Since 2007
How to measure Africa's overall success
Africa’s Human Development Index or HDI is a numerical scale from 1 to 189 used to measure an African country's overall success in its education and economic measurements using data from long and healthy life, access to education, high Gross National Income creating an adequate standard of living.
One the best 189 the worst Human Development Index ranking scores explanied.
In regards to HDI rankings, Norway is ranked 1, The United States of America is ranked 15 and Niger in West Africa is ranked 189 the lowest HDI score possible.
1. HDI health measurement is calculated by life expectancy at birth.
2. HDI education aspect is measured by average of years of schooling for adults aged 25 years and older and expected years of schooling for children of school entering age.
3. The GNI or Gross National Income is in US dollars and is the money earned in a year per person before any tax income is deducted, the HDI standard of living component is measured by gross national income for each person.
Ok so what do these three points mean collectively? Long and healthy life + Higher access to education + High GNI income creating a decent standard of living = Lower Human Development Index Scores. Lower scores are better scores when it comes to the Human Development Index scale.
Africa’s best to worst Human Development Index Scores (HDI) ranking list. (lower the score the better)
How to measure Africa's overall success.
| Country | Lifespan | School Years | GNI | HDI Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seychelles | 73 | 9 | 25,076 | 62 |
| Mauritius | 74 | 9 | 22,724 | 66 |
| Algeria | 76 | 7 | 13,639 | 81 |
| Tunisia | 76 | 7 | 10,676 | 91 |
| Botswana | 69 | 9 | 15,951 | 97 |
| Libya | 72 | 7 | 11,684 | 111 |
| South Africa | 63 | 10 | 11,756 | 111 |
| Gabon | 66 | 8 | 15,794 | 114 |
| Egypt | 71 | 7 | 10,743 | 116 |
| Morocco | 76 | 5 | 7,479 | 121 |
| Cabo Verde | 72 | 6 | 6,513 | 128 |
| Namibia | 63 | 6 | 9,682 | 129 |
| Sao Tome and Principe | 70 | 6 | 3,024 | 138 |
| Congo | 64 | 6.5 | 5,803 | 136 |
| Eswatini | 59 | 6 | 9,359 | 138 |
| Ghana | 63 | 7 | 4,098 | 142 |
| Zambia | 63 | 7 | 3,581 | 144 |
| Equatorial Guinea | 58 | 5.5 | 1,7795 | 143 |
| Kenya | 66.3 | 6.5 | 3,051 | 148 |
| Angola | 60 | 5 | 5,554 | 147 |
| Cameroon | 58 | 6.2 | 3,291 | 150 |
| Zimbabwe | 61 | 8 | 2,661 | 153 |
| Rwanda | 68 | 4.4 | 1,958 | 158 |
| Nigeria | 54 | 6 | 5,085 | 157 |
| Tanzania | 65 | 6 | 2,805 | 160 |
| Uganda | 62 | 6 | 1,752 | 160 |
| Mauritania | 64 | 4.6 | 3,746 | 159 |
| Madagascar | 66 | 6.1 | 1,403 | 162 |
| Benin | 61 | 3.7 | 2,134 | 163 |
| Lesotho | 53 | 6.3 | 3,243 | 164 |
| Côte d'Ivoire | 57 | 5 | 3,589 | 165 |
| Senegal | 67 | 3 | 3,255 | 166 |
| Togo | 60 | 4.9 | 1,592 | 166 |
| Sudan | 65 | 3.7 | 3,961 | 168 |
| Djibouti | 66.5 | 4 | 3,600 | 171 |
| Malawi | 63.7 | 4 | 1,159 | 172 |
| Ethiopia | 66 | 2.7 | 1,781 | 173 |
| The Gambia | 61 | 3.6 | 1,489 | 178 |
| Guinea | 61 | 2.7 | 2,211 | 175 |
| Liberia | 63 | 4.6 | 1,040 | 173 |
| Guinea-Bissau | 58 | 3.3 | 1,593 | 177 |
| DRC | 60 | 6.7 | 800 | 179 |
| Mozambique | 60 | 3.5 | 1,153 | 180 |
| Sierra Leone | 54 | 3.6 | 1,381 | 181 |
| Burkina Faso | 61 | 1.5 | 1,705 | 183 |
| Eritrea | 65 | 3.9 | 1,707 | 182 |
| Mali | 58 | 2 | 1,965 | 184 |
| Burundi | 61 | 3 | 659 | 185 |
| South Sudan | 57 | 4 | 1,455 | 186 |
| Chad | 53.9 | 2 | 1,715 | 187 |
| Central African Republic | 52 | 4.2 | 776 | 188 |
| Niger | 62 | 2 | 912 | 189 |
Explaining how Africa's overall success is measured with HDI criteria of long and healthy life, access to education and a decent standard of living.
What is life expectancy at birth? Life expectancy at birth is defined as how long, on average, a newborn can expect to live, if current death rates do not change.
What is access to education? Access to education is the ability of all people to have equal opportunity in education not an actual education. Children and adolescents are excluded from education for many reasons.
Poverty remains one of the most obstinate barriers, with children from the poorest households almost five times more likely to be out of primary school than those from the richest. Location also keeps children from school.
Children from rural areas are more than twice as likely to be out of primary school than their urban peers. In conflict zones, 27 million children are out of school. Children with disabilities and from ethnic minorities are also more likely to be left behind.
What is a decent standard of living (DSL)? A decent standard of living is the capability of living a healthy life, guaranteeing physical and social mobility, communicating and participating in the life of the community.
