Media reports have emerged that Sri Lanka will lose some of the concessions it has so far received when purchasing vaccines for the National Immunization Program following the World Bank’s reclassification of Sri Lanka as an upper-middle-income country.

As a result, the Ministry of Health is reportedly working with UNICEF to procure vaccines so that the National Immunization Program is not affected in any way.He said that although Sri Lanka had previously obtained certain vaccines under concessional terms, it would have to pay the full cost of all vaccines required in the future after being classified as an upper-middle-income country.

“All vaccines required for the National Immunization Program re purchased through UNICEF. We will have to pay the full cost for them,” he said.The official also said that the additional expenditure arising from this change is currently being calculated.

He stressed that the immunization program would not be allowed to be affected in any way and that steps would be taken to purchase the required vaccines on time.It is also reported that an operational agreement in this regard is due to be signed in the coming period.

According to the latest country income classifications issued by the World Bank Group on 1 July 2026, Sri Lanka has been upgraded from the lower-middle-income category to the upper-middle-income category.Sri Lanka was among five countries upgraded to this category that year, with Jordan, Micronesia, the Philippines and Vietnam being the other four.