HUMAN DEVELOPMENT INDEX. 2018

The Basque Country improved by two positions in the HDI classification of countries

It was placed between the 11th and 12th countries out of the 189 ranked by HDI

The Basque Country was between 11th and 12th place in the classification of countries with a Human Development Index (HDI) of 0.92 in 2018, according to Eustat data, which calculated the HDI of the Basque Country for the period 2010-2018, using the United Nations Development Programme’s (UNDP) methodology. Compared to the previous year, the Basque Country improved both in terms of position (2 places) and index value, based on the new calculation for the period 2010-2018 by the UNDP and Eustat.

The most recent report published by the UNDP, containing data referring to 2018, established a global ranking of 189 countries by living conditions. The study allocated an HDI to each country (on a scale of 0 to 1) according to life expectancy at birth, expected years of schooling for children at school age, mean years of schooling for adults aged 25 or above, and Gross National Income per capita.

The HDI places Basque society amongst the most developed in the world, behind Norway, Switzerland, Ireland, Germany, Hong Kong, Australia, Iceland, Sweden, Singapore, the Netherlands and Denmark. Spain came 25th in the UNDP report, with an HDI of 0.893. Niger came last in the ranking with an HDI of 0.377.

In the period 2010-2018, all the components of HDI improved in the Basque Country. Life expectancy went from 82.4 to 83.6 years, in addition to occupying 4th place, only behind Hong Kong (84.7) and Japan (84.5) and level with Switzerland (83.6).

The situation was the same with regard to the expected years of schooling indicator, which went from 18.1 to 18.7 years and also places the Autonomous Region amongst the top positions, specifically in 9th place, behind Australia (22.1), Belgium (19.7), Finland (19.3), Iceland (19.2), Denmark (19.2) and New Zealand, Sweden and Ireland, all with 18.8.

With regard to the mean years of schooling, although this also increased in the aforementioned period, from 10.2 to 11.1 years, the Basque Country was overtaken by 50 countries, led by Germany (14.1 years on average), the United States and Switzerland (13.4) and Canada (13.3).

Between 2010 and 2018 the Gross National Income per capita in the Basque Country increased from 43,207 to 47,633 US dollars, as measured in terms of purchasing power parity, putting it a long way behind Norway (68,059) and Qatar (110,489), the country with the highest income per person in the world, but ahead of countries like Iceland (47,566) and Germany (46,136).

If the comparison is made with the previous year, 2017, three of the four HDI components improve: life expectancy (a tenth, from 85.3 to 83.6), mean years of schooling (also a tenth, from 11.0 to 11.1) and gross national income (46,248 to 47,633). In contrst, the expected years of schooling go from 18.8 to 18.7, although the difference is only 5 hundreths.

Human Development Index. Structural Indicators

For further information:

Eustat - Euskal Estatistika Erakundea / Basque Statistics Institute C/ Donostia-San Sebastián, 1 01010 Vitoria-Gasteiz Press service: servicioprensa@eustat.es Tel: 945 01 75 62

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