Sri Lanka’s official national poverty line rose to Rs. 17,742 per person per month in September 2026, up from Rs. 17,719 in August — an increase of just Rs. 23, according to the Department of Census and Statistics.
The poverty line is the minimum monthly expenditure one person needs to meet basic needs. The September increase was driven by a rise in the National Consumer Price Index against the previous month, Daily FT reported. District-level figures are adjusted for regional price differences using the NCPI on a 2021 base.
Measured against September 2025, when the line stood at Rs. 16,413, the threshold is 8.1% higher over the year.
The monthly rise has nearly stalled
The month-on-month movement is the notable part. This desk has tracked the series through the year: the line stood at Rs. 17,117 in April, Rs. 17,315 in May and Rs. 17,592 in June — rises of Rs. 198 and Rs. 277 in consecutive months.
Since June the increases have shrunk sharply: Rs. 127 across the two months to August, then Rs. 23 in September. The annual comparison has moved the other way, from 6.7% year-on-year in June to 8.1% in September, which reflects a lower base in late 2025 rather than faster current price growth.
Where it costs most to meet basic needs
Colombo again recorded the highest district poverty line at Rs. 19,136, followed by Gampaha at Rs. 19,037 and Kalutara at Rs. 18,624 — the three Western Province districts in order.
The lowest figure was Nuwara Eliya at Rs. 16,558, with Monaragala next at Rs. 16,965. The gap between the highest and lowest districts is Rs. 2,578, or about 15% of the national line.
A discrepancy between the two filings
The two reports agree on the national figure and on all three top districts, but not on the bottom of the table. Hiru News reported that Monaragala recorded the lowest poverty line, giving it as Rs. 16,965 and making no mention of Nuwara Eliya.
Daily FT’s account is internally consistent — Rs. 16,558 is lower than Rs. 16,965 — and places Monaragala second from bottom with the same value Hiru gives it. On that basis the figures here follow Daily FT. Readers should treat the identity of the lowest district as resolved in favour of Nuwara Eliya, with Hiru’s omission noted rather than reconciled.
Not reported
Neither filing gives the food and non-food components of the basket, the number of people falling below the line, or district figures beyond the five named.
