Which has higher human development index, Burundi or Zimbabwe?

Zimbabwe, at 0.387 HDI against 0.352 HDI in Burundi as of 2011.

What is the difference in human development index between Burundi and Zimbabwe?

0.035 HDI, with Zimbabwe ahead.

How many years of comparable data are there for Burundi and Zimbabwe?

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.

Burundi vs Zimbabwe: Human development index

Burundi

0.352 HDI

in 2011

Zimbabwe

0.387 HDI

in 2011

Burundi rank

41st

Zimbabwe rank

38th

Human development index over time

Burundi
Zimbabwe

How they compare

Zimbabwe currently reports 0.387 HDI against 0.352 HDI in Burundi, a difference of 0.035 HDI.

That makes Zimbabwe's figure about 1.1 times Burundi's.

Across all 10 years both countries report, Zimbabwe has been ahead every year.

Burundi ranks 41st and Zimbabwe ranks 38th of 50 countries.

Zimbabwe has averaged higher in every one of the 4 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade	Burundi	Zimbabwe	Difference	Ahead
1980s	0.217 HDI	0.367 HDI	0.15 HDI	Zimbabwe
1990s	0.272 HDI	0.427 HDI	0.155 HDI	Zimbabwe
2000s	0.3125 HDI	0.3567 HDI	0.0442 HDI	Zimbabwe
2010s	0.35 HDI	0.3805 HDI	0.0305 HDI	Zimbabwe

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher human development index, Burundi or Zimbabwe?: Zimbabwe, at 0.387 HDI against 0.352 HDI in Burundi as of 2011.
What is the difference in human development index between Burundi and Zimbabwe?: 0.035 HDI, with Zimbabwe ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Burundi and Zimbabwe?: 10 years are reported by both, from 1980 to 2011.
How do Burundi and Zimbabwe rank globally for human development index?: Burundi ranks 41st and Zimbabwe ranks 38th 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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Burundi vs Zimbabwe: 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/burundi/zimbabwe/

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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.