The world is a place plagued, unfortunately, with inequalities. We have created a globalized society where the most fortunate live on much and the less fortunate on very little. Hence the division between first and third world countries.
And one of the best ways to realize this gap is the Human Development Index (HDI), an indicator prepared by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and which allows countries to be classified into four levels according to their human development, measuring their life expectancy, their educational system and the quality of life of citizens.
From Norway, the country with the highest HDI (0.957), to Niger, the, as we shall see, the country with the lowest HDI (0.394), we can explore the world to see how political and economic situations directly influence human development.
And in today's article we will do just this. A journey across the world (unfortunately, basically on the African continent) to discover the countries with a lower HDI, exploring the causes that have led them to have a low life expectancy, a poor education and a poor quality of life . Let's go there.
Índice()
Which countries have the lowest Human Development Index?
There are 189 member countries of the United Nations and all of them are included in this program for calculating the HDI, an indicator obtained by measuring the three basic dimensions of human development: a long and healthy life, access to a solid education and a level decent life economically (per capita GDP) and social.
Unfortunately, the countries that we will see below have very low rates in all or some of these parameters. Being born in a country with a low HDI means being born with a low life expectancy, not having a good educational system and living a life of little or no dignity..
20. Haiti: 0.510
We started our journey with Haiti, one of the few countries on this list that is not in Africa. The Republic of Haiti is an island country located in the Caribbean Sea that has a GDP per capita of only 772 dollars, which makes the Haitian economy in the poorest in the American continent and one of the most disadvantaged in the world. And, as if that were not enough, to this must be added political instability and social violence.
19. Sudan: 0.510
The Republic of Sudan is a country located in Northeast Africa and is the 15th largest country in the world. It is currently in the process of transition to democracy and it is a country rich in natural resources (especially oil and cotton). Still, despite experiencing economic growth, human development remains problematic. Low life expectancy, lack of education and poor quality of life.
18. Gambia: 0.496
The Republic of Gamboa is a country located in West Africa and it is completely surrounded by Senegal. It is a small state with a population of 1.7 million inhabitants that, despite being a country with very fertile lands, abundant fishing and tourist charm, continues to have a low HDI of 0.496. And it is that although in 2015 female genital mutilation was prohibited, hom*osexuals are persecuted, there are still accusations of witchcraft and there is no freedom of the press.
17. Ethiopia: 0.485
Ethiopia is, with 114 million inhabitants, the twelfth most populous country in the world. It is located in the eastern region of the African continent, in the area known as the Horn of Africa. It is a country that continues to experience serious famine problems and its GDP per capita is only $ 921.
16. Malawi: 0.483
The Republic of Malawi is a country located in southeastern Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It has a population of 17.5 million inhabitants and an area of only 118,000 km², thus one of the most densely populated countries in Africa.
And despite the fact that its inhabitants are characterized by hospitality and rejection of the conflict, there is a low life expectancy, poverty, a high infant mortality rate and serious economic problems. It is not surprising, then, that it is among the countries with the lowest HDI.
15. Democratic Republic of the Congo: 0.480
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is a large country (the largest country in sub-Saharan Africa and the eleventh largest in the world) located in Central Africa with a population of 82.2 million people. Unfortunately, at the end of the 90s it suffered a terrible civil war that culminated in the death of 4 million people and from which he has not yet recovered.
Since then, its economy has been very weak and it has experienced a tense political climate. This, together with poverty, means that their life expectancy is only 60.5 years and that their HDI, with a value of 0.480, is among the lowest in the world.
14. Guinea-Bissau: 0.480
Guinea-Bissau is a country located in West Africa, which borders the Atlantic Ocean and has a population of 1.6 million inhabitants. It achieved independence in 1973, but since then the country is experiencing great political instability, which translates into economic difficulties and a low life expectancy of only 59.8 years. Their human development is very poor.
13. Liberia: 0.480
The Republic of Liberia is a country located on the west coast of Africa with a population of 4.2 million. Its recent history is tainted by two civil wars: one between 1989 and 1996 and the other between 1999 and 2003. These events have obviously been devastating to its economy.
After the last civil war, an agreement was signed and, in 2005, Ellen Johnson Sirlfeaf was elected president of the country, becoming the first woman democratically elected to govern a country in Africa. Unfortunately, the recovery is slow and its political and economic stability has been jeopardized several times.For example, due to the Ebola epidemic in 2014. Its GDP per capita is only $ 478.
