SL human development progress slows as regional peers catch up

► SL RANKS 89 IN THE UN'S HUMAN DEVELOPMENT INDEX (HDI) FOR 2023, DOWN FROM 88 IN 2022 ► RECORDS HDI SCORE OF 0.776 ▸ OUTPERFORMS MOST REGIONAL PEERS AS IS RANKED SECOND ONLY TO IRAN ► SOUTH ASIA IN BRIGHT SPOT IN 2023, RECORDING A 4.8 PERCENT RISE IN HDI ► LATEST HUMAN DEVELOPMENT WARNS GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT IS NOW ADVANCING AT ITS SLOWEST PACE SINCE 1990

- By SHABIYA ALI AHLAM

Sri Lanka continues to stand tall in the high human development category. However, latest data by the United Nations shows that the momentum is slowing, with regional peers closing in fast.

The Human Development Report 2025, released by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) yesterday, placed Sri Lanka in the 89th rank out of 193 countries. This is down from the 88th position it held in 2022.

The island nation recorded a HDI score of 0.776.

Despite being placed in the 'high human development' segment, the report highlights how the country has lost ground, slipping eight ranks since 2015.

The HDI evaluates long-term progress in three basic dimensions of human development; health, education, and income.

The pace of improvement for Sri Lanka has been lukewarm, with its average annual HDI growing from 2010 to 2023 at just 0.28 percent. After reaching a peak HDI value of 0.780 in 2020, the country has seen a marginal but persistent decline, with the index falling to 0.776 in 2023.