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Ten Lowest HDI Countries in Europe

Name the 10 European countries with the lowest quality of life as measured by the Human Development Index.
2021/2022 UN report, except for one country in gold whose score was calculated elsewhere
Quiz by iheargeo
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Last updated: November 2, 2022
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First submittedJuly 29, 2013
Times taken65,201
Average score80.0%
Rating4.43
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HDI
Country
0.750
Kosovo
0.767
Moldova
0.770
North Macedonia
0.773
Ukraine
0.780
Bosnia and Herzegovina
HDI
Country
0.795
Bulgaria
0.796
Albania
0.802
Serbia
0.808
Belarus
0.822
Russia
+76
Level 82
Mar 10, 2014
Start with the Balkans and work your way northeast until you get to Russia. Easy.
+97
Level 90
Mar 23, 2017
Start with the Iron Curtain and... actually just finish with the Iron Curtain as well.
+4
Level 82
Mar 23, 2017
If you mean both sides of iron curtain.
+28
Level 90
Mar 24, 2017
Just the dismal side.
+48
Level ∞
Mar 24, 2017
Perhaps my choice of thumbnails was a little unfair. Eastern Europe trailed the west before the Bolsheviks ever came to power. And in doing research for my Soviet Union quiz, I learned that the USSR actually had the world's 25th best HDI in 1990.
+37
Level ∞
Mar 24, 2017
Of course the communists were terrible for all sorts of other reasons, but in the second half of the 20th century, they were actually able to raise the standard of living by a fair amount in the Soviet Union.
+20
Level 77
Mar 28, 2017
Eastern Europe trailed the West not because of communism or any other political ideology but because of its geography of being more isolated and not having access to the sea.
+41
Level 56
Sep 3, 2017
Even so, you should consider the following. The countries that immediately rejected socialism and embraced liberal democracy and European integration upon independence (Baltic states and Central Europe) have seen their standard of living soar since the 1990s.
+18
Level 63
Sep 3, 2017
Slovenia is now part of the big shots in Human Development.
+13
Level 76
Sep 9, 2017
@Sulps: Most of the countries on the list immediately rejected socialism after the collapse of the USSR. Even countries where popular support for communism continued, such as Russia, saw mass privatizations and other liberal economic measures in such a rapid and disorganized manner that these probably contributed to the equally rapid deterioration of their living standard. Such mismanagement, along with armed conflicts in some countries and, of course, limited western investment are probably the main contributors to the difference in HDI.
+19
Level 50
Jun 12, 2018
Socialism is not the same as communism. Many Western European countries go through periods of being very socialist (just not communist)
+4
Level 82
Oct 7, 2018
@CaoMaru

It depends on terminology. In post-communist countries socialism is used quite interchangeably with communism in general discussion, especially in former SFRY.

+10
Level 58
Jan 15, 2019
Most eastern European countries were extremely underdeveloped/rural before communism. Communism brought about great industrialization and urbanization. Heck, the town I'm writing this from (Rijeka, Croatia) had all sorts of impressive. quality infrastructure (residential 15+story buildings, for example) built between 1960 and 1980, the kind that rarely gets built in capitalism any more because domestic private entrepreneurs with enough money or economic incentive to build such infrastructure simply don't exist and foreign companies usually invest in countries with cheaper labor.
+3
Level 76
May 22, 2019
@Djilas That's because most people (not only in ex-communist countries) are ignorant of the meaning of those words. The fact that it's common doesn't mean it's correct.
+7
Level 71
Feb 15, 2021
I've never been to Eastern Europe, so I could be wrong, but from what I can tell the quality of life there really isn't that bad. Sure, it lags behind Western Europe, but these numbers are way better than the numbers of most of Asia and Latin America and probably all of Africa.

The Russian Empire was very rural and unindustrialized. I don't know how much credit the government of the USSR specifically deserves for development, but there's no doubt Eastern Europe developed a lot during this period.

