Sri Lanka rates best human development performer in South Asia

ACCORDING to a new UNDP report, Sri Lanka ranks as the best performer in South Asia scoring above average in the Human Development Index report 2005.

Sri Lanka's Human Development Index (HBDI) score of 0.751 (out of a maximum of 1) is above the average of 0.718 for medium human development countries. It is significantly higher than the average for South Asia, which stands at 0.628.

A spokesman of the UNDP in Colombo said that the HDI report 2005 focuses on three dimensions of human development, namely living a long and healthy life, being educated, and having a decent standard of living.

It combines the measures of life expectancy, school enrolment, literacy, and income to allow a broader view of a country's development than does income alone.

In the 2005 report, Sri Lanka is ranked 93rd out of 177 countries, with a total HDI score of 0.751. In 2004, Sri Lanka's position was 96 and it had a HDI score of 0.740.

In 2005, relative to Sri Lanka's economic wealth, it has performed well in improving the key areas of life expectancy and adult literacy, he mentioned.

(Lanka Puvath)