Sri Lanka has taken the lead in South Asia in a new system of rankings unveiled by the World Bank Group on Thursday to rank countries based on their success in developing human capital.

The new Human Capital Index (HCI) rankings, based on health, education and survivability measures, assess the future productivity and earnings potential for citizens of the World Bank’s member nations, and ultimately the potential economic growth of the countries.

It measures the amount of human capital that a child born today can expect to attain by age 18. It conveys the productivity of the next generation of workers compared to a benchmark of complete education and full health.

The index was unveiled at the World Bank and International Monetary Fund annual meetings in Bali, Indonesia.