List_of_subnational_entities_with_the_highest_and_lowest_Human_Development_Index
List of subnational entities with the highest and lowest Human Development Index
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The following list shows the subnational entities and regions with the highest and lowest Human Development Index (HDI) in the world and on different continents. The HDI is a summary measure of human development that considers three dimensions: health, education, and standard of living. It is calculated by taking the geometric mean of three normalized indicators: life expectancy at birth, mean and expected years of schooling, and gross national income per capita. The HDI ranges from 0 to 1, with higher values indicating higher human development. The HDI itself was created by Pakistani economist Mahbub ul Haq in 1990, and was further used by the UNDP to measure the country's development in its annual Human Development Reports.The index was initially calculated at the country level. The Global Data Lab at Radboud University in the Netherlands launched a subnational HDI (SHDI) in 2018, which covers around 1,800 regions in over 160 countries to better reflect the differences within countries.[1][2] Global Data Lab also provides the Subnational Human the Subnational Gender Development Index (SGDI) and data on income, years of education and life expectancy on the subnational level. The SHDI and SGDI are based on the UNDP's official HDI and GDI, but they use subnational data in addition to national data.
25 highest HDIs
The top 25 regions with the highest HDI in 2021 were:[3]
| Rank | Region | County | HDI (2021) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Very high human development | |||
| 1 | Zurich |  Switzerland |
0.989 |
| 2 | Oslo and Akershus |  Norway |
0.980 |
| Australian Capital Territory |  Australia | ||
| 4 | Greater London |  United Kingdom |
0.973 |
| 5 | Hamburg |  Germany |
0.972 |
| Stockholm County |  Sweden | ||
| 7 | Western Australia | Australia |
0.967 |
| Capital Region of Denmark |  Denmark | ||
| 9 | Lake Geneva region | Switzerland |
0.966 |
| 10 | Utrecht province |  Netherlands |
0.964 |
| 11 | North Holland | Netherlands |
0.962 |
| 12 | Ticino | Switzerland |
0.961 |
| 13 | Prague |  Czech Republic |
0.960 |
| Helsinki-Uusimaa Region |  Finland | ||
| 15 | Berlin | Germany |
0.959 |
| 16 | Wellington Region |  New Zealand |
0.958 |
| Western Norway | Norway | ||
| 18 | Northwestern Switzerland | Switzerland |
0.957 |
| 19 | Baden-Württemberg | Germany |
0.956 |
| Trøndelag | Norway |
0.956 | |
| 21 | Alberta |  Canada |
0.955 |
| 22 | Bremen | Germany |
0.954 |
| 23 | Brussels |  Belgium |
0.953 |
| Central Slovenia |  Slovenia | ||
| 25 | New South Wales | Australia |
0.952 |
| Capital Area (Gyeonggi, Seoul, Incheon) |  South Korea | ||
| Central Switzerland | Switzerland | ||
25 lowest HDIs
The top 25 regions with the lowest HDi in 2021 were:[3]
| Rank | Region | Country | HDI (2021) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Low human development | |||
| 1 | Middle Juba |  Somalia |
0.232 |
| 2 | Zone 2 (Borkou, Ennedi, Tibesti, Kanem, Barh El Gazel, Lac) |
 Chad |
0.268 |
| 3 | Galguduud | Somalia |
0.279 |
| 4 | Zone 5 (Chari-Baguirmi, Dababa, Baguirmi, Hadjer-Lamis) |
