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. Measured in %.
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 | % | 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% |
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).