Indicators / theme
Development & Wellbeing
Composite measures of how life is going.
7 measures · Quality of Government Institute (V-Dem, TI, WGI, UNDP, Freedom House) · World Happiness Report (Gallup World Poll) · World Values Survey / European Values Study, weighted country aggregates · World Bank, World Development Indicators (latest available)
Human Development Index
UNDP, 0–1
Composite of life expectancy, education, and income.
- World median
- 0.739
- Best
Switzerland0.962- Coverage
- 189 countries · to 2021
Gender inequality
GII, 0–1
UNDP Gender Inequality Index: higher means more inequality.
- World median
- 0.363
- Best
Denmark0.013- Coverage
- 170 countries · to 2021
Happiness
Cantril ladder, 0–10
World Happiness Report life evaluation — a 3-year average of how people rate their lives from 0 (worst possible) to 10 (best possible).
- World median
- 5.83
- Best
Finland7.76- Coverage
- 164 countries · to 2025
Freedom & control over life
mean, 1–10
How much freedom of choice and control people feel over the way their lives turn out, from 1 (none) to 10 (a great deal).
- World median
- 7.18
- Best
Puerto Rico (US)8.41- Coverage
- 113 countries · to 2023
Life satisfaction
mean, 1–10
Satisfaction with life as a whole, from 1 (dissatisfied) to 10 (satisfied) — asked since 1981.
- World median
- 7.2
- Best
- Puerto Rico (US)8.4
- Coverage
- 114 countries · to 2023
Global Peace Index
1–5
Institute for Economics & Peace: lower means more peaceful.
- World median
- 2.02
- Best
Iceland1.12- Coverage
- 158 countries · to 2023
Military expenditure
% of GDP
Military spending as a share of GDP.
- World median
- 1.6%
- Highest
Ukraine36.7%- Coverage
- 161 countries