Sri Lanka has emerged as the country best equipped to respond to growing political, economic and social changes in the South Asian region, according to KPMG’s latest Global Change Readiness Index (CRI).

The CRI is the only global study of its kind, ranking 127 countries for their capacity to prepare for and respond to accelerating change brought about by everything from natural disasters and economic and political shocks, to long term trends such as demographics, and new technologies.

Sri Lanka which is in a year marked by political transition, was ranked 62nd among 127 countries globally and five places above neighboring India to top countries in the South Asian region. Sri Lanka has shown immense growth in terms of change; and has surpassed most of the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) targets set for 2015, outperforming nearby country comparators on most MDGs.

Having brought a new president into office on a mandate for political and economic change in January, Sri Lanka emerged has a high growth market with inflation falling markedly, and the current account deficit narrowed. Since the civil war ended, growth during the past five years has been in the form of a peace dividend resulting from reconstruction efforts and increased consumption.

Reyaz Mihular, Managing Partner KPMG in Sri Lanka stated that “The CRI is an important contribution to the development debate, reflecting KPMG’s commitment to new approaches and insights. It informs efforts to build greater change readiness and seize new opportunities that benefit society. As a 118 year old firm we are a strong believer that change is inevitable and of utmost importance in order to be successful.”