Regional DisparitiesWhile Sri Lanka’s key indicators in areas such as life expectancy, infant and maternal mortality, school enrolment and literacy appear to be acceptable, national figures do disguise disparities between regions. Most significantly, national figures do not include conflict-affected districts in the north east, which represent 13 percent of the population and include some of the most deprived regions in the country. Deprived districts in the southern central part of the country also receive little attention despite some of the lowest human development indicator values. With the country’s Gross National Income (GNI) exceeding the threshold of USD 826 per capita, Sri Lanka is considered a lower middle-income country . However, these figures obscure significant disparities between geographical regions. A total of 22.7 per cent of the population is considered to be living below the official poverty line. And together with poverty, malnutrition is of key concern in Sri Lanka, both issues being interlinked. On average, an estimated 29.4 per cent of children are reported to be underweight , however, in selected deprived districts average estimates are 37.4 per cent . The net primary school enrolment rate is 96.4 per cent , and shows no significant gender related difference, but yet there are vast disparities with regards to the quality of education. Only 24 per cent of children in the conflict affected North East have achieved mastery level in their first language, the highest percentage being registered with just above 50 per cent in the Western Province that hosts the capital.
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