Chad |
0.284 |
| 5 | Sahel Region |  Burkina Faso |
0.286 |
| 6 | Hiran | Somalia |
0.291 |
| Zone 4 (Ouaddai, Assoungha, Sila, Wadi Fira) |
Chad | ||
| 8 | Bay | Somalia |
0.294 |
| 9 | Bakool | Somalia |
0.295 |
| 10 | Lower Juba | Somalia |
0.300 |
| 11 | Warrap |  South Sudan |
0.311 |
| 12 | Middle Shabelle | Somalia |
0.315 |
| 13 | Lower Shabelle | Somalia |
0.323 |
| Togdheer | Somalia | ||
| 15 | Gedo | Somalia |
0.330 |
| 16 | Timbuktu Region |  Mali |
0.331 |
| 17 | Zone 3 (Guera, Batha, Salamat) | Chad |
0.334 |
| 18 | Kebbi State |  Nigeria |
0.335 |
| Jonglei State | South Sudan | ||
| 20 | Sokoto State | Nigeria |
0.336 |
| 21 | Sool | Somalia |
0.338 |
| 22 | Southeastern Region (Basse-Kotto, Mbomou, Haut-Mbomou) |
 Central African Republic |
0.340 |
| 23 | Kuntaur |  Gambia |
0.342 |
| 24 | Unity State | South Sudan |
0.344 |
| 25 | Lakes State | South Sudan |
0.348 |
Top 10 highest
The 10 regions with the highest HDI in 2021 were:[3]
| Rank | Region | Country | HDI (2021) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Very high human development | |||
| 1 | South (Grand Port, Savanne, Plaines Wilhems, Rivière Noire) |
 Mauritius |
0.812 |
| High human development | |||
| 2 | Port Said Governorate |  Egypt |
0.797 |
| 3 | North (Port Louis, Pamplemousses, Rivière du Rempart, Flacq, Moka) |
Mauritius |
0.796 |
| 4 | Suez Governorate | Egypt |
0.783 |
| 5 | Alexandria Governorate | Egypt |
0.780 |
| 6 | Cairo Governorate | Egypt |
0.779 |
| 7 | Grand Tunis |  Tunisia |
0.775 |
| 8 | South-East District |  Botswana |
0.770 |
| 9 | North Center (Algiers, Blida, Boumerdès, Tipaza, Bouïra, Médéa, Tizi Ouzou, Béjaïa, Chlef, Aïn Defla) |
 Algeria |
0.767 |
| 10 | Damietta Governorate | Egypt |
0.757 |
Top 10 lowest
The 10 regions with the lowest HDI in 2021 were:[3]
| Rank | Region | Country | HDI (2021) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Low human development | |||
| 1 | Middle Juba | Somalia |
0.232 |
| 2 | Zone 2 (Borkou, Ennedi, Tibesti, Kanem, Barh El Gazel, Lac) |
Chad |
0.268 |
| 3 | Galguduud | Somalia |
0.279 |
| 4 | Zone 5 (Chari-Baguirmi, Dababa, Baguirmi, Hadjer-Lamis) |
Chad |
0.284 |
| 5 | Sahel Region | Burkina Faso |
0.286 |
| 6 | Hiran | Somalia |
0.291 |
| Zone 4 (Ouaddai, Assoungha, Sila, Wadi Fira) |
Chad | ||
| 8 | Bay | Somalia |
0.294 |
| 9 | Bakool | Somalia |
0.295 |
| 10 | Lower Juba | Somalia |
0.300 |
Top 10 highest
The 10 regions with the highest HDI in Asia in 2021 were:[3]
| Rank | Region | Country | HDI (2021) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Very high human development | |||
| 1 | Capital Area (Gyeonggi, Seoul, Incheon) | South Korea |
0.952 |
| 2 | Southern Kantō (Saitama, Chiba, Tokyo, Kanagawa, Yamanashi, Nagano) |
 Japan |
0.951 |
| 3 | Gyeongnam (South Gyeongsang, Busan, Ulsan) |
South Korea |
0.936 |
| 4 | Kansai (Shiga, Kyoto, Osaka, Hyōgo, Nara, Wakayama) |
Japan |
0.928 |
| 5 | Tōkai (Gifu, Shizuoka, Aichi, Mie) | Japan |
0.924 |
| 6 | Chūgoku (Tottori, Shimane, Okayama, Hiroshima, Yamaguchi) |
Japan |
0.921 |
| 7 | Northern Kantō (Ibaraki, Tochigi, Gunma) | Japan |
0.913 |
| 8 | Chungcheong (North Chungcheong, South Chungcheong, Daejeon, Sejong) |
South Korea |
0.912 |
| 10 | Beijing |  China |