+4
Level 78
Feb 15, 2021
The fact that Communists introduced general education to and industrialized a country of illiterate peasants and elevated women's role in society would be even more impressive if it weren't for the gulags, purges, repression, terror, and ethnic cleansing.
+5
Level 71
Feb 15, 2021
I mean, I don't think that necessarily makes advancement less "impressive" per se, it just reminds us to be careful about how we judge things.

China is kinda a modern day example of what you just described. Do I think find it "impressive" that in the past 40 years China has gone from having a lower GDP per capita than most of Africa to being the world's largest exporter and lifting almost a billion people out of extreme poverty? Absolutely! But none of that makes extreme censorship, crackdowns in Hong Kong, and Uighur concentration camps acceptable. There are many factors that led to China's success, and I'll give their government credit where it's due, but that doesn't mean I, or anyone, should approve of the government and its actions, nor do I think that it's the best model for development.

+2
Level 61
Feb 15, 2021
I think it was especially true for the poorer territories of the USSR. This could be seen a lot with the Central Asian -stans. The central government would invest in infrastructure that now isn't being built or maintained. Plus, the more liberal ideas toward gender allowed women in these largely patriarchal societies to work in professional careers and enjoy a level of independence not seen even today in some countries. For example, Kyrgyzstan still has an epidemic of bride kidnapping, where a man abducts a woman and forces her into marriage, that is largely unimpeded by the government. At the same time, we have to remember another data point about Central Asia in the USSR. It was a graveyard of minority ethnicities deemed problematic by the government. Koreans from the Russian far east, Germans from the present Kaliningrad Oblast and the Danube and Volga, and Tatars all ended up being forcibly relocated there.
+1
Level 59
Feb 15, 2021
Serbia, Macedonia, Kosovo, Bosnia and Albania were not with Warsaw Pact. Yugoslavia and Albania were neutral.
+3
Level 65
Mar 24, 2017
Eastern Europe FTW?
+7
Level 69
Sep 3, 2017
What about Montenegro?
+25
Level 74
Sep 5, 2017
I guess they made a good choice separating from Serbia in 2006.
+1
Level 82
Oct 7, 2018
They separated even earlier - government, currency etc
+2
Level 50
Mar 24, 2022
hahahaa that is a small Serbia, Montenegro is just geographic name. And the quality of life in Serbia its normal.
+2
Level 72
Mar 4, 2020
They are a small country completely focused on tourism. They are fine
+6
Level 67
Sep 3, 2017
Shows how bad things really are in Putinland...
+11
Level 56
Sep 6, 2017
Every-day life is hard when you live in a country on the border of very high and high human development.
+1
Level 77
Sep 3, 2017
Finally remembered Belarus with 5 seconds to go!
+1
Level 75
Sep 3, 2017
Couldn't get the last one until the last seconds then finally remembered that Russia is European, not Asian. Duh.
+11
Level 64
Sep 3, 2017
*gets popcorn for debate over Cyprus and Turkey*
+2
Level 79
Feb 15, 2021
But neither Cyprus nor Turkey is on this quiz
+1
Level 76
Jan 29, 2023
It's both.
+1
Level 88
Jan 12, 2018
Why are Kosovo and Montenegro missing?
+4
Level 64
Oct 4, 2018
Kosovo is on the list and Montenegro has 0.814 HDI.
+5
Level 70
Dec 30, 2018
I heard permanent residents of Vatican City don't have much fun unless liturgies and scratchy vestments are your thing.
+3
Level 49
Dec 30, 2018
I live in one of these countries from the list, so this quiz is a piece of cake.
+3
Level 43
Dec 30, 2018
Perhaps add 30 seconds more? I only missed 2 countries, and would've gotten them if I had more time. It's just hard for me to write on my phone. :)
+6
Level 50
Feb 26, 2019
I find it interesting how these countries are almost all the European countries that are not in the EU or have some kind of close tie to it (Switzerland, Norway, Monaco, etc). Just shows what a great idea the EU is. Take in poor countries and make them wealthier. :-)
+6
Level 82
Mar 11, 2019
Trade and integration are good for the economy.
+3
Level 51
Apr 10, 2020
Arguably the EU is more like a country than not at this point, and from that perspective it's almost like a very early U.S., back when the States weren't really United aside from against Britannia. In which case an EU that properly united and called itself one country might not be too very far away if everything goes as intended. And the EU's trade, both internally and externally, is among the best in the world from that viewpoint.
+8
Level 78
Feb 15, 2021
The EU only accepts new members that meet certain standards of wealth and development though.
+4
Level 60
Feb 15, 2021
In fact it is a virtuous circle.

