Food insecurity — all countries

Food insecurity — Sri Lanka

Food insecurity in Sri Lanka in 2023 — 11.2%. Ranked 45 in the world out of 134. Since 2015, the indicator has risen by 5.3 pp.

2023 11.2% −0.2 pp vs 2022
World rank 45of 134
Period maximum 11.4%2022
Period minimum 5.8%2016

Trend over time

2015–2023 · % of population

Food insecurity — Sri Lanka, 2015–202346810122015201620172018201920202021202220232015: 5.9%2016: 5.8%2017: 6.5%2018: 7.6%2019: 8.9%2020: 10%2021: 10.9%2022: 11.4%2023: 11.2%
Change over the period: +5.3 pp Annual average: 0.66 pp

Comparison, 2023

How the value compares with the world and the groups this territory belongs to: Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka 11.2%
World 28.4%
South Asia 39.3%
Food insecurity — Sri Lanka, by year Sri Lanka All countries CSV XLSX
Year % Change, pp
2023 11.2 −0.2 pp
2022 11.4 +0.5 pp
2021 10.9 +0.9 pp
2020 10 +1.1 pp
2019 8.9 +1.3 pp
2018 7.6 +1.1 pp
2017 6.5 +0.7 pp
2016 5.8 −0.1 pp
2015 5.9

Southern Asia, 2023

The same indicator for neighboring countries — with links to their pages

About the indicator

The share of the population that experienced moderate or severe food insecurity, on the FIES scale of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. The indicator is built not on calories but on a survey: people are asked whether over the past year they had to eat less, skip meals or go without food for a whole day because of a lack of money. That is why it catches what undernourishment by calories misses — episodic shortage in countries where the average diet is sufficient.

Important: The moderate and severe forms together, so the values are substantially higher than those of the undernourishment indicator. Based on a survey rather than on a food balance sheet — this is an independent measurement, not a refinement.

Source: FAOSTAT (FAO), license CC BY 4.0.