Sri Lanka Advances to 92nd Position in the Global Sustainable Development Report 2026

The Global Sustainable Development Report (SDR) 2026 reveals that Sri Lanka has advanced to 92nd position among 169 countries, compared with 93rd place among 167 countries in 2025. Sri Lanka’s country score has also improved from 67.9 in 2025 to 68.5 in 2026, although it still remains below the regional average of 70.5 in 2026.

Some notable positive developments include:

• SDG 2 – Zero Hunger: Stunting among children under five years of age declined from 17.3% in 2016 to 10.5% in 2024, while wasting declined from 15.1% in 2016 to 9.3% in 2024.
• SDG 3 – Good Health and Well-being: The Universal Health Coverage Index improved from 66.7 in 2021 to 72.0 in 2023.
• SDG 5 – Gender Equality: Gender parity in mean years of education improved from 97.7 in 2022 to 98.8 in 2023.
• SDG 8 – Decent Work and Economic Growth: The unemployment rate declined from 4.9% in 2025 to 3.9% in 2026.
• SDG 16 – Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions: Sri Lanka’s Corruption Perceptions Index score improved from 32 in 2024 to 35 in 2025.

At the same time, the report highlights areas where continued and targeted action is needed. Lower secondary completion rate declined from 96.2% in 2022 to 91.9% in 2023, while the permanent deforestation indicator showed a negative trend, increasing from 0% in 2023 to 0.3% in 2024. The SDG 9 – Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure also remains a key area of concern, with performance below 50% of the average level of performance.

Overall, Sri Lanka’s movement from 93rd to 92nd place and the increase in its SDG country score from 67.9 to 68.5 indicate an encouraging progress, while also highlighting areas that require continued attention.

What are the key areas of progress and where do the biggest challenges remain? Read the SDR 2026 to explore Sri Lanka’s SDG journey.

(https://s3.amazonaws.com/sustainabledevelopment.report/2026/sustainable-development-report-2026.pdf).

The Global Sustainable Development Report 2026 is prepared by an independent group of experts led by Professor Jeffrey Sachs and is published by the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) and Dublin University Press.