Sri Lanka Country Profile

Sri Lanka Country Profile

8.3% of the existing population have access and are currently using the internet

22% of the world’s population live below the poverty line and the further 20% live holding two thirds of the countries wealth.

There is a large gap between the richest 10% who account for over one third of the wealth while the poorest 10% share only 3%.

4% of the country’s wealth is spent on health care, and 8% is used for educational resources.

22% of the Sri Lanka’s population live below the poverty line

The literacy rate for women is 89% and male is 92%

82% of the population have current clean water access

91% of the population have adequate sanitation

The life expectancy at birth for a child is currently 75 years.

What policies and activities are working to reduce poverty?

Some policies and activities are that Sri Lanka is articulating a poverty reduction strategy in 2003 which focused on restoring peace and economic growth in the country. Its main pillars are:

1) strengthening the economy;

2) reducing poverty caused by conflict;

3) creating opportunities for the poor to participate in economic growth;

4) investing in people;

5) empowering the poor and strengthening governance; and

6) implementing an effective monitoring and evaluation system. The strategy is currently being refined by the new administration.

There are 381.481 per 1,000 people who own mobile phone in Sri Lanka

The percentage of students that complete a primary school education in the state system has grown constantly, and by the 1980s 99 percent of female students and 93 percent of male students at the primary school level were being trained in government-run schools.

Sri Lanka’s recent achievements and challenges in the recovery from the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, for example this has had a definite affect on the economic activity particularly in industries such as fishing, tourism, banking, many small industries, domestic trade and transport. Since mid 1983 Sri Lanka has been afflicted by a serious civil conflict between the government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). Hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced by the fighting and it is estimated that over 70,000 people have been tragically killed. In May 2009 government forces forcefully took control of the last stronghold of the Tamil Tiger rebels. The Sri Lankan government has traditionally supported a strong health and education system which is reflected in high life expectancy and literacy rates however the years of conflict has worsened poverty and resulted in major inequities between regions

Poverty affects many people in Sri Lanka despite the attempt at a sustained government is to introduce various poverty reduction programs such as income subsidies and food distribution, about 22% of the country's population live below the poverty line. There is a large gap between the richest 10% who account for over one third of the wealth while the poorest 10% share only 3%.

The Sri Lankan government supports health and education by publicly funding primary school education, there are large differences in learning outcomes across regions. The education system requires widespread reform to help the country transform socially and economically in the future. The quality of primary education is variable and some children have poor access. Health, particularly under nutrition in children, is of concern in conflict-affected areas, hill country plantations and remote rural areas. Existing social welfare programs are not always targeted and do not address underlying causes, such as water and sanitation, and maternal health. While access to basic public health services is good, there are gaps, such as mental health services in conflict-affected areas. Budget allocations for health, as a percentage of GDP, have been declining in the past few years.

In 2008 Sri Lanka exported $US8.1 billion worth of goods including textiles and clothing, tea, spices, diamonds, emeralds, rubies, coconut products, fish and petroleum products to US (25.5%), UK (13%), India (7%), Germany (6%) and Italy (5%).

It imported $US14 billion worth of goods including machinery, textiles, mineral products, petroleum, transportation equipment and foodstuffs from India (23%), Singapore (10%), China (8%), Iran (8%) and Hong Kong (6%).

 What average income [GDP per capital (PPP US$)]?

The average income in reference to the GDP per capital (PPP US$)} is $5026 per capital