Which has higher human development index, Benin or Gambia?

Gambia, at 0.44 HDI against 0.434 HDI in Benin as of 2011.

How many years of comparable data are there for Benin and Gambia?

10 years are reported by both, from 1980 to 2011.

Where does this data come from?

http://hdr.undp.org/en/statistics/data/, published as Human development index (HDI). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Benin vs Gambia: Human development index

Benin

0.434 HDI

in 2011

Gambia

0.44 HDI

in 2011

Benin rank

31st

Gambia rank

30th

Human development index over time

Benin
Gambia

How they compare

Gambia currently reports 0.44 HDI against 0.434 HDI in Benin, a difference of 0.006 HDI.

The two have swapped places 2 times across 10 shared years of data; in 1980 it was Gambia ahead.

Benin ranks 31st and Gambia ranks 30th of 50 countries.

Across the 4 decades both report, Benin averaged higher in 1 and Gambia in 3.

Head to head by decade

Decade	Benin	Gambia	Difference	Ahead
1980s	0.253 HDI	0.279 HDI	0.026 HDI	Gambia
1990s	0.314 HDI	0.323 HDI	0.009 HDI	Gambia
2000s	0.414 HDI	0.3923 HDI	0.0217 HDI	Benin
2010s	0.433 HDI	0.4385 HDI	0.0055 HDI	Gambia

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher human development index, Benin or Gambia?: Gambia, at 0.44 HDI against 0.434 HDI in Benin as of 2011.
What is the difference in human development index between Benin and Gambia?: 0.006 HDI, with Gambia ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Benin and Gambia?: 10 years are reported by both, from 1980 to 2011.
How do Benin and Gambia rank globally for human development index?: Benin ranks 31st and Gambia ranks 30th of 50 countries.
Where does this data come from?: http://hdr.undp.org/en/statistics/data/, published as Human development index (HDI). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Benin vs Gambia: Human development index. Statizoid, drawing on http://hdr.undp.org/en/statistics/data/. Retrieved 24 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/compare/human-development-index-hdi/benin/gambia-the/

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About this data

Indicator: Human development index (HDI)
Unit: HDI
Source: http://hdr.undp.org/en/statistics/data/
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage: 50 places, 459 data points, 1980–2011
Last refreshed: 18 September 2026

The Human Development Index (HDI) is a summary measure of human development. It measures the average achievements in a country in three basic dimensions of human development: a long and healthy life, access to knowledge and a decent standard of living. The HDI is the geometric mean of normalized indices measuring achievements in each dimension. The HDI is the geometric mean of the three dimension indices and embodies imperfect substitutability across all HDI dimensions. It thus addresses one of the most serious criticisms of the linear aggregation formula, which allowed for perfect substitution across dimensions. Some substitutability is inherent in the definition of any index that increases with the values of its components. Data sources: Life expectancy at birth: UNDESA; Mean years of schooling: Barro and Lee; Expected years of schooling: UNESCO Institute for Statistics; Gross national income (GNI) per capita: World Bank.