This is the first Human Development Report in Sri Lanka, and is therefore also the first time an analysis is made of the regional dimensions of human development, in terms of achievements in social and economic development, levels of poverty, and gender empowerment. The results paint a very interesting pattern of uneven and unequal development in the various districts where some districts are well advanced according to certain criteria, but lagging behind on other dimensions. This report aims to stimulate a debate on the spatial dimensions of development.