Share in poverty relative to different poverty lines in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Share in poverty relative to different poverty lines was 2.7% in 2019. ◆ Volatile
Share in poverty relative to different poverty lines 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 2.7% for share in poverty relative to different poverty lines in 2019. That is the lowest value across all 9 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 29.0% on the previous year and down 65.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share in poverty relative to different poverty lines in Sri Lanka peaked at 28.2% in 1985 and was at its lowest, 2.7%, in 2019.
That places Sri Lanka 47th out of 120 countries with data for 2019, putting it in the middle of the range.
Share in poverty relative to different poverty lines 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 share in poverty relative to different poverty lines in Sri Lanka?
- Share in poverty relative to different poverty lines 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 share in poverty relative to different poverty lines recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 28.2% in 1985.
- What is the lowest share in poverty relative to different poverty lines recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.7% in 2019.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for share in poverty relative to different poverty lines?
- Sri Lanka ranks 47th out of 120 countries with data for 2019.
- Is share in poverty relative to different poverty lines 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 Share in poverty relative to different poverty lines. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Percentage of population living in households with an income or consumption below $3 per day.