Total population living in extreme poverty by world region in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Total population living in extreme poverty by world region was 589,870 people in 2019. ◆ Volatile
Total population living in extreme poverty by world region in Sri Lanka, 1985–2019
Source: World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in people.
Analysis
Sri Lanka recorded 589,870 people for total population living in extreme poverty by world region in 2019. That is the lowest value across all 9 years on record.
The figure is down 27.1% on the previous year and down 63.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, total population living in extreme poverty by world region in Sri Lanka peaked at 4.39 million people in 1985 and was at its lowest, 589,870 people, in 2019.
Sri Lanka ranks 47th of 120 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
Total population living in extreme poverty by world region in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 4.39 million people | — |
| 1990 | 3.84 million people | -12.6% |
| 1995 | 4.08 million people | +6.5% |
| 2002 | 4.10 million people | +0.4% |
| 2006 | 2.48 million people | -39.4% |
| 2009 | 1.63 million people | -34.6% |
| 2012 | 1.33 million people | -18.3% |
| 2016 | 808,628 people | -39.1% |
| 2019 | 589,870 people | -27.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 4.39 million people | 4.39 million people | 4.39 million people | 1 |
| 1990s | 3.96 million people | 3.84 million people | 4.08 million people | 2 |
| 2000s | 2.74 million people | 1.63 million people | 4.10 million people | 3 |
| 2010s | 908,909 people | 589,870 people | 1.33 million people | 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 total population living in extreme poverty by world region in Sri Lanka?
- Total population living in extreme poverty by world region in Sri Lanka was 589,870 people in 2019, according to World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest total population living in extreme poverty by world region recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 4.39 million people in 1985.
- What is the lowest total population living in extreme poverty by world region recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 589,870 people in 2019.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for total population living in extreme poverty by world region?
- Sri Lanka ranks 47th out of 120 countries with data for 2019.
- Is total population living in extreme poverty by world region rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is down 63.7%. 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 Total population living in extreme poverty by world region. 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
Number of people living in households with an income or consumption below $3 per day.