of Development; Comparing Developed Countries Globally

The label of a 'developed' country carries with it connotations of economic stability, advanced technology, high standards of living, and robust healthcare and education systems. Economists and political scientists rely on various metrics to assess and categorize the level of a country's development. The Human Development Index (HDI) is one such comprehensive measure, composed of three dimensions: longevity, education, and standard of living. The HDI was developed by the United Nations and ranks countries from 0 (least developed) to 1 (most developed). It shapes an analytical picture of national achievement in key areas of human development, making it a valuable resource in comparative study of development across borders. Insights about the world's development:

  • Switzerland tops the HDI ranking with an impressive score of 0.962 out of 1, closely followed by Norway, Iceland, and Hong Kong. These nations demonstrate a high standard of living, strong educational systems, and long life expectancy, epitomizing the classic traits of a developed nation.
  • The United States, a powerhouse of global economics and innovation, ranks 21st worldwide with an HDI score of 0.921. This score confirms its status as a developed nation, though it does lag behind countries such as Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, and Australia.
  • Generally, the higher the HDI score, the higher the level of social and economic development. The top 50 nations in the HDI ranking are made up predominantly of countries from Europe, Asia, and North America, highlighting regional economic disparities across the globe.
  • It is interesting to note that nations located in the South Pacific, such as Fiji and Tonga, have comparatively lower HDI scores around the 0.7 mark, underscoring the developmental challenges faced by island nations due to geographical isolation and limited resources.
  • Armed conflicts and political instability are amongst the substantial factors impacting development. Nations marked by recent or ongoing conflict, such as Afghanistan or Yemen, sit at the lower end of the HDI scale, indicating a low development level.

Most Developed Countries in the World

Leading the world is Switzerland with an indomitable HDI score of 0.962, setting the standard for longevity, educational attainment, and living standards. As a high-income country, Switzerland demonstrates a high quality of life, advanced economy, excellent infrastructure, and an unmatched standard of living, indicative of a state well into its post-industrial phase. Closely following at second, we have Norway with an HDI score of 0.961. Known for its high standard of living, Norway’s strong educational system, infrastructure, and long life expectancy underscore its robust development status. Not far behind is Iceland, scoring 0.959 on the HDI, a testament to its thriving education, remarkable life expectancy, and high-income economy. Iceland’s advanced infrastructure further contributes to its standing as a highly developed country. In the fourth place, Hong Kong gets a score of 0.952. Despite its relatively small area, it signifies advancements in education, excellent infrastructure, and superior standard of living, making it a standout in global development. Australia, remarkable for its high quality of life, scores an impressive 0.951, making it the fifth most developed nation. Its position can be credited to its established economy and widespread infrastructure. Further down the list, we find Denmark, Sweden, Ireland, Germany, and The Netherlands, with respective HDI scores of 0.948, 0.947, 0.945, 0.942, and 0.941. These states exemplify a successful transition to post-industrial economies where services contribute more to their wealth than industry. Most Developed Countries in the World:

  1. Switzerland - 0.962
  2. Norway - 0.961
  3. Iceland - 0.959
  4. Hong Kong - 0.952
  5. Australia - 0.951
  6. Denmark - 0.948
  7. Sweden - 0.947
  8. Ireland - 0.945
  9. Germany - 0.942
  10. Netherlands - 0.941
The 2025 Human Development Report
Last updated
May 6th, 2025
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