South Korea ranked 20th out of 193 countries in the United Nations Development Program’s Human Development Index, which evaluates the quality of life in each country.

According to the UNDP’s 2025 Human Development Report, South Korea achieved an HDI score of 0.937 for 2023, up from 0.928 the previous year. Despite the increase, the country slipped one spot in the global ranking, from 19th to 20th.

Iceland topped the list, followed by Norway, Switzerland and Denmark. Among neighboring countries, Japan rose one place to 23rd, while China fell three spots to 78th.

The HDI is a composite index that quantifies a country’s quality of life by factoring in life expectancy, expected years of schooling, average years of schooling and gross national income per capita.