The Human development index (HDI) of Switzerland from 1990 to 2021 shows that throughout this period Switzerland has consistently had very high levels of human development which has increased year-on-year. The HDI itself is a statistic that combines life-expectancy, education levels and GDP per capita. Countries with scores over 0.800 are considered to have very high levels of development, compared with countries that score lower.

Switzerland had the highest level of the Human Development Index (HDI) worldwide in 2022 with a value of 0.967. With a score of 0.966, Norway followed closely behind Switzerland and had the second highest level of human development in that year. The rise of the Asian tigers In the decades after the Cold War, the four so-called Asian tigers, South Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, and Hong Kong (now a Special Administrative Region of China) experienced rapid economic growth and increasing human development. At number four and number nine of the HDI, respectively, Hong Kong and Singapore are the only Asian locations within the top 10 highest HDI scores. Both locations have experienced tremendous economic growth since the 1980’s and 1990’s. In 1980, the per capita GDP of Hong Kong was 5,703 U.S. dollars, increasing throughout the decades until reaching 50,029 in 2023, which is expected to continue to increase in the future. Meanwhile, in 1989, Singapore had a GDP of nearly 31 billion U.S. dollars, which has risen to nearly 501 billion U.S. dollars today and is also expected to keep increasing. Growth of the UAE The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is the only Middle Eastern country besides Israel within the highest ranking HDI scores globally. Within the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, the UAE has the third largest GDP behind Saudi Arabia and Israel, reaching nearly 507 billion U.S. dollars by 2022. Per capita, the UAE GDP was around 21,142 U.S. dollars in 1989, and has nearly doubled to 43,438 U.S. dollars by 2021. Moreover, this is expected to reach over 67,538 U.S. dollars by 2029. On top of being a major oil producer, the UAE has become a hub for finance and business and attracts millions of tourists annually.

The aim of the Human Development Report is to stimulate global, regional and national policy-relevant discussions on issues pertinent to human development. Accordingly, the data in the Report require the highest standards of data quality, consistency, international comparability and transparency. The Human Development Report Office (HDRO) fully subscribes to the Principles governing international statistical activities.

The HDI was created to emphasize that people and their capabilities should be the ultimate criteria for assessing the development of a country, not economic growth alone. The HDI can also be used to question national policy choices, asking how two countries with the same level of GNI per capita can end up with different human development outcomes. These contrasts can stimulate debate about government policy priorities. The Human Development Index (HDI) is a summary measure of average achievement in key dimensions of human development: a long and healthy life, being knowledgeable and have a decent standard of living. The HDI is the geometric mean of normalized indices for each of the three dimensions.

The 2019 Global Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) data shed light on the number of people experiencing poverty at regional, national and subnational levels, and reveal inequalities across countries and among the poor themselves.Jointly developed by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI) at the University of Oxford, the 2019 global MPI offers data for 101 countries, covering 76 percent of the global population. The MPI provides a comprehensive and in-depth picture of global poverty – in all its dimensions – and monitors progress towards Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 1 – to end poverty in all its forms. It also provides policymakers with the data to respond to the call of Target 1.2, which is to ‘reduce at least by half the proportion of men, women, and children of all ages living in poverty in all its dimensions according to national definition'.

South Sudan and Somalia had the lowest levels of human development based on the Human Development Index (HDI). Many of the countries at the bottom of the list are located in Sub-Saharan Africa, underlining the prevalence of poverty and low levels of education in the region. Meanwhile, Switzerland had the highest HDI worldwide.

Europe and Central Asia were the regions with the highest Human Development Index (HDI) when adjusting for inequality. The lowest inequality-adjusted HDI was found in Sub-Saharan Africa, underlining the high prevalence of poverty in the region. Meanwhile, Switzerland topped the HDI not adjusted for inequality.

South Sudan had the lowest level of the Human Development Index (HDI) worldwide in 2022 after adjusting for inequality, with a value of 0.22. Its neighbors Chad and the Central African Republic followed behind. Meanwhile, Switzerland topped the HDI not adjusted for inequality.

Iceland had the highest level of the Human Development Index (HDI) worldwide in 2022 after adjusting for inequality, with a value of 0.91. Its Nordic neighbors Norway and Denmark followed behind. Meanwhile, Switzerland topped the HDI not adjusted for inequality.

