Prevalence of undernourishment in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Prevalence of undernourishment was 7.4% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Prevalence of undernourishment in Sri Lanka, 2001–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Measured in % of population.
Analysis
The most recent figure for prevalence of undernourishment in Sri Lanka is 7.4%, measured in 2023.
That represents a change of up 21.3% on the previous year and down 15.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of undernourishment in Sri Lanka peaked at 16.8% in 2001 and was at its lowest, 3.3%, in 2020.
Sri Lanka ranks 66th of 168 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 23 years of available data.
Prevalence of undernourishment in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | % of population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 16.8% | — |
| 2002 | 16.1% | -4.2% |
| 2003 | 15.9% | -1.2% |
| 2004 | 15.2% | -4.4% |
| 2005 | 14.2% | -6.6% |
| 2006 | 13.5% | -4.9% |
| 2007 | 12.1% | -10.4% |
| 2008 | 11.1% | -8.3% |
| 2009 | 10.6% | -4.5% |
| 2010 | 11.0% | +3.8% |
| 2011 | 10.8% | -1.8% |
| 2012 | 10.0% | -7.4% |
| 2013 | 8.8% | -12.0% |
| 2014 | 6.1% | -30.7% |
| 2015 | 4.5% | -26.2% |
| 2016 | 4.1% | -8.9% |
| 2017 | 5.0% | +22.0% |
| 2018 | 5.3% | +6.0% |
| 2019 | 3.8% | -28.3% |
| 2020 | 3.3% | -13.2% |
| 2021 | 4.6% | +39.4% |
| 2022 | 6.1% | +32.6% |
| 2023 | 7.4% | +21.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 13.9% | 10.6% | 16.8% | 9 |
| 2010s | 6.9% | 3.8% | 11.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.3% | 3.3% | 7.4% | 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)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 0 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -2.13 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per capita 0.0339 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate -2.12 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prevalence of undernourishment in Sri Lanka?
- Prevalence of undernourishment in Sri Lanka was 7.4% in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
- What is the highest prevalence of undernourishment recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 16.8% in 2001.
- What is the lowest prevalence of undernourishment recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.3% in 2020.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for prevalence of undernourishment?
- Sri Lanka ranks 66th out of 168 countries with data for 2023.
- Is prevalence of undernourishment rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is down 15.9%. 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 of the United Nations (FAO), published as part of Prevalence of undernourishment (% of population). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 23 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Prevalence of undernourishment is the percentage of the population whose habitual food consumption is insufficient to provide the dietary energy levels that are required to maintain a normal active and healthy life. Data showing as 2.5 may signify a prevalence of undernourishment below 2.5%.