Saturday Jun 06, 2026
Saturday Jun 06, 2026
Saturday, 6 June 2026 00:44 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
The International Monetary Fund (IMF), in its latest review of Sri Lanka’s reform program, reiterated the importance of strengthening social safety nets to protect poor and vulnerable households from rising living costs and external economic shocks, as the country’s national poverty threshold increased to a record high.
Sri Lanka’s official national poverty threshold rose to a record Rs. 17,117 per person per month in April, underscoring the importance of strengthening social protection measures as households face higher living costs amid external economic shocks.
Data released by the Department of Census and Statistics showed the national poverty line increased by Rs. 427, or 2.6%, from Rs. 16,690 in March. The April figure is the highest monthly poverty threshold recorded since the series was rebased using the 2012/13 Household Income and Expenditure Survey.
On a year-on-year (YoY) basis, the poverty line increased by Rs. 775 from Rs. 16,342 in April 2025, representing a rise of 4.7%.
The Department noted that the increase was driven by a higher National Consumer Price Index (NCPI) value reported for April compared with the preceding month.
The latest increase comes as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has emphasised the importance of strengthening social safety nets to protect poor and vulnerable households from economic shocks.
In its recent review, the IMF noted that authorities had extended Aswesuma benefits for vulnerable households by six months following Cyclone Ditwah and provided a cash top-up in April to cushion beneficiaries from higher energy and food prices linked to the Middle East conflict.
The IMF also said coverage under the welfare program had expanded, with the onboarding of second-round beneficiaries nearing completion. Authorities are currently recertifying applicants through the social registry and updating beneficiary rankings based on deprivation scores, while reviewing eligibility criteria using data from the 2025-26 household survey.
The Government has also indicated plans to extend the Aswesuma program by three years beyond June 2027, transition additional welfare recipients to the social registry, and ensure future social safety net programs are targeted through the registry system.
The Government has increased the allocation for Aswesuma by Rs. 8.5 billion in response to rising prices due to the global supply shock caused by the US-Israel war on Iran.