In 2023, Switzerland led the ranking of countries with the highest average wealth per adult, with approximately 709,600 U.S. dollars per person. Luxembourg was ranked second with an average wealth of around 607,500 U.S. dollars per adult, followed by Hong Kong SAR. However, the figures do not show the actual distribution of wealth. The Gini index shows wealth disparities in countries worldwide. Does wealth guarantee a longer life? As the old adage goes “money can’t buy you happiness”, yet wealth and income are continuously correlated to the quality of life of individuals in different countries around the world. While greater levels of wealth may not guarantee a higher quality life, it certainly increases an individual’s chances of having a longer one. Although they do not show the whole picture, life expectancy at birth is higher in the more wealthier world regions. Does money bring happiness? A number of the world’s happiest nations also feature in the list of those countries for which average income was highest. Finland, however, which was the happiest country worldwide in 2022, is missing in the list of top twenty countries with the highest wealth per adult. As such, the explanation for this may be the fact that the larger proportion of the population has access to a high income relative to global levels. Measures of quality of life Criticism of the use of income or wealth as a proxy for quality of life led to the creation of the United Nations’ Human Development Index. Although income is included within the index, it also has other factors taken into account such as health and education. As such, the countries with the highest human development index can be correlated to those with the highest income levels. That said, none of the above measures seek to assess the physical and mental environmental impact of a high quality of life sourced through high incomes. The happy planet index demonstrates that the inclusion of experienced well-being and ecological footprint in place of income and other proxies for quality of life results in many of the world’s materially poorer nations being included in the happiest.

Die Schweiz erreichte beim Index der menschlichen Entwicklung (Human Development Index, HDI) im Jahr 2022 einen Wert von 0,967 Punkten und war damit das Land auf Platz eins des Rankings. Dahinter folgen Norwegen, Island, Hongkong und Dänemark. Deutschland erreichte mit 0,950 Punkten Platz sieben.

Was ist der Human Development Index?

Der Human Development Index, abgekürzt HDI, ist ein Index der menschlichen Entwicklung in den Ländern der Welt. Er wird von den Vereinten Nationen veröffentlicht und gilt als Wohlstandsindikator. Der HDI kann Werte zwischen 0 und 1 annehmen (zur besseren Darstellung wurden die ursprünglichen Werte in dieser Statistik mit 1.000 multipliziert). Je höher der Wert, desto weiter ist die menschliche Entwicklung in den jeweiligen Ländern vorangeschritten. Hochentwickelte Länder weisen einen HDI von mindestens 0,8 auf.

Die Zusammensetzung des HDI Der Human Development Index (HDI) ist ein zusammengesetzter Index, der auf drei grundlegenden Dimensionen der menschlichen Entwicklung beruht:

die Fähigkeit, ein langes und gesundes Leben zu führen, gemessen an der Lebenserwartung bei der Geburt die Fähigkeit, Wissen zu erwerben, gemessen an durchschnittlichen Schuljahren und erwarteten Schuljahren die Fähigkeit, einen angemessenen Lebensstandard zu erreichen, gemessen am Bruttonationaleinkommen pro Kopf

Siehe zum Thema auch die entsprechenden Statistiken zum Gender Development Index sowie zum Gender Inequality Index.

In 2025, Luxembourg was the country with the highest gross domestic product per capita in the world. Of the 20 listed countries, 13 are in Europe and four are in Asia, alongside the U.S., Canada, and Australia. There are no African or Latin American countries among the top 20. Correlation with high living standards While GDP is a useful indicator for measuring the size or strength of an economy, GDP per capita is much more reflective of living standards. For example, when compared to life expectancy or indices such as the Human Development Index or the World Happiness Report, there is a strong overlap - 14 of the 20 countries on this list are also ranked among the 20 happiest countries in 2024, and all 20 have "very high" HDIs. Misleading metrics? GDP per capita figures, however, can be misleading, and to paint a fuller picture of a country's living standards then one must look at multiple metrics. GDP per capita figures can be skewed by inequalities in wealth distribution, and in countries such as those in the Middle East, a relatively large share of the population lives in poverty while a smaller number live affluent lifestyles.