Which has higher human development index, Mauritania or Senegal?

Senegal, at 0.471 HDI against 0.464 HDI in Mauritania as of 2011.

How many years of comparable data are there for Mauritania and Senegal?

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.

Mauritania vs Senegal: Human development index

Mauritania

0.464 HDI

in 2011

Senegal

0.471 HDI

in 2011

Mauritania rank

24th

Senegal rank

21st

Human development index over time

Mauritania
Senegal

How they compare

Senegal currently reports 0.471 HDI against 0.464 HDI in Mauritania, a difference of 0.007 HDI.

The two have swapped places 5 times across 10 shared years of data; in 1980 it was Mauritania ahead.

Mauritania ranks 24th and Senegal ranks 21st of 50 countries.

Across the 4 decades both report, Mauritania averaged higher in 2 and Senegal in 2.

Head to head by decade

Decade	Mauritania	Senegal	Difference	Ahead
1980s	0.34 HDI	0.322 HDI	0.018 HDI	Mauritania
1990s	0.357 HDI	0.368 HDI	0.011 HDI	Senegal
2000s	0.4463 HDI	0.4447 HDI	0.0017 HDI	Mauritania
2010s	0.464 HDI	0.4705 HDI	0.0065 HDI	Senegal

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher human development index, Mauritania or Senegal?: Senegal, at 0.471 HDI against 0.464 HDI in Mauritania as of 2011.
What is the difference in human development index between Mauritania and Senegal?: 0.007 HDI, with Senegal ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Mauritania and Senegal?: 10 years are reported by both, from 1980 to 2011.
How do Mauritania and Senegal rank globally for human development index?: Mauritania ranks 24th and Senegal ranks 21st 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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Mauritania vs Senegal: 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/mauritania/senegal/

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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.