Share of population living in extreme poverty (2011 prices) in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Share of population living in extreme poverty (2011 prices) was 0.6% in 2019. ◆ Volatile
Share of population living in extreme poverty (2011 prices) in Sri Lanka, 1985–2019
Source: World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of population living in extreme poverty (2011 prices) in Sri Lanka is 0.6%, measured in 2019. That is the lowest value across all 9 years on record.
That represents a change of down 34.8% on the previous year and down 78.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population living in extreme poverty (2011 prices) in Sri Lanka peaked at 14.5% in 1985 and was at its lowest, 0.6%, in 2019.
That places Sri Lanka 66th out of 119 countries with data for 2019, putting it in the middle of the range.
Share of population living in extreme poverty (2011 prices) in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 14.5% | — |
| 1990 | 9.3% | -35.7% |
| 1995 | 9.5% | +2.2% |
| 2002 | 8.8% | -7.9% |
| 2006 | 4.4% | -49.6% |
| 2009 | 2.8% | -35.9% |
| 2012 | 1.9% | -32.7% |
| 2016 | 0.9% | -50.4% |
| 2019 | 0.6% | -34.8% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 0.6% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 1.1%, 55% of the median. (35 countries reporting)
- Sri Lanka's 0.6% is below the median for South Asia, which is 1.4%, 45% of the median. (5 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 14.5% | 14.5% | 14.5% | 1 |
| 1990s | 9.4% | 9.3% | 9.5% | 2 |
| 2000s | 5.3% | 2.8% | 8.8% | 3 |
| 2010s | 1.2% | 0.6% | 1.9% | 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 of population living in extreme poverty (2011 prices) in Sri Lanka?
- Share of population living in extreme poverty (2011 prices) in Sri Lanka was 0.6% in 2019, according to World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of population living in extreme poverty (2011 prices) recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 14.5% in 1985.
- What is the lowest share of population living in extreme poverty (2011 prices) recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.6% in 2019.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for share of population living in extreme poverty (2011 prices)?
- Sri Lanka ranks 66th out of 119 countries with data for 2019.
- Is share of population living in extreme poverty (2011 prices) rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is down 78.3%. 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 (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population living in extreme poverty (2011 prices). 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 $1.90 per day.