0.907 |
| Jeju | South Korea |
0.907 | |
Top 10 lowest
The 10 regions with the lowest HDI in Asia in 2021 were:[3]
| Rank | Region | Country | HDI (2021) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Low human development | |||
| 1 | Hajjah, Sa'dah, 'Amran |  Yemen |
0.395 |
| 2 | Al Hudaydah, Al Mahwit | Yemen |
0.406 |
| 3 | South (Uruzgan, Helmand, Zabul, Nimroz, Kandahar) |
 Afghanistan |
0.407 |
| 4 | Al Bayda, Dhamar, Raymah | Yemen |
0.408 |
| 5 | North East (Baghlan, Takhar, Badakhshan, Kunduz) |
Afghanistan |
0.444 |
| 6 | West (Ghor, Herat, Badghis, Farah) | Afghanistan |
0.447 |
| 7 | Ibb | Yemen |
0.450 |
| 8 | Former Federally Administered Tribal Areas |  Pakistan |
0.456 |
| 9 | East (Nangarhar, Kunar, Laghman, Nuristan) | Afghanistan |
0.459 |
| 10 | Balochistan | Pakistan |
0.463 |
Top 10 highest
The 10 regions with the highest HDI in Europe in 2021 were:[3]
| Rank | Region | County | HDI (2021) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Very high human development | |||
| 1 | Zürich Canton | Switzerland |
0.989 |
| 2 | Oslo and Akershus | Norway |
0.980 |
| 3 | Greater London | United Kingdom |
0.973 |
| 4 | Hamburg | Germany |
0.972 |
| Stockholm County | Sweden | ||
| 6 | Capital Region of Denmark | Denmark |
0.967 |
| 7 | Lake Geneva region | Switzerland |
0.966 |
| 8 | Utrecht province | Netherlands |
0.964 |
| 9 | North Holland | Netherlands |
0.962 |
| 10 | Ticino | Switzerland |
0.961 |
Top 10 lowest
The 10 regions with the lowest HDI in Europe in 2021 were:[3]
| Rank | Region | Country | HDI (2021) |
|---|---|---|---|
| High human development | |||
| 1 | Southeastern Statistical Region |  Macedonia |
0.722 |
| 2 | Severozapaden Planning Region |  Bulgaria |
0.739 |
| 3 | Center Moldova |  Republic of Moldova |
0.742 |
| Northeastern Statistical Region | Macedonia | ||
| 5 | Gjilan District |  Kosovo |
0.743 |
| 6 | North Moldova | Republic of Moldova |
0.746 |
| 7 | Eastern Statistical Region | Macedonia |
0.747 |
| 8 | Gjakova District | Kosovo |
0.748 |
| 9 | Prizren district | Kosovo |
0.751 |
| 10 | Polog Statistical Region | Macedonia |
0.753 |
| Yugoiztochen Planning Region | Bulgaria |
0.753 | |
Top 10 highest
The 10 regions with the highest HDI in North America in 2021 were:[3]
| Rank | Region | Country | HDI (2021) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Very high human development | |||
| 1 | Alberta | Canada |
0.955 |
| 2 | Massachusetts |  United States |
0.949 |
| 3 | Connecticut | United States |
0.948 |
| 4 | Minnesota | United States |
0.947 |
| 5 | British Columbia | Canada |
0.944 |
| 6 | Ontario | Canada |
0.943 |
| New Hampshire | United States | ||
| New Jersey | United States | ||
| 9 | Colorado | United States |
0.942 |
| 10 | District of Columbia | United States |
0.940 |
| Hawaii | United States | ||
| North Dakota | United States | ||
| Washington | United States | ||
Top 10 lowest
The 10 regions with the lowest HDI in North America in 2021 were:[3]
| Rank | Region | Country | HDI (2021) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Low human development | |||
| 1 | Centre |  Haiti |
0.485 |
| 2 | Artibonite | Haiti |
0.501 |
| 3 | Grand'Anse, Nippes | Haiti |
0.505 |
| 4 | Sud-Est | Haiti |
0.513 |
| 5 | Sud | Haiti |
