Which has higher human development index, Liberia or Malawi?

Malawi, at 0.415 HDI against 0.381 HDI in Liberia as of 2011.

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

9 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.

Liberia vs Malawi: Human development index

Liberia

0.381 HDI

in 2011

Malawi

0.415 HDI

in 2011

Liberia rank

39th

Malawi rank

36th

Human development index over time

Liberia
Malawi

How they compare

Malawi currently reports 0.415 HDI against 0.381 HDI in Liberia, a difference of 0.034 HDI.

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

The two have swapped places 1 time across 9 shared years of data; in 1980 it was Liberia ahead.

Liberia ranks 39th and Malawi ranks 36th of 50 countries.

Across the 3 decades both report, Liberia averaged higher in 1 and Malawi in 2.

Head to head by decade

Decade	Liberia	Malawi	Difference	Ahead
1980s	0.298 HDI	0.272 HDI	0.026 HDI	Liberia
2000s	0.3263 HDI	0.377 HDI	0.0507 HDI	Malawi
2010s	0.374 HDI	0.414 HDI	0.04 HDI	Malawi

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher human development index, Liberia or Malawi?: Malawi, at 0.415 HDI against 0.381 HDI in Liberia as of 2011.
What is the difference in human development index between Liberia and Malawi?: 0.034 HDI, with Malawi ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Liberia and Malawi?: 9 years are reported by both, from 1980 to 2011.
How do Liberia and Malawi rank globally for human development index?: Liberia ranks 39th 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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Liberia 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/liberia/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.