Human Development Report and the Horn of Africa

The UN Development Program's Overview of Human Development Report 2016 is available. It is devoted to the theme of human development for everyone. The report raises two fundamental questions: who has been left out in progress in human development and how and why did that happen.

The report assesses 188 countries. The country with the highest human development index ranking is Norway. The United States ranks at number 10. Countries in the Horn of Africa score poorly. Sudan is number 165; Djibouti 172, Ethiopia 174, Eritrea 179, and South Sudan 181. Somalia is not ranked. The five lowest ranked countries in the world beginning with the lowest are the Central African Republic, Niger, Chad, Burkina Faso, and Burundi. African countries hold 19 out of the 20 lowest global rankings.

Gallup Happiness Index for 143 Countries

Gallup published on 19 March 2015 its 2014 "happiness index" for 143 countries.  Not all countries in East Africa and the Horn were included.  Kenya scored highest with a score of 77 followed by Tanzania with a 72.  Uganda scored considerably lower at 64 and Ethiopia at 60.  South Sudan was near the bottom at 56 and Sudan was dead last at 47.  By comparison, the United States had a score of 79 and China a score of 75.  The 10 countries with the highest positive emotions were all in Latin America.