Below is a list of the Australian states and territories by the Human Development Index, as of 2021, which is a comparative measure of life expectancy, literacy, education, standard of living, and overall well-being of the citizens in each states. All Australian states have a very high (greater than 0.800) HDI value.[1]
The Australian Capital Territory and Western Australia have a higher HDI value than Switzerland (0.962), the highest-ranked country in the world.
As of 2021, the Australian Capital Territory is tied with the Oslo and Akershus region in Norway for the second highest HDI rating of any sub-national region in the world, behind only Zurich.
| Rank | State or territory | HDI (2021)[1] |
|---|---|---|
| Very high human development | ||
| 1 |  Australian Capital Territory |
0.980 |
| 2 |  Western Australia |
0.967 |
| 3 |  New South Wales |
0.952 |
| – |  Australia |
0.951 |
| 4 |  Victoria |
0.948 |
| 5 |  Queensland |
0.944 |
| 6 |  Northern Territory |
0.940 |
| 7 |  South Australia |
0.939 |
| 8 |  Tasmania |
0.921 |