Which has higher human development index, Benin or Zambia?

Zambia, at 0.443 HDI against 0.434 HDI in Benin as of 2011.

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

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 Zambia: Human development index

Benin

0.434 HDI

in 2011

Zambia

0.443 HDI

in 2011

Benin rank

31st

Zambia rank

28th

Human development index over time

Benin
Zambia

How they compare

Zambia currently reports 0.443 HDI against 0.434 HDI in Benin, a difference of 0.009 HDI.

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

Benin ranks 31st and Zambia ranks 28th of 50 countries.

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

Head to head by decade

Decade	Benin	Zambia	Difference	Ahead
1980s	0.253 HDI	0.405 HDI	0.152 HDI	Zambia
1990s	0.314 HDI	0.398 HDI	0.084 HDI	Zambia
2000s	0.414 HDI	0.407 HDI	0.007 HDI	Benin
2010s	0.433 HDI	0.4405 HDI	0.0075 HDI	Zambia

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher human development index, Benin or Zambia?: Zambia, at 0.443 HDI against 0.434 HDI in Benin as of 2011.
What is the difference in human development index between Benin and Zambia?: 0.009 HDI, with Zambia ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Benin and Zambia?: 10 years are reported by both, from 1980 to 2011.
How do Benin and Zambia rank globally for human development index?: Benin ranks 31st and Zambia ranks 28th 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 Zambia: 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/zambia/

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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.