0.520 |
| 6 | Nord-Est | Haiti |
0.524 |
| 7 | Nord-Ouest | Haiti |
0.527 |
| 8 | Lempira Department |  Honduras |
0.544 |
| Medium human development | |||
| 9 | Nord | Haiti |
0.550 |
| Gracias a Dios Department | Honduras |
0.550 | |
Top 10 highest
The 10 regions with the highest HDI in South America in 2021 were:[3]
| Rank | Region | Country | HDI (2021) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Very high human development | |||
| 1 | Santiago Metropolitan Region |  Chile |
0.886 |
| 2 | Tarapacá Region | Chile |
0.882 |
| 3 | Antofagasta Region | Chile |
0.876 |
| 4 | Valparaíso Region | Chile |
0.871 |
| 5 | Magallanes Region | Chile |
0.867 |
| 6 | Atacama Region | Chile |
0.859 |
| 7 | Greater Buenos Aires |  Argentina |
0.844 |
| 8 | Patagonia Region | Argentina |
0.843 |
| 9 | Cuyo | Argentina |
0.841 |
| Pampas region | Argentina | ||
Top 10 lowest
The 10 regions with the lowest HDI in South America in 2021 were:[3]
| Rank | Region | Country | HDI (2021) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medium human development | |||
| 1 | Brokopondo and Sipaliwini |  Suriname |
0.597 |
| 2 | Potosí Department |  Bolivia |
0.606 |
| 3 | Apure |  Venezuela |
0.619 |
| 4 | Vaupés Department |  Colombia |
0.625 |
| 5 | Potaro-Siparuni |  Guyana |
0.627 |
| 6 | Barima-Waini | Guyana |
0.635 |
| 7 | Barinas | Venezuela |
0.637 |
| 8 | Portuguesa | Venezuela |
0.638 |
| 9 | Guárico | Venezuela |
0.653 |
| 10 | La Guajira Department | Colombia |
0.656 |
Top 10 highest
The 10 regions with the highest HDI in Oceania in 2021 were:[3]
| Rank | Region | Country | HDI (2021) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Very high human development | |||
| 1 | Australian Capital Territory | Australia |
0.980 |
| 2 | Western Australia | Australia |
0.967 |
| 3 | Wellington Region | New Zealand |
0.958 |
| 4 | New South Wales | Australia |
0.952 |
| 5 | Auckland Region | New Zealand |
0.951 |
| 6 | Victoria | Australia |
0.948 |
| 7 | Queensland | Australia |
0.944 |
| 8 | Northern Territory | Australia |
0.940 |
| 9 | South Australia | Australia |
0.939 |
| Taranaki | New Zealand | ||
Top 10 lowest
The 10 regions with the lowest HDI in Oceania in 2021 were:[3]
| Rank | Region | Country | HDI (2021) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Low human development | |||
| 1 | Hela Province |  Papua New Guinea |
0.463 |
| 2 | Enga Province | Papua New Guinea |
0.490 |
| 3 | Southern Highlands Province | Papua New Guinea |
0.490 |
| 4 | Gulf Province | Papua New Guinea |
0.524 |
| 5 | Eastern Highlands Province | Papua New Guinea |
0.525 |
| 6 | Sandaun Province | Papua New Guinea |
0.532 |
| 7 | Penama Province |  Vanuatu |
0.545 |
| 8 | Torba Province | Vanuatu |
0.547 |
| Medium human development | |||
| 9 | East Sepik Province | Papua New Guinea |
0.552 |
| Jiwaka Province | Papua New Guinea |
0.554 | |
- Nations, United (2018-05-31). The Subnational Human Development Index: Moving beyond country-level averages (Report). United Nations.
- Smits, Jeroen; Permanyer, Iñaki (2019-03-12). "The Subnational Human Development Database". Scientific Data. 6 (1): 190038. doi:10.1038/sdata.2019.38. hdl:2066/202965. ISSN 2052-4463.
- "Subnational HDI (v7.0)". Global Data Lab. Retrieved 2024-02-14.