Proportion of population living below the national poverty line (%) in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Proportion of population living below the national poverty line (%) was 14.3% in 2019. ▼ Falling
Proportion of population living below the national poverty line in Sri Lanka, 1990–2019
Source: United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
Analysis
The most recent figure for proportion of population living below the national poverty line in Sri Lanka is 14.3%, measured in 2019. That is the lowest value across all 8 years on record.
That represents a change of down 10.6% on the previous year and down 49.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, proportion of population living below the national poverty line in Sri Lanka peaked at 46.8% in 2002 and was at its lowest, 14.3%, in 2019.
Sri Lanka ranks 47th of 73 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
Proportion of population living below the national poverty line (%) in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 26.1% | — |
| 1995 | 28.8% | +10.3% |
| 2002 | 46.8% | +62.5% |
| 2006 | 34.1% | -27.1% |
| 2009 | 28.4% | -16.7% |
| 2012 | 22.5% | -20.8% |
| 2016 | 16.0% | -28.9% |
| 2019 | 14.3% | -10.6% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 14.3% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 17.3%, 83% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 27.5% | 26.1% | 28.8% | 2 |
| 2000s | 36.4% | 28.4% | 46.8% | 3 |
| 2010s | 17.6% | 14.3% | 22.5% | 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 living below the national poverty line in Sri Lanka?
- Proportion of population living below the national poverty line in Sri Lanka was 14.3% in 2019, according to United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
- What is the highest proportion of population living below the national poverty line recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 46.8% in 2002.
- What is the lowest proportion of population living below the national poverty line recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 14.3% in 2019.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for proportion of population living below the national poverty line?
- Sri Lanka ranks 47th out of 73 countries with data for 2019.
- Is proportion of population living below the national poverty line rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is down 49.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- 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 living below the national poverty line (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 8 observations, free to reuse under UN SDG Global Database (open, attribution requested).