Human Development Index: males vs. females in South Africa
South Africa: Human Development Index: males vs. females was 0.7408 in 2023. ▲ Rising
Human Development Index: males vs. females in South Africa, 1990–2023
Source: UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 0.7408 for human development index: males vs. females in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.5% on the previous year and up 4.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, human development index: males vs. females in South Africa peaked at 0.7509 in 2019 and was at its lowest, 0.619, in 2000.
South Africa ranks 107th of 183 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.
Human Development Index: males vs. females in South Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 0.6378 | — |
| 1991 | 0.6455 | +1.2% |
| 1992 | 0.6502 | +0.7% |
| 1993 | 0.6565 | +1.0% |
| 1994 | 0.6611 | +0.7% |
| 1995 | 0.6602 | -0.1% |
| 1996 | 0.6563 | -0.6% |
| 1997 | 0.6516 | -0.7% |
| 1998 | 0.6446 | -1.1% |
| 1999 | 0.6362 | -1.3% |
| 2000 | 0.619 | -2.7% |
| 2001 | 0.621 | +0.3% |
| 2002 | 0.6217 | +0.1% |
| 2003 | 0.6204 | -0.2% |
| 2004 | 0.6247 | +0.7% |
| 2005 | 0.6283 | +0.6% |
| 2006 | 0.6343 | +1.0% |
| 2007 | 0.6416 | +1.1% |
| 2008 | 0.6565 | +2.3% |
| 2009 | 0.6691 | +1.9% |
| 2010 | 0.6803 | +1.7% |
| 2011 | 0.6922 | +1.7% |
| 2012 | 0.7039 | +1.7% |
| 2013 | 0.7108 | +1.0% |
| 2014 | 0.7176 | +0.9% |
| 2015 | 0.7305 | +1.8% |
| 2016 | 0.7245 | -0.8% |
| 2017 | 0.7296 | +0.7% |
| 2018 | 0.74 | +1.4% |
| 2019 | 0.7509 | +1.5% |
| 2020 | 0.7328 | -2.4% |
| 2021 | 0.7265 | -0.9% |
| 2022 | 0.7374 | +1.5% |
| 2023 | 0.7408 | +0.5% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 0.7408 is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.7707, 96% of the median. (54 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 0.7408 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.5953, 1.2× the median. (43 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 0.65 | 0.6362 | 0.6611 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.6337 | 0.619 | 0.6691 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.718 | 0.6803 | 0.7509 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.7344 | 0.7265 | 0.7408 | 4 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More gender data for South Africa
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) 17,151 (2030)
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) (0-14), annual growth 0.6591 % change on previous year (2030)
- Population 51,011 (2030)
- Working-age population (UN estimates and projections) 51,011 (2030)
- Population (UN estimates and projections), annual growth rate 1.07 % change on previous year (2030)
- Age population, age 00, female, interpolated 570,099 (2025)
- Age population, age 00, male, interpolated 589,533 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, female, interpolated 570,599 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, male, interpolated 589,626 (2025)
- Age population, age 02, female, interpolated 569,634 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is human development index: males vs. females in South Africa?
- Human development index: males vs. females in South Africa was 0.7408 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 Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 0.7509 in 2019.
- What is the lowest human development index: males vs. females recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.619 in 2000.
- How does South Africa rank for human development index: males vs. females?
- South Africa ranks 107th out of 183 countries with data for 2023.
- Is human development index: males vs. females rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Africa 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.