Sri Lanka’s poverty line hits Rs. 16,730; Colombo most expensive district

Colombo, Feb 26 (Daily Mirror) - The Department of Census and Statistics (DCS) has set Sri Lanka’s official poverty line at Rs. 16,730 per person per month for January 2026, reflecting the minimum amount needed to meet basic needs. Colombo emerges as the country’s most expensive district, with an individual requiring Rs. 18,044 monthly to cover essential living costs.

The national poverty line, continuously updated to account for inflation and changing economic conditions, has been recalculated using the National Consumer Price Index (NCPI) with a new base year of 2021 (Base: 2021=100). The framework for determining basic needs continues to rely on the 2012/13 Household Income and Expenditure Survey.

A decade-long comparison shows a sharp rise in living costs. In 2012/13, the poverty line hovered just above Rs. 5,000 per month, rising gradually to around Rs. 6,000 by 2016 and Rs. 7,000 by 2019. Economic disruptions and inflation accelerated this growth, with the line surpassing Rs. 16,000 in early 2025 and reaching Rs. 16,730 last month.

District-level analysis shows considerable variation across the island. Colombo consistently remains the district with the highest poverty line, requiring an individual to spend a minimum of Rs. 18,044 per month to meet basic needs in January 2026. This is closely followed by other districts in the Western Province, with Gampaha at Rs. 17,951 and Kalutara at Rs. 17,562. Other major districts across the island also highlight varying economic dynamics; for instance, the poverty line stands at Rs. 16,983 in Kandy, Rs. 16,998 in Galle, Rs. 16,434 in Kurunegala, and Rs. 16,327 in Jaffna. Conversely, Moneragala recorded the lowest minimum requirement among the districts at Rs. 15,997.

The recent increase in the official poverty line was driven by a higher NCPI value, with year-on-year inflation for January 2026 reported at 2.4% and the NCPI reaching 211.4.