The Social improvement Index, besides known as HDI (Human improvement Index), is simply a statistical tool developed in 1990 by Pakistani economist Mahbuba ul Haqqani and widely implemented by the United Nations improvement Programme (UNDP). HDI aims to synthetically measure the level of socio-economic improvement of the countries of the planet and is an alternate to purely economical indicators specified as GDP.
HDI is based on 3 fundamental pillars:
- A Long and Healthy Life – measured by the expected life expectancy at birth.
- Access to knowledge – assessed on the basis of the average number of years of adult education (25 years and over) and the expected number of years of education for children starting school.
- The Longest Standard of Life – including gross national income per capita converted by purchasing power parity (PPP).
The HDI ranges from 0 to 1. The higher the rate, the higher the level of improvement of the country. Countries are divided into 4 categories: low, medium, advanced and very advanced levels of development.
In the latest HDI ranking published by UNDP, Poland achieved an indicator of 0.906, which allowed it to stay among countries with a very advanced level of development. This is another year in a row, in which Poland records HDI growth – confirming the affirmative trend that started for good after the COVID-19 pandemic.
By comparison, in 2022 Poland had HDI of 0.884. In 2023 the rate increased to 0.902. An increase of 0.022 over 3 years represents a crucial improvement in the indicator scale, which reflects both rising life expectancy, improving educational indicators and unchangeable economical growth. Poland has found itself in the world's top 30 countries, which is the consequence of better than always in HDI measurement history.
When integrating Poland's position with its neighbours, the situation is as follows (HDI 2025):
- Germany – 0.959
- Czech Republic – 0,915
- Slovakia – 0,880
- Lithuania – 0,895
- Belarus – 0,824
- Ukraine – 0,773
Poland precedes most of its east and confederate neighbours, remaining only somewhat below the Czech Republic and clearly below Germany. However, it is worth noting that the gap between Poland and the Czech Republic is decreasing from year to year. For the first time Poland overtook Lithuania, which was unthinkable a fewer years ago.
In the region of Central and east Europe, Poland is presently 1 of the leaders in terms of the level of social development.
Analyzing HDI data in the context of the European Union as a whole, Poland is at the top of the list. Although it is not yet equal to the leading countries of Western Europe, this distance is systematically decreasing.
For comparison, these are HDI indicators in selected EU countries (2025):
- Sweden – 0.959
- Germany – 0.959
- Netherlands – 0,951
- France – 0,920
- Italy – 0,915
- Spain – 0,918
- Poland – 0,906
- Hungary – 0,870
- Romania – 0,845
- Bulgaria – 0,816
According to the above data, Poland is approaching the "old Union" level. The distance to Italy, France or Spain is already small, and Poland is ahead not only of the states of the erstwhile east bloc, but besides of any confederate countries in terms of expanding the dynamics of the index.
Several factors have influenced the improvement of the HDI of Poland in fresh years:
- Improving life expectancy – thanks to investments in the wellness system, wellness campaigns and improving the lifestyle of Poles.
- Educational reforms – expanding the availability of higher education and digital competences, as well as expanding student performance in global rankings.
- Increase in revenue – driven by unchangeable economical growth, exports, low unemployment and the improvement of services and modern technologies.
The key to maintaining this trend will be to proceed investment in education, public wellness and innovation while strengthening social cohesion and equal opportunities.
