Prevalence of undernourishment (% of population) in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Prevalence of undernourishment (% of population) was 4.9% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Prevalence of undernourishment in Sri Lanka, 2001–2024
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 4.9%, measured in 2024.
That represents a change of down 25.8% on the previous year and down 19.7% 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 84th of 171 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 24 years of available data.
Prevalence of undernourishment (% of population) 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 | 5.4% | +8.0% |
| 2019 | 3.8% | -29.6% |
| 2020 | 3.3% | -13.2% |
| 2021 | 4.6% | +39.4% |
| 2022 | 5.8% | +26.1% |
| 2023 | 6.6% | +13.8% |
| 2024 | 4.9% | -25.8% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 4.9% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 4.1%, 1.2× the median. (50 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 13.9% | 10.6% | 16.8% | 9 |
| 2010s | 7.0% | 3.8% | 11.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.0% | 3.3% | 6.6% | 5 |
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)
- Un projection of annual infant deaths 304 (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)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per capita 0.0353 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prevalence of undernourishment in Sri Lanka?
- Prevalence of undernourishment in Sri Lanka was 4.9% in 2024, 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 84th out of 171 countries with data for 2024.
- Is prevalence of undernourishment rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is down 19.7%. 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.
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CSV · JSON — 24 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%.