Turkmenistan ranks second in Human Development Index in Central Asia
In the new Global Human Development Index (HDI) ranking published by the United Nations Development Programme, Turkmenistan secured the 95th position among 193 countries and territories, placing it between Vietnam and Algeria. Turkmenistan's Human Development Index stood at 0.764, with a maximum value of 1.000, demonstrating a notable increase over the period of 2010-2023.
Within Central Asia, only Kazakhstan, positioned at 60th place with an HDI of 0.837, exhibits a higher HDI, enabling it to be classified within the very high human development group of countries. Uzbekistan ranked 107th with an HDI of 0.740, Kyrgyzstan at 117th with an HDI of 0.720, and Tajikistan at 128th with an HDI of 0.691.
The Human Development Index is a composite comparative statistic of life expectancy, literacy, education, and standard of living for countries worldwide. This index is utilized to distinguish between developed, developing, and underdeveloped nations, as well as to assess the impact of economic policies on the quality of life.
Countries are categorized into four broad groups based on their HDI: very high, high, medium, and low human development. The top five positions in the ranking are held by Iceland, Norway, Switzerland, Denmark, and Germany. The bottom of the list is comprised of African nations – Niger, Chad, Somalia, Central African Republic, and South Sudan. The list of countries by Human Development Index, compiled based on estimated data from 2023, is included in the UNDP Human Development Report 2025, published on May 6th of this year.
