Human Development & Quality of Life in Spain
HDI 0.918 · UNDP rank 28 · latest published data
Spain's 2023 HDI is 0.918, placing it 28 in UNDP's table and in the very high human development category. The page therefore does not stop at the composite. Distribution materially changes the headline, with IHDI 0.819 and a 10.8% loss from HDI. It also keeps in view that planetary pressures reduce the adjusted index to 0.818, a 10.9% change from HDI.
What sits inside Spain's HDI
When reading this profile, the UNDP inputs behind Spain's HDI are 83.7 for life expectancy, 17.8 for expected years of schooling, 10.8 for mean years of schooling and $46,008 GNI per capita in 2021 PPP dollars. These figures show what sits behind the composite score.
Inequality changes the headline
The inequality-adjusted measure for Spain applies a distribution penalty to the same three HDI dimensions. It should therefore be read alongside HDI, not as a separate life-satisfaction score.
Gender and planetary-pressure adjustments
The broader UNDP dashboard for Spain adds GDI 0.989, GII 0.043, PHDI 0.818 to the HDI result. Their scopes differ, which is why the page presents them side by side rather than blending them.
A separate quality-of-life signal
Looking at the published indicators, Spain's OECD life-satisfaction observation is 7.20/10 for 2023. A life-satisfaction result is not an input to HDI and remains a separate quality-of-life signal.
What Spain's numbers say together
Taken alongside HDI, Spain's profile includes IHDI 0.819 with a 10.8% loss; PHDI 0.818 after a 10.9% adjustment; GDI 0.989; life satisfaction 7.20/10 (2023). Reading them together is useful, but combining them would obscure their different definitions.
At 0.918, Spain's 2023 HDI corresponds to UNDP rank 28. The ranking reflects the HDI framework only and does not capture every aspect of lived experience. For the profile as a whole, distinguish the composite from its components so the limitation remains visible to the reader.
The IHDI is 0.819, and UNDP reports an overall loss of 10.8% relative to the headline index.
The GDI value is 0.989 in group 1; it should be read alongside, not merged into, HDI.
For Spain, the page shows a life-satisfaction observation of 7.20/10 from 2023. A subjective well-being observation is contextual information here, not an HDI component.
Frequently asked questions
What is Spain's HDI?
The UNDP table records Spain at 0.918 on HDI in 2023, with global rank 28.
How does inequality affect Spain's HDI?
UNDP reports IHDI 0.819 for Spain, which is 10.8% below the headline HDI after inequality across the three dimensions is taken into account.
What is the life satisfaction score shown for Spain?
In the OECD current well-being series used for this profile, Spain records 7.20/10 in 2023. Life satisfaction is shown only as a separate subjective well-being measure.
Is HDI the same as quality of life?
No. The Human Development Index summarizes health, education and income outcomes. Life satisfaction adds a different perspective and is therefore not folded into HDI.
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.
Source for the dated 0-10 life-satisfaction observation. This separate measure is not part of HDI.
Data note: Reference years are shown with each indicator; unavailable observations remain unfilled.