Poverty: Share of population living on less than $10 a day in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Poverty: Share of population living on less than $10 a day was 65.3% in 2019. ▼ Falling
Poverty: Share of population living on less than $10 a day in Sri Lanka, 1985–2019
Source: World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Sri Lanka recorded 65.3% for poverty: share of population living on less than $10 a day in 2019. That is the lowest value across all 9 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 3.6% on the previous year and down 18.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, poverty: share of population living on less than $10 a day in Sri Lanka peaked at 93.4% in 1985 and was at its lowest, 65.3%, in 2019.
That places Sri Lanka 38th out of 120 countries with data for 2019, putting it in the middle of the range.
Poverty: Share of population living on less than $10 a day in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 93.4% | — |
| 1990 | 92.9% | -0.5% |
| 1995 | 89.7% | -3.4% |
| 2002 | 84.7% | -5.5% |
| 2006 | 79.9% | -5.7% |
| 2009 | 79.7% | -0.2% |
| 2012 | 74.5% | -6.5% |
| 2016 | 67.8% | -9.1% |
| 2019 | 65.3% | -3.6% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 65.3% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 31.3%, 2.1× the median. (35 countries reporting)
- Sri Lanka's 65.3% is below the median for South Asia, which is 66.9%, 98% of the median. (5 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 93.4% | 93.4% | 93.4% | 1 |
| 1990s | 91.3% | 89.7% | 92.9% | 2 |
| 2000s | 81.4% | 79.7% | 84.7% | 3 |
| 2010s | 69.2% | 65.3% | 74.5% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
More reference data data for Sri Lanka
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.1608 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.316 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 2.33 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.1784 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 2.33 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.539 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.1604 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.63 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 10.15 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.9713 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is poverty: share of population living on less than $10 a day in Sri Lanka?
- Poverty: share of population living on less than $10 a day in Sri Lanka was 65.3% in 2019, according to World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest poverty: share of population living on less than $10 a day recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 93.4% in 1985.
- What is the lowest poverty: share of population living on less than $10 a day recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 65.3% in 2019.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for poverty: share of population living on less than $10 a day?
- Sri Lanka ranks 38th out of 120 countries with data for 2019.
- Is poverty: share of population living on less than $10 a day rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is down 18.1%. 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 Poverty: Share of population living on less than $10 a day. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Percentage of population living in households with an income or consumption below $10 per day.