HDI: Brazil goes up 5 ranks

On Tuesday, May 6, 2025, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) released its latest Human Development Index (HDI) report. Brazil climbed five places to 84th out of 193 countries and territories. Its 2023 HDI value is 0.786.

What Is the HDI?

• The HDI ranges from 0 to 1; higher is better.
• It combines three dimensions:
  1. Health – life expectancy at birth
  2. Education – expected years of schooling and mean years of schooling
  3. Standard of living – gross national income per capita

Brazil’s Recent Performance

• 2022 HDI: 0.778 (89th place)
• 2023 HDI: 0.786 (84th place)
• This 0.008-point rise moved Brazil up five ranks.
• Brazil is in the “high human development” category (HDI between 0.700 and 0.799).

Long‑Term Growth Trends

• Annual average HDI growth for Brazil:
  • 1990–2000: +0.91% per year
  • 2000–2010: +0.71% per year
  • 2010–2023: +0.42% per year
• Growth has slowed each decade.

Regional Comparison
Among South American nations in the report:

1. Uruguay – 48th (0.862)
2. Peru – 79th (0.794)
3. Colombia – 83rd (0.788)
4. Brazil – 84th (0.786)
5. Venezuela – 121st (0.709)

Global Leaders and Laggards

• Top 10 (2023):
  1. Iceland (0.972)
  2. Norway (0.970) – tied with Switzerland (0.970)
  3. Denmark (0.962)
  4. Germany (0.959) – tied with Sweden (0.959)
  5. Australia
  6. Hong Kong, China
  7. Netherlands
  8. Belgium
• Bottom 10 (2023):
  184. Yemen
  185. Sierra Leone
  186. Burkina Faso
  187. Burundi
  188. Mali – tied with Niger
  190. Chad
  191. Central African Republic
  192. Somalia
  193. South Sudan

Internal Inequalities in Brazil

• The report warns of wide disparities within Brazil.
• Municipal HDI varies significantly across regions.
• Unequal access to health, education, and income remains a concern.

Global Context and Warnings

• The 2023 global HDI growth was the slowest in 35 years outside the pandemic period.
• UNDP Administrator Achim Steiner called it an “unprecedented slowdown.”
• Life expectancy gains have halved since before COVID‑19.
• Rising conflicts, economic tensions, and automation threaten future progress world wide.

Key Quotes

“For decades, we have been on track to reach a very high human development world by 2030, but this deceleration signals a very real threat to global progress,[…] If 2024’s sluggish progress becomes ‘the new normal’, that 2030 milestone could slip by decades – making our world less secure, more divided, and more vulnerable to economic and ecological shocks.”
— Achim Steiner, UNDP Administrator

“We live in a world with more conflicts, whether economic, civil wars, or wars between nations. There is a huge amount of disruption taking place. It’s not just a slowdown in economic growth — it’s also an uncertain post-COVID recovery.”
— Pedro Conceição, Report Director

Looking Ahead
The UNDP urges new strategies to spur development in a turbulent world. Choices made today about AI, trade, public debt, and industrial jobs will determine whether global and national development resumes its upward path.

Data Snapshot

Indicator	2022	2023	Change
Brazil’s HDI	0.778	0.786	+0.008
Brazil’s global rank	89th	84th	+5
Latin America & Caribbean	0.778	0.783	+0.005
Global average HDI	0.752	0.756	+0.004

Source: UN, Globo