Human Development Index in Estonia
Estonia: Human Development Index was 0.905 in 2023. ▲ Rising
Human Development Index in Estonia, 1990–2023
Source: UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2023, human development index in Estonia stood at 0.905. That is the highest value across all 34 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.3% on the previous year and up 2.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, human development index in Estonia peaked at 0.905 in 2023 and was at its lowest, 0.711, in 1994.
Estonia ranks 36th of 192 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.
Human Development Index in Estonia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 0.738 | — |
| 1991 | 0.734 | -0.5% |
| 1992 | 0.722 | -1.6% |
| 1993 | 0.713 | -1.2% |
| 1994 | 0.711 | -0.3% |
| 1995 | 0.725 | +2.0% |
| 1996 | 0.746 | +2.9% |
| 1997 | 0.759 | +1.7% |
| 1998 | 0.767 | +1.1% |
| 1999 | 0.776 | +1.2% |
| 2000 | 0.793 | +2.2% |
| 2001 | 0.802 | +1.1% |
| 2002 | 0.813 | +1.4% |
| 2003 | 0.824 | +1.4% |
| 2004 | 0.834 | +1.2% |
| 2005 | 0.847 | +1.6% |
| 2006 | 0.855 | +0.9% |
| 2007 | 0.859 | +0.5% |
| 2008 | 0.864 | +0.6% |
| 2009 | 0.863 | -0.1% |
| 2010 | 0.868 | +0.6% |
| 2011 | 0.877 | +1.0% |
| 2012 | 0.88 | +0.3% |
| 2013 | 0.887 | +0.8% |
| 2014 | 0.885 | -0.2% |
| 2015 | 0.888 | +0.3% |
| 2016 | 0.89 | +0.2% |
| 2017 | 0.894 | +0.4% |
| 2018 | 0.897 | +0.3% |
| 2019 | 0.901 | +0.4% |
| 2020 | 0.901 | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 0.899 | -0.2% |
| 2022 | 0.902 | +0.3% |
| 2023 | 0.905 | +0.3% |
Estonia compared with similar countries
- Estonia's 0.905 is below the median for high income countries, which is 0.913, 99% of the median. (64 countries reporting)
- Estonia's 0.905 is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 0.895, 1.0× the median. (51 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 0.7391 | 0.711 | 0.776 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.8354 | 0.793 | 0.864 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.8867 | 0.868 | 0.901 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.9018 | 0.899 | 0.905 | 4 |
Countries ranked near Estonia
More reference data data for Estonia
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.0827 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.0328 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 0.2652 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0363 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 0.2652 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.2774 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.193 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.1743 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 1.31 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.1975 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is human development index in Estonia?
- Human development index in Estonia was 0.905 in 2023, according to UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest human development index recorded in Estonia?
- The highest recorded value was 0.905 in 2023.
- What is the lowest human development index recorded in Estonia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.711 in 1994.
- How does Estonia rank for human development index?
- Estonia ranks 36th out of 192 countries with data for 2023.
- Is human development index rising or falling in Estonia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Estonia data come from?
- The figures come from UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Human Development Index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
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.