Human Development Index: males vs. females in South Korea
South Korea: Human Development Index: males vs. females was 0.9541 in 2023. ▲ Rising
Human Development Index: males vs. females in South Korea, 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: males vs. females in South Korea is 0.9541, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 34 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.6% on the previous year and up 2.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, human development index: males vs. females in South Korea peaked at 0.9541 in 2023 and was at its lowest, 0.7697, in 1990.
South Korea ranks 11th of 183 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.
Human Development Index: males vs. females in South Korea, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 0.7697 | — |
| 1991 | 0.7799 | +1.3% |
| 1992 | 0.7891 | +1.2% |
| 1993 | 0.7953 | +0.8% |
| 1994 | 0.8046 | +1.2% |
| 1995 | 0.8149 | +1.3% |
| 1996 | 0.8261 | +1.4% |
| 1997 | 0.837 | +1.3% |
| 1998 | 0.8357 | -0.2% |
| 1999 | 0.8478 | +1.4% |
| 2000 | 0.8561 | +1.0% |
| 2001 | 0.863 | +0.8% |
| 2002 | 0.8721 | +1.1% |
| 2003 | 0.8783 | +0.7% |
| 2004 | 0.8849 | +0.8% |
| 2005 | 0.8917 | +0.8% |
| 2006 | 0.8961 | +0.5% |
| 2007 | 0.9014 | +0.6% |
| 2008 | 0.903 | +0.2% |
| 2009 | 0.9091 | +0.7% |
| 2010 | 0.9203 | +1.2% |
| 2011 | 0.9244 | +0.4% |
| 2012 | 0.9261 | +0.2% |
| 2013 | 0.9304 | +0.5% |
| 2014 | 0.9343 | +0.4% |
| 2015 | 0.9386 | +0.5% |
| 2016 | 0.942 | +0.4% |
| 2017 | 0.9452 | +0.3% |
| 2018 | 0.9459 | +0.1% |
| 2019 | 0.948 | +0.2% |
| 2020 | 0.9485 | +0.1% |
| 2021 | 0.9534 | +0.5% |
| 2022 | 0.9488 | -0.5% |
| 2023 | 0.9541 | +0.6% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 0.9541 is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.9189, 1.0× the median. (62 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 0.9541 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 0.7451, 1.3× the median. (30 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 0.81 | 0.7697 | 0.8478 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.8856 | 0.8561 | 0.9091 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.9355 | 0.9203 | 0.948 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.9512 | 0.9485 | 0.9541 | 4 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
More gender data for South Korea
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) 4,318 (2030)
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) (0-14), annual growth -3.79 % change on previous year (2030)
- Population 46,871 (2030)
- Working-age population (UN estimates and projections) 46,871 (2030)
- Population (UN estimates and projections), annual growth rate 0.0957 % change on previous year (2030)
- Age population, age 00, female, interpolated 119,025 (2025)
- Age population, age 00, male, interpolated 125,732 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, female, interpolated 116,471 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, male, interpolated 122,813 (2025)
- Age population, age 02, female, interpolated 119,098 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is human development index: males vs. females in South Korea?
- Human development index: males vs. females in South Korea was 0.9541 in 2023, according to UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest human development index: males vs. females recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 0.9541 in 2023.
- What is the lowest human development index: males vs. females recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.7697 in 1990.
- How does South Korea rank for human development index: males vs. females?
- South Korea ranks 11th out of 183 countries with data for 2023.
- Is human development index: males vs. females rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Korea 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: males vs. females. 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. Only male population is considered.