Stunting vs. GDP per capita in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Stunting vs. GDP per capita was 10.5% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Stunting vs. GDP per capita in Sri Lanka, 1987–2024
Source: World Health Organization – Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for stunting vs. gdp per capita in Sri Lanka is 10.5%, measured in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.9% on the previous year and down 28.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, stunting vs. gdp per capita in Sri Lanka peaked at 31.2% in 1987 and was at its lowest, 7.4%, in 2021.
That places Sri Lanka 73rd out of 97 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 14 years of available data.
Stunting vs. GDP per capita in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1987 | 31.2% | — |
| 1993 | 28.7% | -8.0% |
| 1995 | 26.1% | -9.1% |
| 2000 | 18.3% | -29.9% |
| 2007 | 18.1% | -1.1% |
| 2009 | 19.2% | +6.1% |
| 2012 | 14.6% | -24.0% |
| 2016 | 17.3% | +18.5% |
| 2019 | 8.4% | -51.4% |
| 2020 | 8.2% | -2.4% |
| 2021 | 7.4% | -9.8% |
| 2022 | 9.2% | +24.3% |
| 2023 | 10.3% | +12.0% |
| 2024 | 10.5% | +1.9% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 10.5% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 10.5%, 1.0× the median. (27 countries reporting)
- Sri Lanka's 10.5% is below the median for South Asia, which is 20.8%, 51% of the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 31.2% | 31.2% | 31.2% | 1 |
| 1990s | 27.4% | 26.1% | 28.7% | 2 |
| 2000s | 18.5% | 18.1% | 19.2% | 3 |
| 2010s | 13.4% | 8.4% | 17.3% | 3 |
| 2020s | 9.1% | 7.4% | 10.5% | 5 |
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 stunting vs. gdp per capita in Sri Lanka?
- Stunting vs. gdp per capita in Sri Lanka was 10.5% in 2024, according to World Health Organization – Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest stunting vs. gdp per capita recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 31.2% in 1987.
- What is the lowest stunting vs. gdp per capita recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.4% in 2021.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for stunting vs. gdp per capita?
- Sri Lanka ranks 73rd out of 97 countries with data for 2024.
- Is stunting vs. gdp per capita rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is down 28.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sri Lanka data come from?
- The figures come from World Health Organization – Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Stunting vs. GDP per capita. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 14 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Stunting measures the share of children younger than 5 years that are too short for their age. GDP per capita is adjusted for inflation and differences in living costs between countries.