According to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)’s 2021/2022 Human Development Report, the UAE ranked 26th globally and first in the Arab world, beating Spain, France and Italy. Human Development Index (HDI) measures progress in three fundamental dimensions of human development: a long and healthy life, access to knowledge, and a decent standard of living. According to the HDI value for 2021, the UAE ranked 26 out of 191 countries and territories in the ‘Very High’ category.
The UAE’s HDI value increased by 25.1 percent between 1990 and 2021. This is due to life expectancy at birth rising by 6.8 years, mean years of schooling increasing by 6.9 years and expected years of schooling increasing by 5.2 years. UAE’s Gender Development Index (GDI) is 0.953, placing it in Group 2, and its female HDI value for 2021 is 0.877, compared to male HDI of 0.921.