Sri Lanka’s minimum monthly expenditure per person reaches Rs. 17,117
(Photo by Christoph Theisinger on Unsplash)
The minimum monthly expenditure required for one person in Sri Lanka to meet basic needs has increased to Rs. 17,117, according to the official poverty line for April 2026 released by the Department of Census and Statistics.
The latest figures show that the official poverty line increased by Rs. 427 compared to March 2026. The poverty line for March was recorded at Rs. 16,690.
The official poverty line is used to estimate the minimum monthly expenditure needed for a person to meet basic needs.
According to the April 2026 data, the highest official poverty line value was reported in the Colombo District at Rs. 18,461, indicating a higher minimum cost of meeting basic needs in the district.
Meanwhile, the lowest poverty line value was reported in the Monaragala District, where the figure was recorded at Rs. 16,367.
The Department of Census and Statistics releases the official poverty line regularly to measure the minimum level of expenditure required to meet basic living needs across the country.
