Which has higher human development index, Ethiopia or Malawi?

Malawi, at 0.415 HDI against 0.392 HDI in Ethiopia as of 2011.

How many years of comparable data are there for Ethiopia and Malawi?

8 years are reported by both, from 2000 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.

Ethiopia vs Malawi: Human development index

Ethiopia

0.392 HDI

in 2011

Malawi

0.415 HDI

in 2011

Ethiopia rank

37th

Malawi rank

36th

Human development index over time

Ethiopia
Malawi

How they compare

Malawi currently reports 0.415 HDI against 0.392 HDI in Ethiopia, a difference of 0.023 HDI.

That makes Malawi's figure about 1.1 times Ethiopia's.

Across all 8 years both countries report, Malawi has been ahead every year.

Ethiopia ranks 37th and Malawi ranks 36th of 50 countries.

Malawi has averaged higher in every one of the 2 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade	Ethiopia	Malawi	Difference	Ahead
2000s	0.3358 HDI	0.377 HDI	0.0412 HDI	Malawi
2010s	0.3895 HDI	0.414 HDI	0.0245 HDI	Malawi

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher human development index, Ethiopia or Malawi?: Malawi, at 0.415 HDI against 0.392 HDI in Ethiopia as of 2011.
What is the difference in human development index between Ethiopia and Malawi?: 0.023 HDI, with Malawi ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Ethiopia and Malawi?: 8 years are reported by both, from 2000 to 2011.
How do Ethiopia and Malawi rank globally for human development index?: Ethiopia ranks 37th and Malawi ranks 36th 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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Ethiopia vs Malawi: 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/ethiopia/malawi/

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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.