Extreme monetary poverty and multidimensional poverty over time in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Extreme monetary poverty and multidimensional poverty over time was 2.7% in 2019. ◆ Volatile
Extreme monetary poverty and multidimensional poverty over time 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 extreme monetary poverty and multidimensional poverty over time in Sri Lanka is 2.7%, measured in 2019. That is the lowest value across all 9 years on record.
That represents a change of down 29.0% on the previous year and down 65.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, extreme monetary poverty and multidimensional poverty over time in Sri Lanka peaked at 28.2% in 1985 and was at its lowest, 2.7%, in 2019.
Sri Lanka ranks 47th of 120 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
Extreme monetary poverty and multidimensional poverty over time in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 28.2% | — |
| 1990 | 23.4% | -17.3% |
| 1995 | 23.0% | -1.5% |
| 2002 | 20.7% | -10.1% |
| 2006 | 12.2% | -41.3% |
| 2009 | 7.8% | -35.8% |
| 2012 | 6.4% | -18.5% |
| 2016 | 3.8% | -40.1% |
| 2019 | 2.7% | -29.0% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 2.7% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 1.6%, 1.7× the median. (35 countries reporting)
- Sri Lanka's 2.7% is above the median for South Asia, which is 2.6%, 1.1× the median. (5 countries reporting)
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 extreme monetary poverty and multidimensional poverty over time in Sri Lanka?
- Extreme monetary poverty and multidimensional poverty over time in Sri Lanka was 2.7% in 2019, according to World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest extreme monetary poverty and multidimensional poverty over time recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 28.2% in 1985.
- What is the lowest extreme monetary poverty and multidimensional poverty over time recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.7% in 2019.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for extreme monetary poverty and multidimensional poverty over time?
- Sri Lanka ranks 47th out of 120 countries with data for 2019.
- Is extreme monetary poverty and multidimensional poverty over time rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is down 65.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- 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 Extreme monetary poverty and multidimensional poverty over time. 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 $3 per day.