Health spending as a share of total government spending in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Health spending as a share of total government spending was 6.3% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Health spending as a share of total government spending in Sri Lanka, 2000–2023
Source: World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2023, health spending as a share of total government spending in Sri Lanka stood at 6.3%. That is the lowest value across all 24 years on record.
The figure is down 22.9% on the previous year and down 37.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, health spending as a share of total government spending in Sri Lanka peaked at 11.3% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 6.3%, in 2023.
Sri Lanka ranks 151st of 195 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 24 years of available data.
Health spending as a share of total government spending in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 10.1% | — |
| 2001 | 9.5% | -6.1% |
| 2002 | 10.4% | +9.0% |
| 2003 | 10.4% | +0.1% |
| 2004 | 11.0% | +6.4% |
| 2005 | 10.1% | -8.3% |
| 2006 | 9.6% | -5.7% |
| 2007 | 9.3% | -2.4% |
| 2008 | 8.7% | -6.4% |
| 2009 | 7.8% | -10.2% |
| 2010 | 7.8% | -0.0% |
| 2011 | 8.0% | +1.7% |
| 2012 | 8.1% | +1.2% |
| 2013 | 10.1% | +25.3% |
| 2014 | 9.0% | -10.6% |
| 2015 | 8.4% | -7.0% |
| 2016 | 8.6% | +1.9% |
| 2017 | 7.6% | -10.8% |
| 2018 | 9.5% | +24.2% |
| 2019 | 8.9% | -6.0% |
| 2020 | 9.7% | +9.3% |
| 2021 | 11.3% | +16.1% |
| 2022 | 8.2% | -27.4% |
| 2023 | 6.3% | -22.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 9.7% | 7.8% | 11.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 8.6% | 7.6% | 10.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 8.9% | 6.3% | 11.3% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
More health data for Sri Lanka
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.62 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.7332 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,250 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 304 deaths (2100)
- Population ages 75-79, female, annual growth rate 4.4 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 75-79, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 75-79, female, per capita 0.0149 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 75-79, male, annual growth rate 4.51 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 75-79, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 75-79, male, per capita 0.0098 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is health spending as a share of total government spending in Sri Lanka?
- Health spending as a share of total government spending in Sri Lanka was 6.3% in 2023, according to World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest health spending as a share of total government spending recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 11.3% in 2021.
- What is the lowest health spending as a share of total government spending recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.3% in 2023.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for health spending as a share of total government spending?
- Sri Lanka ranks 151st out of 195 countries with data for 2023.
- Is health spending as a share of total government spending rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is down 37.3%. 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 Health spending as a share of total government spending. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 24 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Domestic general government health expenditure expressed as a percentage of total expenditure of the general government.