To be part of the UE you need to have a good HDI, and when you are in the UE you can trade better...

It is not because they are not part of the UE that they are "poor", it is because they are poor that they are not members of the UE... then they have more difficulties to get richer...

+1
Level 66
Mar 11, 2019
Surprised at Ukraine and top four (except Bulgaria)
+1
Level 16
Mar 28, 2020
what was the source
+5
Level 79
Apr 10, 2020
As it says in the description, 2018 UN report.
+2
Level 53
Mar 5, 2021
There is Serbia two times in the quiz.
+1
Level 43
Mar 7, 2021
can't believe I missed Albania
+1
Level 88
May 22, 2021
Just tart listing non-EU countries + Bulgaria
+1
Level 50
Mar 17, 2022
I always miss Russia in Europe quizes
+2
Level 70
Mar 21, 2022
No wonder Russia is trying hard to be more European now.
+3
Level 50
Mar 24, 2022
Kosovo is not a country. It is a part of Serbia and at the moment occupied territory
+3
Level ∞
Nov 2, 2022
Who is occupying it? The people who already lived there?
+2
Level 82
Nov 29, 2022
They probably got the idea from the Jews who occupied their homeland of some 4,000 years.
+2
Level 74
Jan 29, 2023
Land can belong to many people. A "homeland" is not some kind of everlasting imperative, but a very concrete of people living there - and how they are treated.
+1
Level 41
May 13, 2022
Not gonna lie, I completely read over the fact that this quiz was about Europe.
+3
Level 35
Jan 10, 2023
why is the logo a communist guy ? lol
+2
Level 65
Jan 29, 2023
Communism may have some impact here
+1
Level 62
Jan 15, 2023
Romania has 0.821
+4
Level 85
Jan 29, 2023
The former Yugoslavia was more developed and had a higher standard of living than most of Eastern Europe. War rather than communist inheritance led to HDI decline or stagnation. Portgual was lower than Serbia until the late 1980s. If you combine Slovenia and Croatia (the richer parts of Yugoslavia) to the rest of the FYR, HDI was comparable to southern Europe. Post WWII Yugoslavian communism did better than the fascist dictators of Portugal and Spain and the military generals of Greece.
+1
Level 48
Jan 29, 2023
Bulgaria is worse than Serbia, Belarus and Russia? That´s shocking
+1
Level 65
Jan 30, 2023
I'm sure these are lagging indicators. I can't image quality of life is better in Ukraine now than Kosovo.
+3
Level 32
Jan 31, 2023
Your thumbnail is unfair! Lenin lifted millions out of poverty after the revolution became successful and inspired other millions of people to follow his example. Just... shame on you. The communist ideas are great, glory to socialism.
+2
Level 32
Feb 12, 2023
based
+2
Level 63
Feb 13, 2023
Please let this be satire.
+2
Level 63
Feb 13, 2024
Still hoping this was satire.
+2
Level 32
Feb 12, 2023
never search what happened to the Ukrainian gdp after the fall of the USSR
+2
Level 55
Aug 6, 2023
Shock therapy did eastern europe dirty
+1
Level 64
Jan 24, 2024
Even the thumbnail has a USSR flag, Russia is the least guessed in stats.