Total shortfall from extreme poverty in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Total shortfall from extreme poverty was 98.27 million international-$ in 2021 prices in 2019. ◆ Volatile
Total shortfall from extreme poverty in Sri Lanka, 1985–2019
Source: World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in international-$ in 2021 prices.
Analysis
Sri Lanka recorded 98.27 million international-$ in 2021 prices for total shortfall from extreme poverty in 2019. That is the lowest value across all 9 years on record.
The figure is down 24.9% on the previous year and down 70.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, total shortfall from extreme poverty in Sri Lanka peaked at 1.15 billion international-$ in 2021 prices in 1985 and was at its lowest, 98.27 million international-$ in 2021 prices, in 2019.
That places Sri Lanka 58th out of 120 countries with data for 2019, putting it in the middle of the range.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 1.15 billion international-$ in 2021 prices | 1.15 billion international-$ in 2021 prices | 1.15 billion international-$ in 2021 prices | 1 |
| 1990s | 916.61 million international-$ in 2021 prices | 872.46 million international-$ in 2021 prices | 960.75 million international-$ in 2021 prices | 2 |
| 2000s | 606.06 million international-$ in 2021 prices | 338.19 million international-$ in 2021 prices | 967.75 million international-$ in 2021 prices | 3 |
| 2010s | 161.09 million international-$ in 2021 prices | 98.27 million international-$ in 2021 prices | 254.14 million international-$ in 2021 prices | 3 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
- 55 Nicaragua 120.36 million international-$ in 2021 prices compare
- 56 El Salvador 120.21 million international-$ in 2021 prices compare
- 57 Nepal 102.02 million international-$ in 2021 prices compare
- 59 Bolivia 86.12 million international-$ in 2021 prices compare
- 60 Canada 64.09 million international-$ in 2021 prices compare
- 61 Sweden 63.58 million international-$ in 2021 prices compare
More poverty & inequality data for Sri Lanka
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via the World Bank 2 surveys (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)
- Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality 9.8% (2023)
- Gender Inequality Index 0.367 (2023)
- Share of government consumption in GDP vs. share of population living in extreme poverty 14.7% (2023)
- Lifespan inequality: Gini coefficient in women 0.0829 (2023)
- Lifespan inequality: Gini coefficient by sex 0.0829 (2023)
- Lifespan inequality: Gini coefficient in men 0.1045 (2023)
- Income inequality: Atkinson index 0.3658 (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is total shortfall from extreme poverty in Sri Lanka?
- Total shortfall from extreme poverty in Sri Lanka was 98.27 million international-$ in 2021 prices in 2019, according to World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest total shortfall from extreme poverty recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 1.15 billion international-$ in 2021 prices in 1985.
- What is the lowest total shortfall from extreme poverty recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 98.27 million international-$ in 2021 prices in 2019.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for total shortfall from extreme poverty?
- Sri Lanka ranks 58th out of 120 countries with data for 2019.
- Is total shortfall from extreme poverty rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is down 70.9%. 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 shortfall from extreme poverty. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
This is the amount of money that would be theoretically needed to lift the income or consumption of all people in poverty up to $3 per day. However, this is not a measure of the actual cost of eliminating poverty, since it does not take into account the costs involved in making the necessary transfers nor any changes in behavior they would bring about.