Human Development Index in United States
United States: Human Development Index was 0.938 in 2023. ▲ Rising
Human Development Index in United States, 1990–2023
Source: UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2023, human development index in United States stood at 0.938. That is the highest value across all 34 years on record.
The figure is up 0.9% on the previous year and up 1.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, human development index in United States peaked at 0.938 in 2023 and was at its lowest, 0.878, in 1990.
United States ranks 17th of 192 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.
Human Development Index in United States, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 0.878 | — |
| 1991 | 0.878 | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 0.882 | +0.5% |
| 1993 | 0.884 | +0.2% |
| 1994 | 0.887 | +0.3% |
| 1995 | 0.888 | +0.1% |
| 1996 | 0.89 | +0.2% |
| 1997 | 0.893 | +0.3% |
| 1998 | 0.895 | +0.2% |
| 1999 | 0.895 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 0.895 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 0.897 | +0.2% |
| 2002 | 0.898 | +0.1% |
| 2003 | 0.9 | +0.2% |
| 2004 | 0.905 | +0.6% |
| 2005 | 0.907 | +0.2% |
| 2006 | 0.911 | +0.4% |
| 2007 | 0.914 | +0.3% |
| 2008 | 0.914 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 0.915 | +0.1% |
| 2010 | 0.919 | +0.4% |
| 2011 | 0.92 | +0.1% |
| 2012 | 0.923 | +0.3% |
| 2013 | 0.925 | +0.2% |
| 2014 | 0.926 | +0.1% |
| 2015 | 0.928 | +0.2% |
| 2016 | 0.929 | +0.1% |
| 2017 | 0.931 | +0.2% |
| 2018 | 0.934 | +0.3% |
| 2019 | 0.936 | +0.2% |
| 2020 | 0.925 | -1.2% |
| 2021 | 0.921 | -0.4% |
| 2022 | 0.93 | +1.0% |
| 2023 | 0.938 | +0.9% |
United States compared with similar countries
- United States's 0.938 is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.913, 1.0× the median. (64 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 0.887 | 0.878 | 0.895 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.9056 | 0.895 | 0.915 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.9271 | 0.919 | 0.936 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.9285 | 0.921 | 0.938 | 4 |
Countries ranked near United States
- 15 United Arab Emirates 0.94 compare
- 16 Canada 0.939 compare
- 17 Liechtenstein 0.938 compare
- 17 New Zealand 0.938 compare
- 20 South Korea 0.937 compare
More reference data data for United States
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 19.34 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 24.55 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 119.42 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 20.7 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 119.42 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 64.85 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 52.14 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 133.45 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 589.96 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 112.69 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is human development index in United States?
- Human development index in United States was 0.938 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 United States?
- The highest recorded value was 0.938 in 2023.
- What is the lowest human development index recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.878 in 1990.
- How does United States rank for human development index?
- United States ranks 17th out of 192 countries with data for 2023.
- Is human development index rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United States 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 34 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
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.