What defines a nation’s success? Is it its wealth, infrastructure, or the well-being of its people? The Human Development Index (HDI), introduced by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), offers a thoughtful perspective.
Back in 1990, the first Human Development Report declared, “People are the real wealth of a nation.” Decades later, that truth remains unchanged.
So, what exactly is the HDI? It’s a measure that combines three key aspects of human development: health, education, and standard of living. Think of it as a comprehensive snapshot of a country’s overall well-being.
It’s also used to rank nations as developed, developing, or underdeveloped and to assess how economic policies affect people’s quality of life. Countries fall into four HDI categories: very high, high, medium, and low human development.
In Africa, Seychelles stands out as the only country in the “very high” human development category.
On the other end of the spectrum, Somalia has the lowest HDI, not just in Africa but globally. The continent, like the rest of the world, faces significant challenges in ensuring progress that truly uplifts its people.
Below are the top 10 most developed African countries in 2024:
| Rank | Country | HDI Score | Global Rank | Life Expectancy | Expected Years of Schooling | GNI per Capita |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1 |
Seychelles |
0.802 |
67th |
71.7 years |
13.9 |
$28,386 |
|
2 |
Mauritius |
0.796 |
72nd |
74.0 years |
14.6 |
$23,252 |
|
3 |
Libya |
0.746 |
92nd |
72.2 years |
14.0 |
$19,752 |
|
4 |
Algeria |
0.745 |
93rd |
77.1 years |
15.5 |
$10,978 |
|
5 |
Tunisia |
0.732 |
101st |
74.3 years |
14.6 |
$10,297 |
|
6 |
Egypt |
0.728 |
105th |
70.2 years |
12.9 |
$12,361 |
|
7 |
South Africa |
0.717 |
110th |
61.5 years |
14.3 |
$13,186 |
|
8 |
Botswana |
0.708 |
114th |
65.9 years |
11.4 |
$14,842 |
|
9 |
Morocco |
0.698 |
120th |
75.0 years |
14.6 |
$7,955 |
|
10 |
Gabon |
0.693 |
123rd |
65.7 years |
12.4 |
$11,194 |
Over the years, global progress in human development has taken a hit. Violent conflicts are on the rise, with deaths and displacements reaching their worst levels since World War II. And let’s not forget the climate crisis, 2023 was officially the hottest year on record, capping off a decade of rising temperatures.
All this has derailed the trajectory of human development, putting it below pre-2019 levels and threatening to lock in permanent setbacks.
