Poverty and living standards in Northern Province, Sri Lanka: official figures
23.8% of people in Northern Province lived below the official poverty line in the 2019 Household Income and Expenditure Survey, 2nd highest of the 9 provinces (Sri Lanka: 14.3%); 19.9% of households were poor (Sri Lanka: 11.9%). No newer provincial poverty figures have been published.
Do households in Northern Province have safe drinking water?
95.0% of households in Northern Province drew drinking water from a safe main source in 2019, 3rd highest of the 9 provinces (Sri Lanka: 88.5%).
Source: Central Bank of Sri Lanka (compiling the named official sources) · saved copyMore figures
- The poverty gap index for Northern Province was 5.6 in 2019, 2nd highest of the 9 provinces (Sri Lanka: 2.8); it measures how far, on average, people fall below the poverty line. Source: Central Bank of Sri Lanka (compiling the named official sources) · saved copy
- 67.6% of households in Northern Province cooked mainly with firewood in 2019, 4th lowest of the 9 provinces (Sri Lanka: 57.7%). Source: Central Bank of Sri Lanka (compiling the named official sources) · saved copy
- In 2019 39.3% of households in Northern Province had a refrigerator, 12.5% a personal computer and 12.8% owned no vehicle (Sri Lanka: 60.7%, 16.9% and 33.1%). Source: Central Bank of Sri Lanka (compiling the named official sources) · saved copy
How Northern Province compares with other provinces
Poverty headcount ratio (official poverty line) (2019)
Northern Province ranks 2 of 9, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Poverty headcount ratio (official poverty line) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Uva Province | 28.3% |
| 2 | Northern Province | 23.8% |
| 3 | Sabaragamuwa Province | 23.1% |
| 4 | Central Province | 18.7% |
| 5 | Eastern Province | 18.6% |
| 6 | Southern Province | 12.6% |
| 7 | North Western Province | 11.8% |
More on Northern Province: overview · economy and jobs · health · education and schools · government budget · Sri Lanka
Sources
- Central Bank of Sri Lanka (compiling the named official sources): Economic and Social Statistics of Sri Lanka 2026, chapter 2: Tables 2.4 (vehicles, Provincial Departments of Motor Traffic), 2.13, 2.16 and 2.18 (HIES 2019, Department of Census and Statistics), 2.20 (Ministry of Education), 2.26 (Department of Examinations), 2.30 (University Grants Commission) and 2.39 (Ministry of Health), read 27 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 babb9cbb27c5…)
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