Which has higher human development index, South Korea or United States?

United States, at 0.938 against 0.937 in South Korea as of 2023.

What is the difference in human development index between South Korea and United States?

0.001, with United States ahead.

How many years of comparable data are there for South Korea and United States?

34 years are reported by both, from 1990 to 2023.

Where does this data come from?

UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Human Development Index. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

South Korea vs United States: Human Development Index

South Korea

0.937

in 2023

United States

0.938

in 2023

South Korea rank

20th

United States rank

17th

Human Development Index over time

South Korea
United States

How they compare

United States currently reports 0.938 against 0.937 in South Korea, a difference of 0.001.

The two have swapped places 2 times across 34 shared years of data; in 1990 it was United States ahead.

South Korea ranks 20th and United States ranks 17th of 192 countries.

Across the 4 decades both report, South Korea averaged higher in 1 and United States in 3.

Head to head by decade

Decade	South Korea	United States	Difference	Ahead
1990s	0.7827	0.887	0.1043	United States
2000s	0.8597	0.9056	0.0459	United States
2010s	0.9114	0.9271	0.0157	United States
2020s	0.9315	0.9285	0.003	South Korea

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher human development index, South Korea or United States?: United States, at 0.938 against 0.937 in South Korea as of 2023.
What is the difference in human development index between South Korea and United States?: 0.001, with United States ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for South Korea and United States?: 34 years are reported by both, from 1990 to 2023.
How do South Korea and United States rank globally for human development index?: South Korea ranks 20th and United States ranks 17th of 192 countries.
Where does this data come from?: UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Human Development Index. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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South Korea vs United States: Human Development Index. Statizoid, drawing on UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 23 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/compare/human-development-index/korea-rep/united-states/

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About this data

Indicator: Human Development Index
Source: UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 192 places, 5,938 data points, 1990–2023
Last refreshed: 17 September 2026

The Human Development Index (HDI) is a summary measure of key dimensions of human development: a long and healthy life, a good education, and a decent standard of living. Higher values indicate higher human development.