Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income was 9.4% in 2019. ▲ Rising
Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income in Sri Lanka, 1985–2019
Source: World Bank, Poverty and Inequality Platform. Data are based on primary household survey data obtained from government statistical agencies and World Bank country departments. Data for high-income econ. Measured in %.
Analysis
Sri Lanka recorded 9.4% for proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income in 2019.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 4.1% on the previous year and up 20.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income in Sri Lanka peaked at 9.8% in 2016 and was at its lowest, 5.9%, in 1990.
That places Sri Lanka 88th out of 123 countries with data for 2019, putting it in the middle of the range.
Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 9.3% | — |
| 1990 | 5.9% | -36.6% |
| 1995 | 6.9% | +16.9% |
| 2002 | 9.3% | +34.8% |
| 2006 | 9.3% | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 7.8% | -16.1% |
| 2012 | 9.2% | +17.9% |
| 2016 | 9.8% | +6.5% |
| 2019 | 9.4% | -4.1% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 9.4% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 14.8%, 64% of the median. (38 countries reporting)
- Sri Lanka's 9.4% is above the median for South Asia, which is 7.9%, 1.2× the median. (5 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 9.3% | 9.3% | 9.3% | 1 |
| 1990s | 6.4% | 5.9% | 6.9% | 2 |
| 2000s | 8.8% | 7.8% | 9.3% | 3 |
| 2010s | 9.5% | 9.2% | 9.8% | 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 proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income in Sri Lanka?
- Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income in Sri Lanka was 9.4% in 2019, according to World Bank, Poverty and Inequality Platform. Data are based on primary household survey data obtained from government statistical agencies and World Bank country departments. Data for high-income econ.
- What is the highest proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 9.8% in 2016.
- What is the lowest proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.9% in 1990.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income?
- Sri Lanka ranks 88th out of 123 countries with data for 2019.
- Is proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is up 20.5%. 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. Data are based on primary household survey data obtained from government statistical agencies and World Bank country departments. Data for high-income econ, published as part of Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
The percentage of people in the population who live in households whose per capita income or consumption is below half of the median income or consumption per capita. The median is measured at 2021 Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) using the Poverty and Inequality Platform (http://www.pip.worldbank.org). For some countries, medians are not reported due to grouped and/or confidential data. The reference year is the year in which the underlying household survey data was collected. In cases for which the data collection period bridged two calendar years, the first year in which data were collected is reported.