List of countries by Human Development Index

This is a list of countries by Human Development Index as included in the United Nations Development Programme's Human Development Report 2006, compiled on the basis of 2004 data. It covers 175 UN member countries (out of 192), along with: Hong Kong (SAR of China) and PA-governed territories. 17 UN member countries are not included due to lack of data. The average HDI of regions of the World and groups of countries are also included for comparison.

The Human Development Index (HDI) is a comparative measure of life expectancy, literacy, education, and standards of living for countries worldwide. It is a standard means of measuring well-being, especially child welfare. It is used to distinguish whether the country is a developed, a developing, or an under-developed country, and also to measure the impact of economic policies on quality of life. The index was developed in 1990 by Pakistani economist Mahbub ul Haq.

Countries fall into three broad categories based on their HDI:  high ,  medium , and  low  human development. The arrows show the change in HDI from 2005 values.

List of countries
=steady  =increase   =decrease (in HDI)

High
(figures in brackets indicate the change in rank)

Not calculated by the UN
{| class="wikitable" !!width="250px"| Country !! HDI
 * [[Image:Flag of the Republic of China.svg|22px|]] Republic of China (Taiwan) || 0.909 (2004)
 * [[Image:Flag of the Republic of China.svg|22px|]] Republic of China (Taiwan) || 0.909 (2004)

Ten highest HDIs by region
Americas

Europe

Far East

Middle East & North Africa

Sub-Saharan Africa

Ten lowest HDIs by region
Americas

Europe

Far East

Middle East & North Africa

Sub-Saharan Africa

Unavailable data
