Relative poverty: Share of population below 50% of the median in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Relative poverty: Share of population below 50% of the median was 9.4% in 2019. ▲ Rising
Relative poverty: Share of population below 50% 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
The most recent figure for relative poverty: share of population below 50% of the median in Sri Lanka is 9.4%, measured in 2019.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 3.4% on the previous year and up 20.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, relative poverty: share of population below 50% of the median in Sri Lanka peaked at 9.8% in 2016 and was at its lowest, 5.9%, in 1990.
That places Sri Lanka 83rd out of 120 countries with data for 2019, putting it in the middle of the range.
Relative poverty: Share of population below 50% of the median in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 9.3% | — |
| 1990 | 5.9% | -36.3% |
| 1995 | 6.9% | +16.3% |
| 2002 | 9.3% | +36.1% |
| 2006 | 9.3% | -0.6% |
| 2009 | 7.8% | -15.9% |
| 2012 | 9.2% | +17.4% |
| 2016 | 9.8% | +6.6% |
| 2019 | 9.4% | -3.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 9.3% | 9.3% | 9.3% | 1 |
| 1990s | 6.4% | 5.9% | 6.9% | 2 |
| 2000s | 8.8% | 7.8% | 9.3% | 3 |
| 2010s | 9.5% | 9.2% | 9.8% | 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 relative poverty: share of population below 50% of the median in Sri Lanka?
- Relative poverty: share of population below 50% of the median in Sri Lanka was 9.4% 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 50% of the median recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 9.8% in 2016.
- What is the lowest relative poverty: share of population below 50% of the median recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.9% in 1990.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for relative poverty: share of population below 50% of the median?
- Sri Lanka ranks 83rd out of 120 countries with data for 2019.
- Is relative poverty: share of population below 50% of the median rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is up 20.9%. 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 50% of the median. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 9 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Percentage of population living in households with an income or consumption below 50% of the median.