State Capacity Index in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka: State Capacity Index was 0.3371 in 2015. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2015)
0.3371
Change on year
up 21.0%
World rank
95th
of 166 countries
All-time high
0.3371
in 2015
All-time low
-0.8045
in 1989
Years of data
56
1960–2015

State Capacity Index in Sri Lanka, 1960–2015

-0.75-0.5-0.2500.25196019872015

Source: Jonathan Hanson and Rachel Sigman (2021); Population based on various sources (2023) – with major processing by Our World in Data.

Analysis

In 2015, state capacity index in Sri Lanka stood at 0.3371. That is the highest value across all 56 years on record.

That represents a change of up 21.0% on the previous year and up 4,390.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, state capacity index in Sri Lanka peaked at 0.3371 in 2015 and was at its lowest, -0.8045, in 1989.

Sri Lanka ranks 95th of 166 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

State Capacity Index in Sri Lanka, year by year

Annual values for State Capacity Index in Sri Lanka, 1960 to 2015.
Year Value Change
1960 0.1017
1961 0.1179 +15.9%
1962 0.1302 +10.4%
1963 0.1656 +27.2%
1964 0.1824 +10.1%
1965 0.2053 +12.6%
1966 0.2412 +17.5%
1967 0.2644 +9.6%
1968 0.2937 +11.1%
1969 0.2967 +1.0%
1970 0.1471 -50.4%
1971 0.1896 +28.9%
1972 0.1997 +5.3%
1973 0.0338 -83.1%
1974 -0.0706 -309.1%
1975 -0.0375 -46.9%
1976 -0.0306 -18.4%
1977 -0.0661 +115.8%
1978 -0.2638 +299.3%
1979 -0.2928 +11.0%
1980 -0.3522 +20.3%
1981 -0.3578 +1.6%
1982 -0.278 -22.3%
1983 -0.6313 +127.1%
1984 -0.7029 +11.3%
1985 -0.596 -15.2%
1986 -0.6506 +9.2%
1987 -0.6494 -0.2%
1988 -0.7007 +7.9%
1989 -0.8045 +14.8%
1990 -0.76 -5.5%
1991 -0.7749 +2.0%
1992 -0.7018 -9.4%
1993 -0.41 -41.6%
1994 -0.3085 -24.8%
1995 -0.1627 -47.3%
1996 -0.1027 -36.9%
1997 -0.1213 +18.1%
1998 -0.2664 +119.6%
1999 -0.226 -15.2%
2000 -0.183 -19.0%
2001 -0.1753 -4.2%
2002 -0.1923 +9.7%
2003 -0.2204 +14.6%
2004 -0.0313 -85.8%
2005 0.0075 -124.0%
2006 -0.075 -1098.4%
2007 -0.0071 -90.5%
2008 -0.0625 +778.5%
2009 0.0044 -107.1%
2010 0.1705 +3737.5%
2011 0.1863 +9.3%
2012 0.2257 +21.1%
2013 0.277 +22.7%
2014 0.2785 +0.5%
2015 0.3371 +21.0%

Sri Lanka compared with similar countries

  • Sri Lanka's 0.3371 is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.5986, 56% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
  • Sri Lanka's 0.3371 is above the median for South Asia, which is 0.3371, 1.0× the median. (5 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where State Capacity Index in Sri Lanka changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.

YearChange FromTo
2010 +3737.5% 0.0044 0.1705
2006 -1098.4% 0.0075 -0.075
2008 -778.5% -0.0071 -0.0625
1974 -309.1% 0.0338 -0.0706
1978 -299.3% -0.0661 -0.2638

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 0.1999 0.1017 0.2967 10
1970s -0.0191 -0.2928 0.1997 10
1980s -0.5723 -0.8045 -0.278 10
1990s -0.3834 -0.7749 -0.1027 10
2000s -0.0935 -0.2204 0.0075 10
2010s 0.2459 0.1705 0.3371 6

Countries ranked near Sri Lanka

  1. 92 Uganda 0.3691 compare
  2. 93 Zambia 0.3532 compare
  3. 94 Honduras 0.3418 compare
  4. 96 Ukraine 0.3095 compare
  5. 97 Zimbabwe 0.2965 compare
  6. 98 Bosnia and Herzegovina 0.2855 compare

See the full ranking of 166 places →

More reference data data for Sri Lanka

All data for Sri Lanka →

Frequently asked questions

What is state capacity index in Sri Lanka?
State capacity index in Sri Lanka was 0.3371 in 2015, according to Jonathan Hanson and Rachel Sigman (2021); Population based on various sources (2023) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest state capacity index recorded in Sri Lanka?
The highest recorded value was 0.3371 in 2015.
What is the lowest state capacity index recorded in Sri Lanka?
The lowest recorded value was -0.8045 in 1989.
How does Sri Lanka rank for state capacity index?
Sri Lanka ranks 95th out of 166 countries with data for 2015.
Is state capacity index rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
Over the last ten years it is up 4,390.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Sri Lanka data come from?
The figures come from Jonathan Hanson and Rachel Sigman (2021); Population based on various sources (2023) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of State Capacity Index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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State Capacity Index in Sri Lanka. Statizoid, drawing on Jonathan Hanson and Rachel Sigman (2021); Population based on various sources (2023) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 23 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/state-capacity-index/sri-lanka/

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About this data

Indicator
State Capacity Index
Source
Jonathan Hanson and Rachel Sigman (2021); Population based on various sources (2023) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
166 places, 8,015 data points, 1960–2015
Last refreshed

Measures state capacity by combining 21 different indicators related to three key dimensions: extractive capacity, coercive capacity, and administrative capacity. Higher values indicate greater state capacity.