Human Development Index in New Zealand
New Zealand: Human Development Index was 0.938 in 2023. ▲ Rising
Human Development Index in New Zealand, 1990–2023
Source: UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for human development index in New Zealand is 0.938, measured in 2023.
The figure is up 0.5% on the previous year and up 0.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, human development index in New Zealand peaked at 0.94 in 2020 and was at its lowest, 0.811, in 1990.
New Zealand 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.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 0.8494 | 0.811 | 0.886 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.9124 | 0.896 | 0.923 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.9331 | 0.926 | 0.938 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.9375 | 0.933 | 0.94 | 4 |
Countries ranked near New Zealand
- 15 United Arab Emirates 0.94 compare
- 16 Canada 0.939 compare
- 17 Liechtenstein 0.938 compare
- 17 United States 0.938 compare
- 20 South Korea 0.937 compare
More reference data data for New Zealand
- Number of child deaths per woman 0.0091 under-five deaths per woman (2024)
- Fertility rate vs. Human Development Index 1.67 live births per woman (2023)
- Fertility rate: births per woman 1.67 live births per woman (2023)
- Fertility rate: births per woman 1.67 live births per woman (2023)
- Rule of Law - Governance estimate 1.67 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 (2024)
- Rule of Law - Governance score 85.66 0-100 (2024)
- Voice and Accountability - Governance score 86.42 0-100 (2024)
- Voice and Accountability - Governance estimate 1.69 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 (2024)
- Political Stability - Governance estimate 1.15 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 (2024)
- Political Stability - Governance score 85.55 0-100 (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is human development index in New Zealand?
- Human development index in New Zealand 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 New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 0.94 in 2020.
- What is the lowest human development index recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.811 in 1990.
- How does New Zealand rank for human development index?
- New Zealand ranks 17th out of 192 countries with data for 2023.
- Is human development index rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this New Zealand 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.