Question 1

Which country in North America has the highest human development?

Accepted Answer

Canada has the highest human development in North America: an index of 0.939 (2023). Next come the United States (an index of 0.938) and Antigua and Barbuda (an index of 0.851).

Question 2

Which country in North America has the lowest human development?

Accepted Answer

Haiti, with an index of 0.554 (2023).

Question 3

What is the typical human development index of a country in North America?

Accepted Answer

The median of the 23 countries in North America is an index of 0.789: half are above it, half below. The median, not the average, because a few countries at the top would drag an average far above almost everyone.

Question 4

Where do the figures come from?

Accepted Answer

The United Nations Development Programme’s index of a long and healthy life, education and a decent standard of living, from 0 to 1. Source: UNDP, 2023. Only independent states are ranked; territories are listed separately. A country’s continent follows Natural Earth; the handful of island states it files under the open ocean are placed by their UN subregion.

#	Country	HDI	Region
1	Canada	0.939	Northern America
2	United States	0.938	Northern America
3	Antigua and Barbuda	0.851	Caribbean
4	Saint Kitts and Nevis	0.840	Caribbean
5	Panama	0.839	Central America
6	Costa Rica	0.833	Central America
7	Bahamas	0.820	Caribbean
8	Barbados	0.811	Caribbean
9	Trinidad and Tobago	0.807	Caribbean
10	Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	0.798	Caribbean
11	Grenada	0.791	Caribbean
12	Mexico	0.789	Central America
13	Dominican Republic	0.776	Caribbean
14	Cuba	0.762	Caribbean
15	Dominica	0.761	Caribbean
16	Saint Lucia	0.748	Caribbean
17	Belize	0.721	Central America
18	Jamaica	0.720	Caribbean
19	Nicaragua	0.706	Central America
20	El Salvador	0.678	Central America
21	Guatemala	0.662	Central America
22	Honduras	0.645	Central America
23	Haiti	0.554	Caribbean

Countries in North America by human development index

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