Share in extreme poverty vs. poverty gap index in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Share in extreme poverty vs. poverty gap index was 2.7% in 2019. ◆ Volatile
Share in extreme poverty vs. poverty gap index in Sri Lanka, 1985–2019
Source: World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2019, share in extreme poverty vs. poverty gap index in Sri Lanka stood at 2.7%. That is the lowest value across all 9 years on record.
The figure is down 29.0% on the previous year and down 65.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share in extreme poverty vs. poverty gap index in Sri Lanka peaked at 28.2% in 1985 and was at its lowest, 2.7%, in 2019.
That places Sri Lanka 48th out of 120 countries with data for 2019, putting it in the middle of the range.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 28.2% | 28.2% | 28.2% | 1 |
| 1990s | 23.2% | 23.0% | 23.4% | 2 |
| 2000s | 13.6% | 7.8% | 20.7% | 3 |
| 2010s | 4.3% | 2.7% | 6.4% | 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)
- 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)
- Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality 9.8% (2023)
- Gender Inequality Index 0.367 (2023)
- Share of government consumption in GDP vs. share of population living in extreme poverty 14.7% (2023)
- Lifespan inequality: Gini coefficient in men 0.1045 (2023)
- Lifespan inequality: Gini coefficient by sex 0.0829 (2023)
- Lifespan inequality: Gini coefficient in women 0.0829 (2023)
- Income inequality: Atkinson index 0.3658 (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share in extreme poverty vs. poverty gap index in Sri Lanka?
- Share in extreme poverty vs. poverty gap index in Sri Lanka was 2.7% in 2019, according to World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share in extreme poverty vs. poverty gap index recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 28.2% in 1985.
- What is the lowest share in extreme poverty vs. poverty gap index recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.7% in 2019.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for share in extreme poverty vs. poverty gap index?
- Sri Lanka ranks 48th out of 120 countries with data for 2019.
- Is share in extreme poverty vs. poverty gap index rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is down 65.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- 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 Share in extreme poverty vs. poverty gap index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Percentage of population living in households with an income or consumption below $3 per day.