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Human Development Index (HDI) 2025 Ranking List: Human development is experiencing an unprecedented slowdown accompanied by weak progress driven by trade tensions, rising debt crises, and joblessness across diverse industries, as per the latest UNDP 2025 Human Development Report.
It further noted the widening gap in inequality between countries with low Human Development Index (HDI) scores and those with very high HDI scores for the fourth consecutive year, highlighting a stark reversal of a historical trend where such inequalities were decreasing.
In a notable mention, European nations continue to dominate the top positions in HDI 2025, with eight of the top ten spots going to countries from the continent; meanwhile, the major global economy, the United States, is positioned at 13th globally.
Asian economies such as Hong Kong (SAR), which ranks 8th; Singapore, 13th; South Korea, 20th; and Japan, 23rd, all the countries falling into the very high human development category. China, on the other hand, ranks 78th in the high human development category.
| Category: Very High Human Development | ||
| Rank | Country | HDI |
| 1 | Iceland | 0.972 |
| 2 | Norway | 0.97 |
| 2 | Switzerland | 0.97 |
| 4 | Denmark | 0.962 |
| 5 | Germany | 0.959 |
| 5 | Sweden | 0.959 |
| 7 | Australia | 0.958 |
| 8 | Hong Kong, China (SAR) | 0.955 |
| 8 | Netherlands | 0.955 |
| 10 | Belgium | 0.951 |
Source: Human Development Index – UNDP Human Development Report 2025
On the contrary, Pakistan and the countries in the Sub-Saharan Africa region rank incredibly low in the HDI 2025, falling in the low human development category.
| Category: Low Human Development | ||
| Rank | Country | HDI |
| 193 | South Sudan | 0.388 |
| 192 | Somalia | 0.404 |
| 191 | Central African Republic | 0.414 |
| 190 | Chad | 0.416 |
| 188 | Mali | 0.419 |
| 188 | Niger | 0.419 |
| 187 | Burundi | 0.439 |
| 186 | Burkina Faso | 0.459 |
| 185 | Sierra Leone | 0.467 |
| 184 | Yemen | 0.47 |
Source: Human Development Index – UNDP Human Development Report 2025
On the other hand, India shows steady upward movement in the HDI rankings, ranking 130 in the 2025 UNDP report. The country’s HDI value rose from 0.676 in 2022 to 0.685 in 2023, placing India in the medium human development category and bringing it closer to the high human development threshold (HDI ≥ 0.700).
Since 1990, India’s HDI value has soared by over 53%, outpacing global and South Asian averages. This reflects consistent advancements in crucial areas of human development, supported by economic growth and focused welfare initiatives.
The UNDP’s 2025 report assesses global development through the lens of various indicators of the Human Development Index (HDI), which includes metrics related to health, education, and income levels. Projections for 2024 indicate that progress on the HDI is stagnating across all regions worldwide.
