Sri Lanka’s official poverty line, the minimum monthly expenditure required per person to meet basic needs, increased to Rs. 16,690 in March 2026, according to the Department of Census and Statistics (DCS).The latest figure reflects an increase of Rs. 119 from February 2026, when the national poverty line was at Rs. 16,571. However, it remained slightly below the Rs. 16,730 recorded in January 2026, indicating fluctuations in living costs during the first quarter of the year.

The poverty line is calculated using data from the Household Income and Expenditure Survey and updated monthly in line with movements in the National Consumer Price Index (NCPI), which measures inflation across all nine provinces. The national poverty line is currently calculated using the NCPI with a revised base year of 2021 (2021=100), while the framework for determining basic needs relies on the 2012/13 Household Income and Expenditure Survey.At district level, Colombo continued to record the country’s highest poverty line at Rs. 18,000 per person per month in March 2026. Although marginally lower than the Rs. 18,044 reported in January 2026, Colombo remains the most expensive district in terms of meeting minimum living requirements. Other districts in the Western Province also recorded comparatively high poverty thresholds, with Gampaha at Rs. 17,908 and Kalutara at Rs. 17,520. In addition, Nuwara Eliya recorded a higher poverty line at Rs. 17,551

In contrast, several districts reported lower poverty lines than the national average, reflecting regional disparities in living costs. Monaragala continued to record one of the lowest poverty lines at Rs. 15,958, while Kilinochchi stood at Rs. 16,124 and Hambantota at Rs. 16,216.

The latest figures also highlight the sharp rise in Sri Lanka’s cost of living over recent years. The national poverty line stood at Rs. 6,966 in 2019 before increasing to Rs. 13,838 following the rebasing of the NCPI in 2021. By March 2026, the poverty threshold had climbed to Rs. 16,690, nearly three times higher than the 2019 level, highlighting the sustained impact of inflation and rising household expenses on Sri Lankan families.