Poverty and living standards in Sabaragamuwa Province, Sri Lanka: official figures
23.1% of people in Sabaragamuwa Province lived below the official poverty line in the 2019 Household Income and Expenditure Survey, 3rd highest of the 9 provinces (Sri Lanka: 14.3%); 19.6% of households were poor (Sri Lanka: 11.9%). No newer provincial poverty figures have been published.
Do households in Sabaragamuwa Province have safe drinking water?
73.4% of households in Sabaragamuwa Province drew drinking water from a safe main source in 2019, 3rd lowest 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 Sabaragamuwa Province was 4.9 in 2019, 3rd 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
- 77.0% of households in Sabaragamuwa Province cooked mainly with firewood in 2019, 3rd highest of the 9 provinces (Sri Lanka: 57.7%). Source: Central Bank of Sri Lanka (compiling the named official sources) · saved copy
- In 2019 56.9% of households in Sabaragamuwa Province had a refrigerator, 12.5% a personal computer and 52.1% 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 Sabaragamuwa Province compares with other provinces
Poverty headcount ratio (official poverty line) (2019)
Sabaragamuwa Province ranks 3 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 Sabaragamuwa 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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