List of African countries by Human Development Index

The Human Development Index (HDI) is a summary measure of average achievement in key dimensions of human development: a long and healthy life, knowledge, and a decent standard of living. It is a standard means of measuring well-being. It is used to distinguish whether the country is a developed, developing, or underdeveloped country, and also to measure the impact of economic policies on quality of life. Countries fall into four broad categories based on their HDI: very high, high, medium, and low human development. Currently, Seychelles is the only African country that falls into the very high human development category. Somalia has the lowest HDI in both Africa and the world according to the list.

List

African countries by Human Development Index (2020 report, showing 2019 data)

≥ 0.900   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 table below presents the latest Human Development Index (HDI) for countries in Africa as included in the United Nations Development Programme's Human Development Report, released on 13 March 2024 and based on data collected in 2024. ^[1]

As of 2024, all African UN member states are included in the report. Several dependent territories administered by non-African states are not ranked as they are not included in the latest report. Additionally, the borders and autonomy of Western Sahara are contested ^[2] so an accurate HDI cannot be determined.

List of African countries by Human Development Index
Rank		Country	Human Development Index (HDI)
Region	World		2022 data (2024 report)​	Change in HDI value 2023-2024 [3]
Very high human development
1	67	Seychelles	0.802	0.007
High human development
2	72	Mauritius	0.796	0.006
3	92	Libya	0.746
4	93	Algeria	0.745	0.005
5	101	Tunisia	0.732	0.003
6	105	Egypt	0.728	0.002
7	110	South Africa	0.717	0.004
8	114	Botswana	0.708	0.028
Medium human development
9	120	Morocco	0.698	0.010
10	123	Gabon	0.693	0.006
11	131	Cape Verde	0.661	0.011
12	133	Equatorial Guinea	0.650	0.003
13	141	São Tomé and Príncipe	0.613	0.008
14	142	Eswatini	0.610	0.002
		Namibia		0.006
16	145	Ghana	0.602	0.002
17	146	Kenya	0.601	0.005
18	149	Republic of the Congo	0.593	0.005
19	150	Angola	0.591	0.001
20	151	Cameroon	0.587	0.006
21	152	Comoros	0.586	0.001
22	153	Zambia	0.569	0.004
23	159	Uganda	0.550	0.005
		Zimbabwe		0.001
Low human development
25	161	Nigeria	0.548	0.006
		Rwanda		0.009
27	163	Togo	0.547	0.002
28	164	Mauritania	0.534	0.002
29	166	Ivory Coast	0.534	0.004
30	167	Tanzania	0.532	0.003
31	168	Lesotho	0.521	0.001
32	169	Senegal	0.517	0.005
33	170	Sudan	0.516
34	171	Djibouti	0.515	0.003
35	172	Malawi	0.508	0.001
36	173	Benin	0.504	0.002
37	174	Gambia	0.495	0.005
38	175	Eritrea	0.493	0.003
39	176	Ethiopia	0.492	0.003
40	177	Liberia	0.487	0.003
		Madagascar		0.003
42	179	Guinea-Bissau	0.483	0.001
43	180	Democratic Republic of the Congo	0.481	0.006
44	181	Guinea	0.472	0.004
45	183	Mozambique	0.461	0.002
46	184	Sierra Leone	0.458	0.002
47	185	Burkina Faso	0.438	0.007
48	187	Burundi	0.420	0.001
49	188	Mali	0.410	0.002
50	189	Chad	0.394	0.001
		Niger		0.005
52	191	Central African Republic	0.387
53	192	South Sudan	0.381
54	193	Somalia	0.380	N/A^[1]

Notes

1.^ No comparable data exists for Somalia before 2022.

See also

• List of African countries by GDP (nominal)
• List of African countries by GDP (PPP)
• List of African countries by GDP (PPP) per capita
• List of African countries by population
• List of countries by Human Development Index
• List of countries by Human Development Index by region
• List of countries by percentage of population living in poverty
• Poverty in Africa

References

Notes

1.^ No comparable data exists for Somalia before 2022.

See also

• List of African countries by GDP (nominal)
• List of African countries by GDP (PPP)
• List of African countries by GDP (PPP) per capita
• List of African countries by population
• List of countries by Human Development Index
• List of countries by Human Development Index by region
• List of countries by percentage of population living in poverty
• Poverty in Africa

References

1. HUMAN DEVELOPMENT REPORT 2023-24: Breaking the gridlock: Reimagining cooperation in a polarized world (PDF). United Nations Development Programme. 13 March 2024. pp. 287–292. Archived (PDF) from the original on 13 March 2024. Retrieved 15 March 2024 – via hdr.undp.org.
2. "Western Sahara | The United Nations and Decolonization". www.un.org. Retrieved 2024-01-23.
3. Human Development Report 2021-22: Uncertain Times, Unsettled Lives: Shaping our Future in a Transforming World (PDF). United Nations Development Programme. 8 September 2022. pp. 277–280. ISBN 978-9-211-26451-7. Archived (PDF) from the original on 8 September 2022. Retrieved 8 September 2022 – via hdr.undp.org.