Human Development & Quality of Life in the United Arab Emirates
Human Development
United Arab Emirates' 2023 HDI is 0.940, placing it 15 in UNDP's table and in the very high human development category. The page therefore does not stop at the composite. Education combines 15.6 expected years of schooling with 13.0 mean years already attained. It also keeps in view that the health component is anchored by life expectancy of 82.9 years.
What sits inside United Arab Emirates' HDI
For United Arab Emirates, health contributes through life expectancy of 82.9; education through 15.6 expected and 13.0 mean years of schooling; and income through GNI per capita of $71,142 in 2021 PPP dollars. Those are the published inputs behind the 2023 HDI.
Inequality changes the headline
United Arab Emirates' IHDI adjusts the headline index for inequality in health, education and income outcomes. It describes distribution, so it is not used here as a quality-of-life rating. For a like-for-like reading, separate the measure from subjective well-being so the number is not mistaken for another indicator.
Gender and planetary-pressure adjustments
United Arab Emirates' complementary UNDP indicators include GDI 0.957, GII 0.040, PHDI 0.585. The indicators add context without becoming a single composite DigifyWorld rating.
Quality-of-life coverage is conditional
No dated comparable life-satisfaction figure is included for the United Arab Emirates in this release. No proxy is inserted for a value the source does not report.
What United Arab Emirates' numbers say together
For a fuller view of the United Arab Emirates, the page shows IHDI 0.866 with a 7.9% loss; PHDI 0.585 after a 37.8% adjustment; GDI 0.957. Their scopes differ, which is why the page presents them side by side rather than blending them.
United Arab Emirates' HDI is 0.940 for 2023, placing it at UNDP rank 15. The index summarizes health, education and income rather than every dimension of day-to-day well-being.
The IHDI is 0.866, and UNDP reports an overall loss of 7.9% relative to the headline index.
The GDI value is 0.957 in group 2; it should be read alongside, not merged into, HDI.
The PHDI is 0.585, with a 37.8% adjustment from the HDI value in UNDP's 2023 table.
Frequently asked questions
What is United Arab Emirates' HDI?
For United Arab Emirates, the 2025 UNDP report publishes a 2023 HDI value of 0.940 and rank 15.
How does inequality affect United Arab Emirates' HDI?
United Arab Emirates' Inequality-adjusted HDI is 0.866. The published overall loss is 7.9% relative to HDI.
Why is there no life satisfaction score on this page?
Quality-of-life data for the United Arab Emirates appear only when the page can tie the value to a comparable source and year. The absence of a published observation is preserved explicitly. For a like-for-like reading, avoid turning the indicator into a general country score instead of treating all development measures as interchangeable.
Is HDI the same as quality of life?
No. HDI is an objective development index based on health, education and income. Subjective well-being is kept outside the HDI calculation. For the evidence on this page, do not substitute a different denominator before drawing conclusions from small differences.
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.