Relative poverty: Share of population below 40% of the median in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Relative poverty: Share of population below 40% of the median was 3.6% in 2019. ▲ Rising
Relative poverty: Share of population below 40% of the median in Sri Lanka, 1985–2019
Source: World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Sri Lanka recorded 3.6% for relative poverty: share of population below 40% of the median in 2019.
That represents a change of down 6.7% on the previous year and up 12.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, relative poverty: share of population below 40% of the median in Sri Lanka peaked at 3.9% in 2016 and was at its lowest, 2.0%, in 1990.
That places Sri Lanka 91st out of 120 countries with data for 2019, putting it in the bottom quarter.
Relative poverty: Share of population below 40% of the median in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 2.3% | — |
| 1990 | 2.0% | -13.7% |
| 1995 | 2.6% | +31.2% |
| 2002 | 3.4% | +27.6% |
| 2006 | 3.7% | +10.2% |
| 2009 | 3.2% | -12.9% |
| 2012 | 3.5% | +9.0% |
| 2016 | 3.9% | +10.2% |
| 2019 | 3.6% | -6.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 2.3% | 2.3% | 2.3% | 1 |
| 1990s | 2.3% | 2.0% | 2.6% | 2 |
| 2000s | 3.4% | 3.2% | 3.7% | 3 |
| 2010s | 3.7% | 3.5% | 3.9% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
- 88 Tanzania, United Republic of 3.9% compare
- 89 Philippines 3.8% compare
- 90 Czechia 3.7% compare
- 92 Taiwan, China 3.6% compare
- 93 Ethiopia 3.5% compare
- 94 Belgium 3.5% compare
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 relative poverty: share of population below 40% of the median in Sri Lanka?
- Relative poverty: share of population below 40% of the median in Sri Lanka was 3.6% in 2019, according to World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest relative poverty: share of population below 40% of the median recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 3.9% in 2016.
- What is the lowest relative poverty: share of population below 40% of the median recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.0% in 1990.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for relative poverty: share of population below 40% of the median?
- Sri Lanka ranks 91st out of 120 countries with data for 2019.
- Is relative poverty: share of population below 40% of the median rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is up 12.1%. 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 (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Relative poverty: Share of population below 40% of the median. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Percentage of population living in households with an income or consumption below 40% of the median.