Proportion of population below international poverty line (%) in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Proportion of population below international poverty line (%) was 2.7% in 2019. ◆ Volatile
Proportion of population below international poverty line in Sri Lanka, 1985–2019
Source: United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
Analysis
Sri Lanka recorded 2.7% for proportion of population below international poverty line in 2019. That is the lowest value across all 9 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 28.9% on the previous year and down 65.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, proportion of population below international poverty line in Sri Lanka peaked at 28.2% in 1985 and was at its lowest, 2.7%, in 2019.
That places Sri Lanka 53rd out of 133 countries with data for 2019, putting it in the middle of the range.
Proportion of population below international poverty line (%) in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 28.2% | — |
| 1990 | 23.4% | -17.0% |
| 1995 | 23.0% | -1.7% |
| 2002 | 20.7% | -10.0% |
| 2006 | 12.2% | -41.1% |
| 2009 | 7.8% | -36.1% |
| 2012 | 6.4% | -17.9% |
| 2016 | 3.8% | -40.6% |
| 2019 | 2.7% | -28.9% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 2.7% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 1.2%, 2.2× the median. (36 countries reporting)
- Sri Lanka's 2.7% is above the median for South Asia, which is 2.7%, 1.0× the median. (5 countries reporting)
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)
- 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 population below international poverty line in Sri Lanka?
- Proportion of population below international poverty line in Sri Lanka was 2.7% in 2019, according to United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
- What is the highest proportion of population below international poverty line recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 28.2% in 1985.
- What is the lowest proportion of population below international poverty line recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.7% in 2019.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for proportion of population below international poverty line?
- Sri Lanka ranks 53rd out of 133 countries with data for 2019.
- Is proportion of population below international poverty line rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is down 65.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Sri Lanka data come from?
- The figures come from United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database, published as part of Proportion of population below international poverty line (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 9 observations, free to reuse under UN SDG Global Database (open, attribution requested).