Biggest gaps in the world between neighbouring nations in terms of Human Development Index 2021

[Tooting Carmen]

North versus South Korea would be high up on the list too, but the problem is that the DPRK is too secretive and mysterious to rank. https://view.officeapps.live.com/op/...gin=BROWSELINK

(1) Saudi Arabia versus Yemen: 0.420
(2) Oman versus Yemen: 0.361
(3) Algeria versus Niger: 0.345
(4) Israel versus Syria: 0.342
(5) Libya versus Chad: 0.324
(6) Algeria versus Mali: 0.317
(7) Iran versus Afghanistan: 0.296
(8) China versus Afghanistan: 0.290
(9) Turkmenistan versus Afghanistan/South Africa versus Mozambique: 0.267
(11) Turkey versus Syria: 0.261
(12) Dominican Republic versus Haiti: 0.232
(13) Iran versus Pakistan: 0.230
(14) China versus Pakistan: 0.224
(15) Egypt versus Sudan: 0.223
(16) Spain versus Morocco: 0.222
(17) Thailand versus Myanmar: 0.215
(18) Israel versus Lebanon: 0.213
(19) Libya versus Sudan: 0.210
(20) Tajikistan versus Afghanistan/Thailand versus Cambodia: 0.207

[gixajo]

Morocco and Spain?

Edit: Sorry Tooting I have saw it just now:

15) Spain versus Morocco: 0.222

[Tooting Carmen]

It seems that half of the above list is made up of:

- North African versus SSA countries.
- Afghanistan versus its neighbours (it is much poorer).

[Tooting Carmen]

Morocco and Spain?

Edit: Sorry Tooting I have saw it just now:

Curiously, that is the only one on the list which is a classic "First World versus Third World" divide, aside from Israel/Turkey/Saudi Arabia/Oman versus their war-torn neighbours. By contrast, most of the other examples are internal to the Third World.

[Incal]

Weird you haven't posted the USA vs Mexico: the most obvious one in the whole world.

[Jana]

I would prefer 2023 data, Lots of things changed since 2021.

[Tooting Carmen]

Weird you haven't posted the USA vs Mexico: the most obvious one in the whole world.

I discussed it on the HDI in Latin America thread: the gap is 0.163, which incidentally is the same as Chile vs Bolivia. It is a large gap for sure, but not big enough to make the list, whereas the biggest gap by far in the Americas and Western Hemisphere (DR vs Haiti) is ranked 12th in the list.

[Tooting Carmen]

I would prefer 2023 data, Lots of things changed since 2021.

Well unfortunately, this is the most up-to-date list we have.

[Creoda]

Australia vs Papua New Guinea would be up there - PNG is only a few km's away from some of the Torres Strait Islands of Queensland (although they are hardly 1st world).

[Tooting Carmen]

Australia vs Papua New Guinea would be up there - PNG is only a few km's away from some of the Torres Strait Islands of Queensland (although they are hardly 1st world).

A gap of 0.393 - very big indeed. But they don't technically border each other, so they shan't be included in the list.