Poverty and living standards in Southern Province, Sri Lanka: official figures
12.6% of people in Southern Province lived below the official poverty line in the 2019 Household Income and Expenditure Survey, 4th lowest of the 9 provinces (Sri Lanka: 14.3%); 10.7% of households were poor (Sri Lanka: 11.9%). No newer provincial poverty figures have been published.
Do households in Southern Province have safe drinking water?
89.0% of households in Southern Province drew drinking water from a safe main source in 2019, 4th 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 Southern Province was 2.3 in 2019, 4th lowest 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
- 63.1% of households in Southern Province cooked mainly with firewood in 2019, 3rd lowest of the 9 provinces (Sri Lanka: 57.7%). Source: Central Bank of Sri Lanka (compiling the named official sources) · saved copy
- In 2019 63.9% of households in Southern Province had a refrigerator, 14.4% a personal computer and 28.4% 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 Southern Province compares with other provinces
Poverty headcount ratio (official poverty line) (2019)
Southern Province ranks 6 of 9, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Poverty headcount ratio (official poverty line) |
|---|---|---|
| 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% |
| 8 | North Central Province | 11.0% |
| 9 | Western Province | 5.7% |
More on Southern 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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