Share of primary schools with access to drinking water in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Share of primary schools with access to drinking water was 90.4% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Share of primary schools with access to drinking water in Sri Lanka, 2016–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Sri Lanka recorded 90.4% for share of primary schools with access to drinking water in 2023. That is the highest value across all 8 years on record.
The figure is up 0.8% on the previous year and up 9.9% over ten years.
That places Sri Lanka 87th out of 116 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
Share of primary schools with access to drinking water in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 82.3% | — |
| 2017 | 82.9% | +0.8% |
| 2018 | 85.9% | +3.6% |
| 2019 | 78.0% | -9.2% |
| 2020 | 82.0% | +5.1% |
| 2021 | 89.7% | +9.5% |
| 2022 | 89.7% | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 90.4% | +0.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 82.3% | 78.0% | 85.9% | 4 |
| 2020s | 88.0% | 82.0% | 90.4% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
More education data for Sri Lanka
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 1.58 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -2.89 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0715 units per person (2023)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 1.58 million (2023)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth -2.89 % change on previous year (2023)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), per capita 0.0715 units per person (2023)
- Enrolment in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 777,541 (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of primary schools with access to drinking water in Sri Lanka?
- Share of primary schools with access to drinking water in Sri Lanka was 90.4% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of primary schools with access to drinking water recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 90.4% in 2023.
- What is the lowest share of primary schools with access to drinking water recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 78.0% in 2019.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for share of primary schools with access to drinking water?
- Sri Lanka ranks 87th out of 116 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of primary schools with access to drinking water rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is up 9.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sri Lanka data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of primary schools with access to drinking water. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Share of public primary schools with a drinking water facility or water delivery point that is designed to protect water from external contamination, particularly of fecal origin.