Speaking at the Nuwara Eliya District Coordinating Committee meeting, in the broader context of volatile global fuel prices, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake stated that the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) receives LKR 492 per litre of diesel ag

Minister Nalinda Jayatissa claimed that the government bears a fiscal cost of LKR 20 billion per month from subsidising petrol and diesel prices. To verify this cost claim, FactCheck.lk consulted the Central Bank of Sri Lanka’s (CBSL) Monthly Indic

Amid recent fuel price increases, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake stated in Parliament that a USD 1 rise in the global price of oil per barrel translates into an LKR 2 increase locally. To verify this claim, FactCheck.lk consulted the fuel pricing

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake made two related claims about the government’s financing of LKR 500 billion for Cyclone Ditwah recovery : (1) it was from an existing Treasury [cash] balance of LKR 1,200 billion (or LKR 1.2 trillion), and (2) it

Speaking to the media on December 4, 2025 MP Mujibur Rahman argued that officials of Sri Lanka’s Department of Meteorology (DoM) had “fulfilled their duties” by issuing timely warnings as evidenced by the DoM’s media briefings from Nov 11 to

Former MP Tissa Attanayake claimed that the proposed 2026 Appropriation Bill allocates an amount “higher than anything ever allocated in the country’s history” for the President’s expenditure head.

The Secretary to the Ministry of Industry and Entrepreneurship Development stated that Sri Lanka has allocated only 0.01% of its total land area for industries — suggesting that industrial land allocation in Sri Lanka is far below international nor

Secretary to the Ministry of Health and Mass Media, Dr. Anil Jasinghe, makes three claims in his statement: (1) By 2041, 25% of the country’s population will be elderly, (2) By 2053, Sri Lanka’s population will have peaked, and (3) Sri Lanka is a

While addressing the public, Deputy Minister T. B. Sarath claimed that Sri Lanka has achieved an economic growth rate of 8.3%. In his broader statement, the deputy minister refers explicitly to the period since the current government took office foll

Former MP Wimal Weerawansa makes two claims: (1) That deprivation in Sri Lanka is severe, with 24.5% of the population living in poverty and 51% consuming only two meals per day, and (2) That the recent increase in electricity tariffs will worsen thi

In an interview with the Sunday Lankadeepa newspaper, Professor Wasantha Athukorala claimed that Sri Lanka’s defence force is equivalent to 3.47% of its workforce and that this proportion is higher than in several other countries, some of which are

In response to a question at the monetary-policy press briefing, Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) Nandalal Weerasinghe asserted that, although national output typically falls after an economic crisis, Sri Lanka would regain its pre-cr

In response to a question from Frances Harrison, Director of the International Truth and Justice Project, regarding the Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF), the former President asserted that no one has lost even a cent in the ‘EPF’ due to debt res

Professor Wasantha Athukorala, an Economics professor at the University of Peradeniya, argues that there is no ‘structural’ change in the allocation of funds between 2024 and 2025. He supports this claim by noting that in both years, 31% of the b

Minister of Labour and Deputy Minister of Economic Development, Prof. Anil Jayantha claimed that (1) there was a significant delay in restructuring process, and that (2) due to this delay, Sri Lanka had to pay an additional interest cost of USD 1.7 b

Former presidential advisor Sunanda Madduma Bandara, in his statement, attributed the widening trade deficit to the recent relaxation of import bans (excluding vehicles). To verify this claim, FactCheck.lk consulted External Sector data from the Cent

To verify the above claim, FactCheck.lk consulted the Central Bank of Sri Lanka’s Weekly Indicators (CBSLWI) and Annual Report 2023 (AR23). The 13.1% budget target figure mentioned by the former MP includes grants. FactCheck.lk will therefore use t

MP Rohini Wijerathna claimed that the current government is engaging in “money printing” similar to the former Gotabaya Rajapaksa administration. To support this, the MP highlighted (1) an increase of LKR 36.16 billion from an overnight auction o

Chairperson of the Export Development Board (EDB) Mangala Wijesinghe claimed that Sri Lanka’s service exports grew by 69% in 2023, driven primarily by growth in the ICT, logistics, transport, and construction sectors.

Professor in Economics at the University of Peradeniya Wasantha Athukorala highlighted Sri Lanka’s increasing domestic debt and rising interest payments—which have come in to focus in the current political discourse. He claimed that LKR 2,651 bil

Former MP Patali Champika Ranawaka contends that despite promises made before the elections, to reduce the prices and taxes on fuels, it has not happened. He supports this claim by citing the difference between the import and market prices of the fue

President Anura Kumara Dissanayaka advocates for an increased presence of professionals in the IT sector.

Dilith Jayaweera, leader of the Mawbima Janatha Pakshaya (MJP) claims: (1) that the former President Wickremesinghe increased the prices of oil and gas, fourfold; and (2) that the subsequent absence of gas queues during his presidency was a result of

MP Madhura Withanage claimed that in the first six months of 2024, (i) tax revenue had increased by LKR 1,700 billion, growing by 42.6%, and achieving 44.7% of the annual estimate, and (ii) non-tax revenue had increased by 30.4%, reaching 52.7% of th

Minister Ali Sabry argues that Bangladesh and Vietnam’s economies have outpaced Sri Lanka’s since 1991, driven by growth in exports. To support his argument, he cites export figures for all three countries from 1991, and 2023. The figures show th

MP Champika Ranawaka cites a Ministry of Finance (MoF) document on tax expenditure, indicating that the loss of tax revenue due to the VAT concession could have been used to increase government employee salaries by Rs. 30,000 per month.

At a public meeting in Japan, MP Dissanayaka claimed that the availability of foreign currency enabling the purchase of essentials such as gas, fuel, and medicines is due to (1) the inflow of worker remittances and (2) the suspension of debt repaymen

To emphasise the need for concentrated government efforts to address child poverty, MP Premadasa claimed that (i) 25% of children in this country suffer from (income-based) poverty, and (ii) 42% of children are experiencing multidimensional poverty.

MP Alahapperuma argued that children with disabilities in Sri Lanka are underserved in their educational needs, claiming that 34% of children [with disabilities] do not receive any level of formal education based on the latest available data.

In response to an alleged social media post stating that the total foreign debt was USD 71 billion and increased to USD 100 billion during his presidency, President Wickremesinghe, stated in parliament that (1) the total foreign debt is only USD 37 b