Number of people who are undernourished in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka: Number of people who are undernourished was 1.70 million in 2023. ▼ Falling

Latest (2023)
1.70 million
Change on year
up 21.4%
World rank
53rd
of 130 countries
All-time high
3.30 million
in 2001
All-time low
700,000
in 2020
Years of data
23
2001–2023

Number of people who are undernourished in Sri Lanka, 2001–2023

1.0M2.0M3.0M2001201220232001: 3.3M2002: 3.2M2003: 3.2M2004: 3.0M2005: 2.9M2006: 2.7M2007: 2.5M2008: 2.3M2009: 2.2M2010: 2.3M2011: 2.3M2012: 2.1M2013: 1.9M2014: 1.3M2015: 1.0M2016: 900.0k2017: 1.1M2018: 1.2M2019: 800.0k2020: 700.0k2021: 1.0M2022: 1.4M2023: 1.7M

Source: Food and Agriculture Organization (http://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#home).

Analysis

The most recent figure for number of people who are undernourished in Sri Lanka is 1.70 million, measured in 2023.

The figure is up 21.4% on the previous year and down 10.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, number of people who are undernourished in Sri Lanka peaked at 3.30 million in 2001 and was at its lowest, 700,000, in 2020.

That places Sri Lanka 53rd out of 130 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 23 years of available data.

Number of people who are undernourished in Sri Lanka, year by year

Annual values for Number of people who are undernourished in Sri Lanka, 2001 to 2023.
Year Value Change
2001 3.30 million
2002 3.20 million -3.0%
2003 3.20 million +0.0%
2004 3.00 million -6.2%
2005 2.90 million -3.3%
2006 2.70 million -6.9%
2007 2.50 million -7.4%
2008 2.30 million -8.0%
2009 2.20 million -4.3%
2010 2.30 million +4.5%
2011 2.30 million +0.0%
2012 2.10 million -8.7%
2013 1.90 million -9.5%
2014 1.30 million -31.6%
2015 1.00 million -23.1%
2016 900,000 -10.0%
2017 1.10 million +22.2%
2018 1.20 million +9.1%
2019 800,000 -33.3%
2020 700,000 -12.5%
2021 1.00 million +42.9%
2022 1.40 million +40.0%
2023 1.70 million +21.4%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 2.81 million 2.20 million 3.30 million 9
2010s 1.49 million 800,000 2.30 million 10
2020s 1.20 million 700,000 1.70 million 4

Countries ranked near Sri Lanka

  1. 53 Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of 1.70 million compare
  2. 55 Central African Republic 1.60 million compare
  3. 55 Congo 1.60 million compare
  4. 55 Guinea 1.60 million compare
  5. 55 Honduras 1.60 million compare
  6. 55 Jordan 1.60 million compare
  7. 55 Nepal 1.60 million compare

See the full ranking of 172 places →

More health data for Sri Lanka

All data for Sri Lanka →

Frequently asked questions

What is number of people who are undernourished in Sri Lanka?
Number of people who are undernourished in Sri Lanka was 1.70 million in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization (http://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#home).
What is the highest number of people who are undernourished recorded in Sri Lanka?
The highest recorded value was 3.30 million in 2001.
What is the lowest number of people who are undernourished recorded in Sri Lanka?
The lowest recorded value was 700,000 in 2020.
How does Sri Lanka rank for number of people who are undernourished?
Sri Lanka ranks 53rd out of 130 countries with data for 2023.
Is number of people who are undernourished rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
Over the last ten years it is down 10.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Sri Lanka data come from?
The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization (http://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#home), published as part of Number of people who are undernourished. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Number of people who are undernourished in Sri Lanka. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization (http://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#home). Retrieved 05 September 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/number-of-people-who-are-undernourished/sri-lanka/

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About this data

Indicator
Number of people who are undernourished
Source
Food and Agriculture Organization (http://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#home)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
172 places, 3,649 data points, 2001–2023
Last refreshed

Number of people who are undernourished shows the number of people whose habitual food consumption is insufficient to provide the dietary energy levels that are required to maintain a normal active and healthy life.