Sri Lanka ranked 31st in the Global Youth Development Index 2016 which was compiled by the Commonwealth Secretariat based on a country’s condition for the youth in terms of employment, education, health, civic and political spheres. Of the eight South Asian countries, five improved their Index scores, with the largest improvements being made in Sri Lanka and India. According to Business Insider India, India has performed poorly, coming 133rd in the index.

India was placed below the neighboring countries like Nepal, Bhutan and Sri Lanka. The top 10 countries on the index are Germany, Denmark, Australia, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Netherlands, Austria), Luxembourg, Portugal and Japan. The Index is a composite of 18 indicators that collectively measure multi-dimensional progress on youth development in 183 countries, including 49 of the 53 Commonwealth countries. It has five domains measuring levels of education, health and well-being, employment and opportunity, political participation and civic participation for young people.