Poverty and living standards in Western Province, Sri Lanka: official figures
5.7% of people in Western Province lived below the official poverty line in the 2019 Household Income and Expenditure Survey, the lowest of the 9 provinces (Sri Lanka: 14.3%); 4.4% of households were poor (Sri Lanka: 11.9%). No newer provincial poverty figures have been published.
Do households in Western Province have safe drinking water?
97.7% of households in Western Province drew drinking water from a safe main source in 2019, the 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 Western Province was 1.1 in 2019, the 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
- 27.2% of households in Western Province cooked mainly with firewood in 2019, the lowest of the 9 provinces (Sri Lanka: 57.7%). Source: Central Bank of Sri Lanka (compiling the named official sources) · saved copy
- In 2019 76.8% of households in Western Province had a refrigerator, 26.3% a personal computer and 30.1% 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 Western Province compares with other provinces
Poverty headcount ratio (official poverty line) (2019)
Western Province ranks 9 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 Western 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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