COLOMBO (News 1st); The United Nations Development Programme has ranked Sri Lanka in the "High Human Development" category, occupying the rank 73 with an HDI of 0.782 in 2021.
The Human Development Index for 2021/22 highlights that the rise in insecurity around the globe, including the development decline caused as a consequence of COVID-19 has caused for the projected levels of human development of 0.750 to decline to 0.732.
Last year, Sri Lanka’s Human Development Index ranked 72 out of 189 countries, which was the highest in the South Asian region.
According to the report, Sri Lanka's life expectancy at birth is 76 years, while the expected years of schooling is 14.1, while mean years of schooling is 10.8.
The report further states that Sri Lanka's Gross National Income (GNI) per capita is $12,578.
In comparison, Switzerland remains at the top of the index with a life expectancy of 84 years, an average of 16.5 years of education and median salary of $66,000.
However, South Sudan remains at the bottom, with a life expectancy of 55, people spending just 5.5 years in school on average and earning $768 a year.