Which has higher human development index, Ghana or Namibia?

Namibia, at 0.606 HDI against 0.553 HDI in Ghana as of 2011.

How many years of comparable data are there for Ghana and Namibia?

9 years are reported by both, from 1990 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.

Ghana vs Namibia: Human development index

Ghana

0.553 HDI

in 2011

Namibia

0.606 HDI

in 2011

Ghana rank

12th

Namibia rank

10th

Human development index over time

Ghana
Namibia

How they compare

Namibia currently reports 0.606 HDI against 0.553 HDI in Ghana, a difference of 0.053 HDI.

That makes Namibia's figure about 1.1 times Ghana's.

Across all 9 years both countries report, Namibia has been ahead every year.

Ghana ranks 12th and Namibia ranks 10th of 50 countries.

Namibia has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade	Ghana	Namibia	Difference	Ahead
1990s	0.427 HDI	0.569 HDI	0.142 HDI	Namibia
2000s	0.5008 HDI	0.5863 HDI	0.0855 HDI	Namibia
2010s	0.5465 HDI	0.605 HDI	0.0585 HDI	Namibia

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher human development index, Ghana or Namibia?: Namibia, at 0.606 HDI against 0.553 HDI in Ghana as of 2011.
What is the difference in human development index between Ghana and Namibia?: 0.053 HDI, with Namibia ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Ghana and Namibia?: 9 years are reported by both, from 1990 to 2011.
How do Ghana and Namibia rank globally for human development index?: Ghana ranks 12th and Namibia ranks 10th 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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Ghana vs Namibia: 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/ghana/namibia/

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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.