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. β–Ό Falling

Latest (2019)
65.3%
Change on year
down 3.6%
World rank
38th
of 120 countries
All-time high
93.4%
in 1985
All-time low
65.3%
in 2019
Years of data
9
1985–2019

Poverty: Share of population living on less than $10 a day in Sri Lanka, 1985–2019

0204060801001985200220191985: 93.4 %1990: 92.9 %1995: 89.7 %2002: 84.7 %2006: 79.9 %2009: 79.7 %2012: 74.5 %2016: 67.8 %2019: 65.3 %

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.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest 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

  1. 35 Nepal 66.9% compare
  2. 36 Tajikistan 66.8% compare
  3. 37 South Africa 66.1% compare
  4. 39 Armenia 64.8% compare
  5. 40 Morocco 60.5% compare
  6. 41 Honduras 59.0% compare

See the full ranking of 120 places β†’

More reference data data for Sri Lanka

All data for Sri Lanka β†’

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.

Download this data

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About this data

Indicator
Poverty: Share of population living on less than $10 a day
Unit
%
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

Percentage of population living in households with an income or consumption below $10 per day.