Proportion of total government spending on essential services … UIS in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Proportion of total government spending on essential services … UIS was 7.2% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Proportion of total government spending on essential services in Sri Lanka, 2009–2024
Source: United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
Analysis
Sri Lanka recorded 7.2% for proportion of total government spending on essential services in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 16.8% on the previous year and down 33.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, proportion of total government spending on essential services in Sri Lanka peaked at 17.7% in 2016 and was at its lowest, 5.0%, in 2021.
That places Sri Lanka 184th out of 197 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 15 years of available data.
Proportion of total government spending on essential services … UIS in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 8.3% | — |
| 2010 | 8.6% | +4.0% |
| 2011 | 9.1% | +5.9% |
| 2012 | 8.4% | -7.9% |
| 2013 | 9.4% | +12.2% |
| 2014 | 10.8% | +14.9% |
| 2015 | 11.0% | +1.2% |
| 2016 | 17.7% | +61.9% |
| 2017 | 14.5% | -18.2% |
| 2018 | 11.3% | -21.9% |
| 2020 | 5.5% | -51.7% |
| 2021 | 5.0% | -7.9% |
| 2022 | 5.3% | +6.1% |
| 2023 | 8.7% | +62.3% |
| 2024 | 7.2% | -16.8% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 7.2% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 13.2%, 55% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Sri Lanka's 7.2% is below the median for South Asia, which is 11.3%, 64% of the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 8.3% | 8.3% | 8.3% | 1 |
| 2010s | 11.2% | 8.4% | 17.7% | 9 |
| 2020s | 6.4% | 5.0% | 8.7% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
More education data for Sri Lanka
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 155,543 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 0 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 224,799 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 214,300 (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 2.54 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- 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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is proportion of total government spending on essential services in Sri Lanka?
- Proportion of total government spending on essential services in Sri Lanka was 7.2% in 2024, according to United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
- What is the highest proportion of total government spending on essential services recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 17.7% in 2016.
- What is the lowest proportion of total government spending on essential services recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.0% in 2021.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for proportion of total government spending on essential services?
- Sri Lanka ranks 184th out of 197 countries with data for 2024.
- Is proportion of total government spending on essential services rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is down 33.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sri Lanka data come from?
- The figures come from United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database, published as part of Proportion of total government spending on essential services, education [UIS methodology] (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 15 observations, free to reuse under UN SDG Global Database (open, attribution requested).