New data visualisation tools will allow web users to chart the latest human development index (HDI) trends for UN member-states.

Google’s Public Data Explorer tool will now feature the latest figures and direct links to the database of international development statistics, as part of an effort to provide greater global access to key development indicators. Effectively anyone with internet access can now compare the development performance of, for example, China, Egypt, Sudan and India.

The UN’s human development index has become an increasingly important indicator for foreign investors as it gives them an opportunity to track a country’s economic and social development.

Jeni Klugman, director of the UN’s human development report office, said: “Making this information more accessible through Google gives internet users everywhere a compelling new way to see the trends and patterns in human development today and over time.”