Last updated March 8, 2025
The emerging story of the global standard of living index is a mirror that reflects the ever-evolving socio-economic trends, uncovering the varying degrees of human development witnessed across the world. A comprehensive tool we often refer to in this conversation is the Human Development Index (HDI), a statistical measure developed by the United Nations that assesses the social and economic development levels of countries. The United States, a major player on this global platform, boasts a commendable HDI figure of 0.921, ranking it among the top countries globally. However, even as the U.S. claims its place in the higher echelons, a detailed cross-country examination reveals some fascinating insights. Key findings from the data include:
Topping the list of regions with the highest standard of living or the best quality of life based on quantitative evaluation of various living conditions is Switzerland. Norway follows closely at the second position with an HDI of 0.961, further indicating high standards in the crucial aspects of living - health, education, and income. Iceland, with an HDI of 0.959, comes third on the list, showcasing excellent living conditions characterized by advanced healthcare systems, high average income, and excellent educational institutions. Other countries making it to the top ten of the HDI ranks include Hong Kong (0.952), Australia (0.951), Denmark (0.948), Sweden (0.947), Ireland (0.945), Germany (0.942), and the Netherlands (0.941). These countries exhibit high scores in healthcare, income, and education, offering their citizens an enviable quality of life compared to other regions. Countries with Best Quality of Life
When analyzing the standard of living by country as per the Human Development Index (HDI), South Sudan, Chad, Niger, Central African Republic, Burundi, Mali, Mozambique, Burkina Faso, Yemen, and Guinea have the lowest values. South Sudan has the lowest standard of living with an HDI value of 0.385. The next countries with the lowest standard of living are Chad and Niger with HDI values of 0.394 and 0.400, respectively. Central African Republic has an HDI value of 0.404 and Burundi has a 0.426 HDI value, while Mali is slightly higher with an HDI of 0.428. The following countries, Mozambique, Burkina Faso, and Yemen have their HDI values all within the 0.400 to 0.500 range, coming in at 0.446, 0.449, and 0.455 correspondingly. Guinea rounds out the list with an HDI value of 0.465. The ten countries with the lowest standard of living, are:
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Region ↕ | Human Development Index 2022↕ |
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0.462 | |
0.789 | |
0.745 | |
0.884 | |
0.591 | |
0.826 | |
0.849 | |
0.786 | |
0.946 | |
0.926 | |
0.760 | |
0.820 | |
0.888 | |
0.670 | |
0.809 | |
0.801 | |
0.942 | |
0.700 | |
0.504 | |
0.681 | |
0.698 | |
0.779 | |
0.708 | |
0.760 | |
0.823 | |
0.799 | |
0.438 | |
0.420 | |
0.600 | |
0.587 | |
0.935 | |
0.661 | |
0.387 | |
0.394 | |
0.860 | |
0.788 | |
0.758 | |
0.586 | |
0.806 | |
0.878 | |
0.764 | |
0.907 | |
0.895 | |
0.481 | |
0.952 | |
0.515 | |
0.740 | |
0.766 | |
0.765 | |
0.728 | |
0.674 | |
0.650 | |
0.493 | |
0.899 | |
0.610 | |
0.492 | |
0.729 | |
0.942 | |
0.910 | |
0.693 | |
0.495 | |
0.814 | |
0.950 | |
0.602 | |
0.893 | |
0.793 | |
0.629 | |
0.471 | |
0.483 | |
0.742 | |
0.552 | |
0.624 | |
0.956 | |
0.851 | |
0.959 | |
0.644 | |
0.713 | |
0.780 | |
0.673 | |
0.950 | |
0.915 | |
0.906 | |
0.534 | |
0.706 | |
0.920 | |
0.736 | |
0.802 | |
0.601 | |
0.628 | |
0.847 | |
0.701 | |
0.620 | |
0.879 | |
0.723 | |
0.521 | |
0.487 | |
0.746 | |
0.942 | |
0.879 | |
0.927 | |
0.487 | |
0.508 | |
0.807 | |
0.762 | |
0.410 | |
0.915 | |
0.731 | |
0.540 | |
0.796 | |
0.781 | |
0.634 | |
0.763 | |
0.741 | |
0.844 | |
0.698 | |
0.461 | |
0.608 | |
0.610 | |
![]() | 0.696 |
0.601 | |
0.946 | |
0.939 | |
0.669 | |
0.394 | |
0.548 | |
0.765 | |
0.966 | |
0.819 | |
0.540 | |
0.797 | |
0.716 | |
0.820 | |
0.568 | |
0.731 | |
0.762 | |
0.710 | |
0.881 | |
0.874 | |
0.875 | |
0.593 | |
0.827 | |
0.821 | |
0.548 | |
0.838 | |
0.725 | |
0.772 | |
0.702 | |
0.867 | |
0.613 | |
0.875 | |
0.517 | |
0.805 | |
0.802 | |
0.458 | |
0.949 | |
0.855 | |
0.926 | |
0.562 | |
0.380 | |
0.717 | |
0.929 | |
0.381 | |
0.911 | |
0.780 | |
0.516 | |
0.690 | |
0.952 | |
0.967 | |
0.557 | |
0.679 | |
0.532 | |
0.803 | |
0.566 | |
0.547 | |
0.739 | |
0.814 | |
0.732 | |
0.855 | |
0.744 | |
0.653 | |
0.550 | |
0.734 | |
0.937 | |
0.940 | |
0.927 | |
0.830 | |
0.727 | |
0.614 | |
0.699 | |
0.726 | |
0.424 | |
0.569 | |
0.550 |