Human Development & Quality of Life in Singapore
Human Development
A 2023 HDI of 0.946 puts Singapore at UNDP rank 13, classified as very high human development. The headline needs context: Education combines 16.7 expected years of schooling with 12.0 mean years already attained. Another part of the dashboard shows that the income component uses GNI per capita of $111,239 in 2021 PPP dollars.
What sits inside Singapore's HDI
The 2023 HDI profile for Singapore rests on life expectancy of 83.7, schooling measures of 16.7 expected years and 12.0 mean years, plus GNI per capita of $111,239 in 2021 PPP dollars. The page keeps those components visible so the composite index is not read in isolation. When using this figure elsewhere, use the UNDP definition rather than a proxy because the index and its adjustments have different meanings.
Inequality changes the headline
For Singapore, IHDI asks how the HDI changes once unequal achievement across people is considered, the adjustment is about distribution rather than subjective well-being. When looking across the UNDP tables, distinguish the composite from its components so the limitation remains visible to the reader.
Gender and planetary-pressure adjustments
For this profile, Singapore has additional UNDP measures of GDI 0.994, GII 0.031, PHDI 0.618. Reading them together is useful, but combining them would obscure their different definitions.
Quality-of-life coverage is conditional
For Singapore, the page has no verified OECD life-satisfaction observation to report, the profile does not turn an absent source observation into a calculated replacement.
What Singapore's numbers say together
For a fuller view of Singapore, the page shows IHDI 0.823 with a 13.0% loss; PHDI 0.618 after a 34.7% adjustment; GDI 0.994. They complement one another, but none is treated as a substitute for another.
UNDP reports a 2023 HDI of 0.946 for Singapore, with rank 13. That headline measure is useful for development comparison, but it is not a complete quality-of-life score.
The IHDI is 0.823, and UNDP reports an overall loss of 13.0% relative to the headline index.
The GDI value is 0.994 in group 1; it should be read alongside, not merged into, HDI.
The PHDI is 0.618, with a 34.7% adjustment from the HDI value in UNDP's 2023 table.
Frequently asked questions
What is Singapore's HDI?
In the Human Development Report 2025, Singapore is listed at HDI 0.946 for 2023, rank 13.
How does inequality affect Singapore's HDI?
For Singapore, IHDI is 0.823 and the associated inequality loss is 13.0%. This adjustment concerns the distribution of HDI achievements.
Why is there no life satisfaction score on this page?
Singapore's page adds a quality-of-life measure only when a comparable dated observation can be sourced. The profile does not turn an absent source observation into a calculated replacement.
Is HDI the same as quality of life?
No. HDI is an objective development index based on health, education and income. Quality-of-life evidence is presented alongside HDI only when a comparable observation is available.
Sources & methodology
Sources for the development indicators and definitions shown above.
View sources used for this page
Primary source for 2023 HDI and its components, plus IHDI, GDI, GII and PHDI where reported.
Report edition underlying the 2023 human-development indices and ranking.
Data note: Reference years are shown with each indicator; unavailable observations remain unfilled.