Share of the population in poverty vs. Electoral Democracy Index in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Share of the population in poverty vs. Electoral Democracy Index was 65.3% in 2019. ▼ Falling
Share of the population in poverty vs. Electoral Democracy Index in Sri Lanka, 1985–2019
Source: World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2019, share of the population in poverty vs. electoral democracy index in Sri Lanka stood at 65.3%. That is the lowest value across all 9 years on record.
The figure is down 3.6% on the previous year and down 18.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of the population in poverty vs. electoral democracy index in Sri Lanka peaked at 93.4% in 1985 and was at its lowest, 65.3%, in 2019.
That places Sri Lanka 38th out of 120 countries with data for 2019, putting it in the middle of the range.
Share of the population in poverty vs. Electoral Democracy Index in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 93.4% | — |
| 1990 | 92.9% | -0.5% |
| 1995 | 89.7% | -3.4% |
| 2002 | 84.7% | -5.5% |
| 2006 | 79.9% | -5.7% |
| 2009 | 79.7% | -0.2% |
| 2012 | 74.5% | -6.5% |
| 2016 | 67.8% | -9.1% |
| 2019 | 65.3% | -3.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 93.4% | 93.4% | 93.4% | 1 |
| 1990s | 91.3% | 89.7% | 92.9% | 2 |
| 2000s | 81.4% | 79.7% | 84.7% | 3 |
| 2010s | 69.2% | 65.3% | 74.5% | 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 the population in poverty vs. electoral democracy index in Sri Lanka?
- Share of the population in poverty vs. electoral democracy index in Sri Lanka was 65.3% in 2019, according to World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of the population in poverty vs. electoral democracy index recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 93.4% in 1985.
- What is the lowest share of the population in poverty vs. electoral democracy index recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 65.3% in 2019.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for share of the population in poverty vs. electoral democracy index?
- Sri Lanka ranks 38th out of 120 countries with data for 2019.
- Is share of the population in poverty vs. electoral democracy index rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is down 18.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- 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 of the population in poverty vs. Electoral Democracy Index. 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 $10 per day.