Countries in South America by human development index
The United Nations Development Programme’s index of a long and healthy life, education and a decent standard of living, from 0 to 1. 12 countries in South America, highest first. UNDP, 2023
Median country
0.782
half above, half below| # | Country | HDI | Region |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Chile | 0.878 | South America |
| 2 |  Argentina | 0.865 | South America |
| 3 |  Uruguay | 0.862 | South America |
| 4 |  Peru | 0.794 | South America |
| 5 |  Colombia | 0.788 | South America |
| 6 |  Brazil | 0.786 | South America |
| 7 |  Ecuador | 0.777 | South America |
| 8 |  Guyana | 0.776 | South America |
| 9 |  Paraguay | 0.756 | South America |
| 10 |  Bolivia | 0.733 | South America |
| 11 |  Suriname | 0.722 | South America |
| 12 |  Venezuela | 0.709 | South America |
Questions
- Which country in South America has the highest human development?
- Chile has the highest human development in South America: an index of 0.878 (2023). Next come Argentina (an index of 0.865) and Uruguay (an index of 0.862).
- Which country in South America has the lowest human development?
- Venezuela, with an index of 0.709 (2023).
- What is the typical human development index of a country in South America?
- The median of the 12 countries in South America is an index of 0.782: 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.
- Where do the figures come from?
- 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.
Source: UNDP. Countries sharing a value share a rank. All sources.