Prevalence of undernourishment in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka: Prevalence of undernourishment was 7.4 in 2023. ▼ Falling

Latest (2023)
7.4
Change on year
up 21.3%
World rank
66th
of 169 countries
All-time high
16.8
in 2001
All-time low
3.3
in 2020
Years of data
23
2001–2023

Prevalence of undernourishment in Sri Lanka, 2001–2023

510152001201220232001: 16.82002: 16.12003: 15.92004: 15.22005: 14.22006: 13.52007: 12.12008: 11.12009: 10.62010: 112011: 10.82012: 102013: 8.82014: 6.12015: 4.52016: 4.12017: 52018: 5.32019: 3.82020: 3.32021: 4.62022: 6.12023: 7.4

Source: Our World in Data.

Analysis

In 2023, prevalence of undernourishment in Sri Lanka stood at 7.4.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 21.3% on the previous year and down 15.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, prevalence of undernourishment in Sri Lanka peaked at 16.8 in 2001 and was at its lowest, 3.3, in 2020.

Sri Lanka ranks 66th of 169 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 23 years of available data.

Prevalence of undernourishment in Sri Lanka, year by year

Annual values for Prevalence of undernourishment in Sri Lanka, 2001 to 2023.
Year Value Change
2001 16.8 —
2002 16.1 -4.2%
2003 15.9 -1.2%
2004 15.2 -4.4%
2005 14.2 -6.6%
2006 13.5 -4.9%
2007 12.1 -10.4%
2008 11.1 -8.3%
2009 10.6 -4.5%
2010 11 +3.8%
2011 10.8 -1.8%
2012 10 -7.4%
2013 8.8 -12.0%
2014 6.1 -30.7%
2015 4.5 -26.2%
2016 4.1 -8.9%
2017 5 +22.0%
2018 5.3 +6.0%
2019 3.8 -28.3%
2020 3.3 -13.2%
2021 4.6 +39.4%
2022 6.1 +32.6%
2023 7.4 +21.3%

Sri Lanka compared with similar countries

  • Sri Lanka's 7.4 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 4.45, 1.7× the median. (50 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 13.94 10.6 16.8 9
2010s 6.94 3.8 11 10
2020s 5.35 3.3 7.4 4

Countries ranked near Sri Lanka

  1. 64 Tajikistan 8.4 compare
  2. 65 Jamaica 7.7 compare
  3. 67 Vanuatu 7.2 compare
  4. 68 Belize 7 compare
  5. 68 Morocco 7 compare

See the full ranking of 169 places →

More reference data data for Sri Lanka

All data for Sri Lanka →

Frequently asked questions

What is prevalence of undernourishment in Sri Lanka?
Prevalence of undernourishment in Sri Lanka was 7.4 in 2023, according to Our World in Data.
What is the highest prevalence of undernourishment recorded in Sri Lanka?
The highest recorded value was 16.8 in 2001.
What is the lowest prevalence of undernourishment recorded in Sri Lanka?
The lowest recorded value was 3.3 in 2020.
How does Sri Lanka rank for prevalence of undernourishment?
Sri Lanka ranks 66th out of 169 countries with data for 2023.
Is prevalence of undernourishment rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
Over the last ten years it is down 15.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Sri Lanka data come from?
The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Prevalence of undernourishment. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Prevalence of undernourishment in Sri Lanka. Statizoid, drawing on Our World in Data. Retrieved 15 November 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/prevalence-of-undernourishment/sri-lanka/

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About this data

Indicator
Prevalence of undernourishment
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
169 places, 3,850 data points, 2001–2023
Last refreshed