The cost of war is incalculable. The economic loss caused by war is only the surface of the enormous human suffering and waste that lies beneath. This study examines and attempts to capture the human, economic and socio-political costs of the war between the Government of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). In this light, the human loss comprises the death and injury of combatants and civilians, the anguish of bereaved widows, orphans, relations and friends, the homeless and the displaced. The economic costs include the resources spent on war, the value of physical assets damaged and destroyed, and the economic output and opportunities of growth and development foregone. While the socio-political costs include damage to the democratic political system, restriction and abuse of human rights, corruption, and damage to the moral foundations of society through a culture of violence.