12. Guinea: 0.477
Guinea is a country located in West Africa with a population of more than 12.4 million inhabitants, of which, more than 60% live on just over a dollar a day. This poverty, together with the fact that historically it has been plagued by many diseases (such as, again, Ebola), explains that its life expectancy is only 59.8 years and that, therefore, its HDI is very low .
11. Yemen: 0.470
The Republic of Yemen is a transcontinental country, being part of both East Africa and the Middle East. It is the poorest country in the Middle East and has been in political crisis since 2011, with serious problems of corruption, poverty, unemployment and coups.
And, as if that were not enough, due to a blockade of food imports by Saudi Arabia in 2015, it is experiencing the greatest humanitarian crisis of the moment. War crimes, terrible abuses against the civilian population and one of the worst situations for women in the world. This is the reality of Yemen.
10. Eritrea: 0.459
Eritrea is a country located in northeast Africa with a population of 7 million. Its GDP per capita is only 405 dollars, it is, after North Korea and Turkmenistan, the country with the least freedom of the press and the authorities extend military service as they please. All of this makes Eritrea one of the countries with the lowest HDI in the world.
9. Mozambique: 0.456
The Republic of Mozambique is a country located in southeastern Africa, bordering the Indian Ocean and with a population of 21.6 million inhabitants. Their life expectancy is only 60.1 years and has one of the lowest infant mortality rates in the world. It is not surprising, then, that it has an HDI of just 0.456.
8. Burkina Faso: 0.452
Burkina Faso is a country located in West Africa, which has a population of 17.5 million inhabitants and is one of the poorest in the world. On average, the income of its inhabitants is less than 1,200 dollars a year. Poverty, along with famine and desertification of the soil, means that their life expectancy is only 60.3 years.
7. Sierra Leone: 0.434
Sierra Leone is the third country with the lowest life expectancy in the world: 53.1 years. It's about a country located in West Africa, bordering the Atlantic Ocean and with a population of 7.6 million inhabitants. A devastating civil war between 1991 and 2001 and the scourge of various infectious diseases has made it a tremendously unstable country with one of the lowest HDIs in the world.
6. Mali: 0.434
Mali is a country located in West Africa with a population of 17.5 million inhabitants, of which, more than 50% live below the international poverty line, that is, with less than $ 1.25 a day. This, together with the fact that its life expectancy is only 58 years, makes Mali one of the countries with the lowest HDI in the world.
5. Burundi: 0.433
Burundi is a small country located in East Africa that, despite having an area of only 27,834 km², has a population of 11.2 million inhabitants, making it a region with a very high population density. It has one of the five lowest GDP in the world, which, together with the civil wars it has experienced, the impact of AIDS, the lack of optimal health systems and its life expectancy of only 60.1 years, makes Burundi one of the countries with the lowest human development in the world. world.
4. South Sudan: 0.433
South Sudan is a country located in East Africa with a population of 11 million. It is a country currently submerged in a civil war since 2013 and that, since 2017, it is the most fragile country in the world politically. It is not surprising, then, not only that its life expectancy is only 58.6 years, but that it is the fourth country with the lowest HDI on the planet.
3. Chad: 0.398
Chad is a country located in Central Africa with a population of 15.4 million inhabitants, who have the fourth lowest life expectancy in the world: 54.3 years. Live immersed in a constant climate of political violence, with recurrent coup attempts, with one of the weakest economies in the world, with enormous poverty, corruption and, obviously, one of the lowest human development indices.
2. Central African Republic: 0.397
The Central African Republic is the poorest country in the world, with a GDP per capita of $ 724. It is a country located in Central Africa with a population of 4.6 million inhabitants and which, in addition, is the second country in the world with the lowest life expectancy: 53 years. He lived through a civil war between 2013 and 2019, which explains not only this poverty, but also that it has the second lowest HDI on the planet.
1. Niger: 0.394
We come, unfortunately, to the king of this list. Niger is a country in West Africa with a population of 22.4 million inhabitants and which is not only one of the countries with the lowest life expectancy (59.8 years), but it is also the second poorest country in the world . Its population suffers from famine due to the desertification of its territory and the constant droughts, which explains that, in terms of human development, it is the worst country in the world to be born.
