Sri Lanka ranked 72nd out of 189 countries in the UNDP’s Global Human Development Report (HDR 2020) and has been placed among other countries in the high human development category. Sri Lanka’s rank is the highest in the South Asian region, the Prime Minister’s Office said quoting the report which was handed over to Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa at his residence in Wijerama by UNDP Resident Representative in Sri Lanka, Robert Juhkam. Between 1990 and 2019, Sri Lanka’s HDI value has increased from 0.629 to 0.782, an increase of 24.3 percent. Further in relation to the new PHDI (Planetary pressures-adjusted HDI) featured in the report, Sri Lanka is ranked at the top in the South Asian region at rank 38 overall. In South Asia, Sri Lanka was followed by Maldives at 95, Bhutan at 129, India at 131, Bangladesh at 133, Nepal at 142, Pakistan at 154 and Afghanistan at 169. Norway topped the list as the country with the highest human development. Both Ireland and Switzerland shared the second place. The Human Development Report (HDR), is the annual flagship report published by the Human Development Report Office of the UNDP that evaluates and measures human progress. This year’s 30th publication, emphasises on the relationship between people and nature, focusing on the impact that human activity has on the earth and stresses on the importance of improving people’s lives while working towards an inclusive and sustainable future for all.