Human development index in Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe: Human development index was 0.387 HDI in 2011. ▼ Falling
Human development index in Zimbabwe, 1980–2011
Source: http://hdr.undp.org/en/statistics/data/. Measured in HDI.
Analysis
The most recent figure for human development index in Zimbabwe is 0.387 HDI, measured in 2011.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 3.5% on the previous year and up 2.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, human development index in Zimbabwe peaked at 0.427 HDI in 1990 and was at its lowest, 0.345 HDI, in 2008.
Zimbabwe ranks 38th of 50 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 10 years of available data.
Human development index in Zimbabwe, year by year
| Year | HDI | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 0.367 HDI | — |
| 1990 | 0.427 HDI | +16.3% |
| 2000 | 0.376 HDI | -11.9% |
| 2005 | 0.352 HDI | -6.4% |
| 2006 | 0.353 HDI | +0.3% |
| 2007 | 0.355 HDI | +0.6% |
| 2008 | 0.345 HDI | -2.8% |
| 2009 | 0.359 HDI | +4.1% |
| 2010 | 0.374 HDI | +4.2% |
| 2011 | 0.387 HDI | +3.5% |
Zimbabwe compared with similar countries
- Zimbabwe's 0.387 HDI is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 0.4705 HDI, 82% of the median. (24 countries reporting)
- Zimbabwe's 0.387 HDI is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.4485 HDI, 86% of the median. (44 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 0.367 HDI | 0.367 HDI | 0.367 HDI | 1 |
| 1990s | 0.427 HDI | 0.427 HDI | 0.427 HDI | 1 |
| 2000s | 0.3567 HDI | 0.345 HDI | 0.376 HDI | 6 |
| 2010s | 0.3805 HDI | 0.374 HDI | 0.387 HDI | 2 |
Countries ranked near Zimbabwe
More reference data data for Zimbabwe
- Exchange rate, new LCU per USD extended backward, period average 58,959 (2026)
- Exchange rate, old LCU per USD extended forward, period average 58,959 (2026)
- Official exchange rate, LCU per USD, period average 58,959 (2026)
- Political opposition, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Elected parliament and government, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Global number of reported disasters by size, gaps filled 0 events (2024)
- Annual precipitation, annual growth rate 122.78 % change on previous year (2025)
- Free country, gaps filled 0 (2025)
- Civil liberties rating, gaps filled 5 (2025)
- Civil liberties rating, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is human development index in Zimbabwe?
- Human development index in Zimbabwe was 0.387 HDI in 2011, according to http://hdr.undp.org/en/statistics/data/.
- What is the highest human development index recorded in Zimbabwe?
- The highest recorded value was 0.427 HDI in 1990.
- What is the lowest human development index recorded in Zimbabwe?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.345 HDI in 2008.
- How does Zimbabwe rank for human development index?
- Zimbabwe ranks 38th out of 50 countries with data for 2011.
- Is human development index rising or falling in Zimbabwe?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Zimbabwe data come from?
- The figures come from http://hdr.undp.org/en/statistics/data/, published as part of Human development index (HDI). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 10 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
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.