Number of people living in extreme poverty in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Number of people living in extreme poverty was 21.21 million people in 2019. ▲ Rising
Number of people living in extreme poverty in Sri Lanka, 1985–2019
Source: World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in people.
Analysis
Sri Lanka recorded 21.21 million people for number of people living in extreme poverty in 2019. That is the highest value across all 9 years on record.
That represents a change of up 4.0% on the previous year and up 10.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of people living in extreme poverty in Sri Lanka peaked at 21.21 million people in 2019 and was at its lowest, 11.15 million people, in 1985.
Sri Lanka ranks 42nd of 120 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
Number of people living in extreme poverty in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 11.15 million people | — |
| 1990 | 12.58 million people | +12.8% |
| 1995 | 13.65 million people | +8.5% |
| 2002 | 15.70 million people | +15.1% |
| 2006 | 17.94 million people | +14.2% |
| 2009 | 19.19 million people | +7.0% |
| 2012 | 19.55 million people | +1.9% |
| 2016 | 20.40 million people | +4.4% |
| 2019 | 21.21 million people | +4.0% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 21.21 million people is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 16.37 million people, 1.3× the median. (35 countries reporting)
- Sri Lanka's 21.21 million people is below the median for South Asia, which is 28.98 million people, 73% of the median. (5 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 11.15 million people | 11.15 million people | 11.15 million people | 1 |
| 1990s | 13.11 million people | 12.58 million people | 13.65 million people | 2 |
| 2000s | 17.61 million people | 15.70 million people | 19.19 million people | 3 |
| 2010s | 20.39 million people | 19.55 million people | 21.21 million people | 3 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
More poverty & inequality data for Sri Lanka
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via the World Bank 2 surveys (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per person (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Fertility rate vs. share living in extreme poverty 1.97 live births per woman (2023)
- Cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty 3,804 kg per hectare (2023)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, annual growth rate 25.42 % change on previous year (2023)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, gaps filled 9.85 (2023)
- Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality 9.8% (2023)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is number of people living in extreme poverty in Sri Lanka?
- Number of people living in extreme poverty in Sri Lanka was 21.21 million people in 2019, according to World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest number of people living in extreme poverty recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 21.21 million people in 2019.
- What is the lowest number of people living in extreme poverty recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 11.15 million people in 1985.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for number of people living in extreme poverty?
- Sri Lanka ranks 42nd out of 120 countries with data for 2019.
- Is number of people living in extreme poverty rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is up 10.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sri Lanka data come from?
- The figures come from World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Number of people living in extreme poverty. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Number of people living in households with an income or consumption above $3 per day.