Poverty: Share of population living on less than $4.20 a day in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Poverty: Share of population living on less than $4.20 a day was 11.5% in 2019. ▼ Falling
Poverty: Share of population living on less than $4.20 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
The most recent figure for poverty: share of population living on less than $4.20 a day in Sri Lanka is 11.5%, measured in 2019. That is the lowest value across all 9 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 18.3% on the previous year and down 52.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, poverty: share of population living on less than $4.20 a day in Sri Lanka peaked at 52.3% in 1985 and was at its lowest, 11.5%, in 2019.
That places Sri Lanka 42nd out of 120 countries with data for 2019, putting it in the middle of the range.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 52.3% | 52.3% | 52.3% | 1 |
| 1990s | 49.3% | 48.0% | 50.6% | 2 |
| 2000s | 32.3% | 24.2% | 42.5% | 3 |
| 2010s | 15.2% | 11.5% | 20.1% | 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 $4.20 a day in Sri Lanka?
- Poverty: share of population living on less than $4.20 a day in Sri Lanka was 11.5% 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 $4.20 a day recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 52.3% in 1985.
- What is the lowest poverty: share of population living on less than $4.20 a day recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 11.5% in 2019.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for poverty: share of population living on less than $4.20 a day?
- Sri Lanka ranks 42nd out of 120 countries with data for 2019.
- Is poverty: share of population living on less than $4.20 a day rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is down 52.4%. 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 $4.20 a day. 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
Percentage of population living in households with an income or consumption below $4.20 per day.