Which has higher human development index, Sudan or Zimbabwe?

Sudan, at 0.419 HDI against 0.387 HDI in Zimbabwe as of 2011.

How many years of comparable data are there for Sudan 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.

Sudan vs Zimbabwe: Human development index

Sudan

0.419 HDI

in 2011

Zimbabwe

0.387 HDI

in 2011

Sudan rank

35th

Zimbabwe rank

38th

Human development index over time

Sudan
Zimbabwe

How they compare

Sudan currently reports 0.419 HDI against 0.387 HDI in Zimbabwe, a difference of 0.032 HDI.

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

The two have swapped places 1 time across 10 shared years of data; in 1980 it was Zimbabwe ahead.

Sudan ranks 35th and Zimbabwe ranks 38th of 50 countries.

Across the 4 decades both report, Sudan averaged higher in 2 and Zimbabwe in 2.

Head to head by decade

Decade	Sudan	Zimbabwe	Difference	Ahead
1980s	0.269 HDI	0.367 HDI	0.098 HDI	Zimbabwe
1990s	0.301 HDI	0.427 HDI	0.126 HDI	Zimbabwe
2000s	0.394 HDI	0.3567 HDI	0.0373 HDI	Sudan
2010s	0.415 HDI	0.3805 HDI	0.0345 HDI	Sudan

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher human development index, Sudan or Zimbabwe?: Sudan, at 0.419 HDI against 0.387 HDI in Zimbabwe as of 2011.
What is the difference in human development index between Sudan and Zimbabwe?: 0.032 HDI, with Sudan ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Sudan and Zimbabwe?: 10 years are reported by both, from 1980 to 2011.
How do Sudan and Zimbabwe rank globally for human development index?: Sudan ranks 35th 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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Sudan 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/sudan/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.