Prosperity gap in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka: Prosperity gap was 3.97 in 2019. ▼ Falling

Latest (2019)
3.97
Change on year
down 4.9%
World rank
41st
of 120 countries
All-time high
7.65
in 1985
All-time low
3.97
in 2019
Years of data
9
1985–2019

Prosperity gap in Sri Lanka, 1985–2019

024681985200220191985: 7.61990: 7.31995: 7.12002: 6.62006: 5.62009: 5.22012: 4.82016: 4.22019: 4

Source: World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.

Analysis

In 2019, prosperity gap in Sri Lanka stood at 3.97. That is the lowest value across all 9 years on record.

The figure is down 4.9% on the previous year and down 23.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, prosperity gap in Sri Lanka peaked at 7.65 in 1985 and was at its lowest, 3.97, in 2019.

Sri Lanka ranks 41st of 120 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 7.65 7.65 7.65 1
1990s 7.17 7.07 7.26 2
2000s 5.77 5.16 6.59 3
2010s 4.3 3.97 4.75 3

Countries ranked near Sri Lanka

  1. 38 Tajikistan 4.4 compare
  2. 39 Kyrgyzstan 4.38 compare
  3. 40 Nicaragua 4.17 compare
  4. 42 Egypt 3.95 compare
  5. 43 Nepal 3.91 compare
  6. 44 Morocco 3.86 compare

See the full ranking of 120 places →

More reference data data for Sri Lanka

All data for Sri Lanka →

Frequently asked questions

What is prosperity gap in Sri Lanka?
Prosperity gap in Sri Lanka was 3.97 in 2019, according to World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest prosperity gap recorded in Sri Lanka?
The highest recorded value was 7.65 in 1985.
What is the lowest prosperity gap recorded in Sri Lanka?
The lowest recorded value was 3.97 in 2019.
How does Sri Lanka rank for prosperity gap?
Sri Lanka ranks 41st out of 120 countries with data for 2019.
Is prosperity gap rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
Over the last ten years it is down 23.1%. 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 Prosperity gap. 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

Indicator
Prosperity gap
Source
World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
120 places, 2,148 data points, 1963–2025
Last refreshed

Average factor by which incomes need to be multiplied to bring everyone to the prosperity standard of $28 per person per day.