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 43rd out of 110 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% |
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 43rd out of 110 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).