SL’s human development record improves

Sri Lanka has ranked above all neighbours in South Asia in the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Human Development Index report released this week.

Human Development Report 2011 placed Sri Lanka at the 97th position in the medium human development category for the quality of life of its citizens.

Sri Lanka’s Human Development Index (HDI) has progressively increased up to 0.691 in 2011 compared to 0.658 in 2010. This increase is mainly due to favourable social indicators of literacy and life expectancy.

Development progress in the world’s poorest countries could be halted or even reversed by mid-century unless bold steps are taken now to slow climate change, prevent further environmental damage, and reduce deep inequalities within and among nations, according to projections in the 2011 Human Development Report.

India ranked at 134th position while Pakistan was at 145th and Nepal at 157th.

Afghanistan ranked at the bottom of the region at 172nd place. Bangladesh ranked at 146th position. Norway, Australia and the Netherlands lead in the 2011 Human Development Index (HDI), while the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Niger and Burundi are at the bottom of the Human Development Report’s annual rankings of national achievement in health, education and income, released yesterday by the UNDP.