Government Effectiveness - Governance estimate (approx. -2.5 to +2.5) in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka: Government Effectiveness - Governance estimate (approx. -2.5 to +2.5) was -0.1286 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 in 2025. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2025)
-0.1286 approx. -2.5 to +2.5
Change on year
up 46.4%
World rank
119th
of 206 countries
All-time high
0.1919 approx. -2.5 to +2.5
in 2015
All-time low
-0.8034 approx. -2.5 to +2.5
in 1998
Years of data
27
1996–2025

Government Effectiveness - Governance estimate in Sri Lanka, 1996–2025

-0.8-0.6-0.4-0.2-00.21996201020251996: -0.419 approx. -2.5 to +2.51998: -0.803 approx. -2.5 to +2.52000: -0.622 approx. -2.5 to +2.52002: -0.193 approx. -2.5 to +2.52003: -0.423 approx. -2.5 to +2.52004: -0.472 approx. -2.5 to +2.52005: -0.372 approx. -2.5 to +2.52006: -0.307 approx. -2.5 to +2.52007: -0.25 approx. -2.5 to +2.52008: -0.17 approx. -2.5 to +2.52009: -0.054 approx. -2.5 to +2.52010: -0.089 approx. -2.5 to +2.52011: -0.069 approx. -2.5 to +2.52012: -0.112 approx. -2.5 to +2.52013: -0.085 approx. -2.5 to +2.52014: 0.174 approx. -2.5 to +2.52015: 0.192 approx. -2.5 to +2.52016: 0.094 approx. -2.5 to +2.52017: 0.081 approx. -2.5 to +2.52018: -0.01 approx. -2.5 to +2.52019: 0.028 approx. -2.5 to +2.52020: -0.052 approx. -2.5 to +2.52021: -0.157 approx. -2.5 to +2.52022: -0.416 approx. -2.5 to +2.52023: -0.266 approx. -2.5 to +2.52024: -0.24 approx. -2.5 to +2.52025: -0.129 approx. -2.5 to +2.5

Source: The Worldwide Governance Indicators: Revised Methodology for Measuring Governance Using Perception Data., World Bank Group (WBG). Measured in approx. -2.5 to +2.5.

Analysis

The most recent figure for government effectiveness - governance estimate in Sri Lanka is -0.1286 approx. -2.5 to +2.5, measured in 2025.

The figure is up 46.4% on the previous year and down 167.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, government effectiveness - governance estimate in Sri Lanka peaked at 0.1919 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 in 2015 and was at its lowest, -0.8034 approx. -2.5 to +2.5, in 1998.

Sri Lanka ranks 119th of 206 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Government Effectiveness - Governance estimate (approx. -2.5 to +2.5) in Sri Lanka, year by year

Annual values for Government Effectiveness - Governance estimate (approx. -2.5 to +2.5) in Sri Lanka, 1996 to 2025.
Year approx. -2.5 to +2.5 Change
1996 -0.4191 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 —
1998 -0.8034 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 +91.7%
2000 -0.622 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 -22.6%
2002 -0.1932 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 -68.9%
2003 -0.4226 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 +118.7%
2004 -0.4718 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 +11.7%
2005 -0.3718 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 -21.2%
2006 -0.3073 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 -17.3%
2007 -0.2504 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 -18.5%
2008 -0.1695 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 -32.3%
2009 -0.0537 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 -68.3%
2010 -0.0886 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 +64.9%
2011 -0.0692 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 -21.9%
2012 -0.1115 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 +61.2%
2013 -0.085 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 -23.8%
2014 0.1744 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 -305.3%
2015 0.1919 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 +10.0%
2016 0.0941 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 -51.0%
2017 0.0808 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 -14.2%
2018 -0.0101 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 -112.5%
2019 0.0277 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 -375.2%
2020 -0.0523 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 -288.5%
2021 -0.1566 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 +199.7%
2022 -0.4156 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 +165.4%
2023 -0.2657 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 -36.1%
2024 -0.2398 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 -9.7%
2025 -0.1286 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 -46.4%

Sri Lanka compared with similar countries

  • Sri Lanka's -0.1286 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is -0.023 approx. -2.5 to +2.5, 5.6× the median. (59 countries reporting)
  • Sri Lanka's -0.1286 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 is above the median for South Asia, which is -0.1848 approx. -2.5 to +2.5, 70% of the median. (6 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s -0.6113 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 -0.8034 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 -0.4191 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 2
2000s -0.318 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 -0.622 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 -0.0537 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 9
2010s 0.0204 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 -0.1115 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 0.1919 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 10
2020s -0.2098 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 -0.4156 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 -0.0523 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 6

Countries ranked near Sri Lanka

  1. 116 Colombia -0.0935 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 compare
  2. 117 Egypt -0.1058 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 compare
  3. 118 Kosovo (UNSCR 1244) -0.1213 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 compare
  4. 120 Peru -0.1436 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 compare
  5. 121 Benin -0.1673 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 compare
  6. 122 Mexico -0.1807 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 compare

See the full ranking of 206 places →

More reference data data for Sri Lanka

All data for Sri Lanka →

Frequently asked questions

What is government effectiveness - governance estimate in Sri Lanka?
Government effectiveness - governance estimate in Sri Lanka was -0.1286 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 in 2025, according to The Worldwide Governance Indicators: Revised Methodology for Measuring Governance Using Perception Data., World Bank Group (WBG).
What is the highest government effectiveness - governance estimate recorded in Sri Lanka?
The highest recorded value was 0.1919 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 in 2015.
What is the lowest government effectiveness - governance estimate recorded in Sri Lanka?
The lowest recorded value was -0.8034 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 in 1998.
How does Sri Lanka rank for government effectiveness - governance estimate?
Sri Lanka ranks 119th out of 206 countries with data for 2025.
Is government effectiveness - governance estimate rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
Over the last ten years it is down 167.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Sri Lanka data come from?
The figures come from The Worldwide Governance Indicators: Revised Methodology for Measuring Governance Using Perception Data., World Bank Group (WBG), published as part of Government Effectiveness - Governance estimate (approx. -2.5 to +2.5). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Government Effectiveness - Governance estimate in Sri Lanka. Statizoid, drawing on The Worldwide Governance Indicators: Revised Methodology for Measuring Governance Using Perception Data., World Bank Group (WBG). Retrieved 13 November 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/government-effectiveness-governance-estimate-approx-2-5-to-2-5/sri-lanka/

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About this data

Indicator
Government Effectiveness - Governance estimate (approx. -2.5 to +2.5)
Unit
approx. -2.5 to +2.5
Source
The Worldwide Governance Indicators: Revised Methodology for Measuring Governance Using Perception Data., World Bank Group (WBG)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
206 places, 5,392 data points, 1996–2025
Last refreshed

Government Effectiveness (GE) captures perceptions of the quality of public services, the civil service, policy formulation and implementation, and the credibility of a government’s decisions. Governance estimate from the aggregation model, in units of a standard normal distribution, i.e. ranging from approximately -2.5 to 2.5. Larger values correspond to better governance. The (country-series-time) metadata include the (a) number of sources, and (b) standard error. The number of sources indicates the number of underlying data sources on which the governance estimate is based. The standard error indicates the precision of the governance estimate. Larger values indicate less precise estimates. A 90% confidence interval for the governance estimate is given by the estimate +/- 1.64 times the standard error.