Poverty, food insecurity compounded by Ditwah

• IFPRI-IWMI report finds that just before Ditwah, over one in four households were poor; one in three experienced food insecurity 

Sri Lanka’s first nationally representative multi-thematic household survey has found that just before Cyclone Ditwah, more than one in four households are multidimensionally poor and one in three experience moderate or severe food insecurity.

The findings highlight the scale of social stress following the economic crisis and ahead of the full impact of Cyclone Ditwah.

The findings are from the Building Resilience, Inclusive Growth and Holistic Transformation (BRIGHT) Integrated Household Survey, designed and implemented by researchers from the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) and the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) under the CGIAR system.

The survey interviewed 6,850 households across all districts and provinces between November 2024 and March 2025, collecting data on incomes, livelihoods, agricultural production, food and water security, exposure to climate shocks, access to Government programs and nutrition outcomes.

Based on district-level expenditure poverty lines set by the Department of Census and Statistics, 18% of households were monetarily poor. However, multidimensional poverty was higher at 27%, reflecting multiple, simultaneous deprivations such as low living standards, limited education, and health constraints. 

Experience-based food insecurity was reported by 33% of households, while 10% experienced water insecurity. Household indebtedness was widespread, with 42% of households reporting they were in debt.

The survey shows sharp disparities across sectors. In estate areas, 33% of households were monetarily poor, 67% were multidimensional poor, and 55% were food insecure. By comparison, food insecurity stood at 35% in urban areas, 31% in rural areas and 33% nationally. Half of estate households reported being in debt, compared with 42% nationally and 37% in urban areas.

Researchers also found a marked deterioration in urban welfare since before the economic crisis. Food insecurity in urban areas increased more than fivefold between 2019 and 2025, while rates of monetary poverty tripled over the same period.

The BRIGHT survey concluded before Cyclone Ditwah struck Sri Lanka in late November 2025. To date, more than 600 lives have been lost and around 2 million people, or about 10% of the population, have been affected by damage to homes, crops, food supplies, and critical infrastructure. 

More than 200,000 people were displaced, including an estimated 500,000 children. The survey indicates that many affected households had limited capacity to cope even before the disaster, with more than 40% already in debt and many reporting difficulty in repayment.

On water security, around 90% of households were classified as water secure during the survey period, based on the Household Water Insecurity Experience Scale. However, the national figure masked significant regional and wealth-based disparities. 

The Uva Province recorded water insecurity among 24% of households, twice the level of the next most affected province and six times higher than the least affected. Among households in the lowest asset quintile, 14% were water insecure, double the rate recorded among better-off households.

The survey also assessed the reach of Sri Lanka’s main social protection program, Aswesuma, which replaced Samurdhi in December 2022. 

IFPRI Senior Research Fellow and BRIGHT Project Leader Derek Headey said: “While Samurdhi only reached 19% of the population a decade ago, Aswesuma had already reached 29% of the total population by the time of the BRIGHT survey, including 48% of the poorest households.”

Despite the expanded coverage, researchers noted that further adjustments are needed to address nutrition outcomes. Wayamba University of Sri Lanka Professor of Nutrition and BRIGHT researcher Renuka Silva said: “The crisis led to an immediate and sharp increase in child malnutrition, and the BRIGHT survey shows nutritional knowledge is very limited among the poor.”

On agriculture, IFPRI Research Fellow and Project Co-Leader Joanna van Asselt said: “Both the macro and the micro data on agriculture are telling the same story where agriculture is struggling, with low adoption of modern technology and limited access to agricultural advisory services that could improve production and profitability.” 

University of Peradeniya Senior Lecturer Dilini Hemachandra said: “Relatively few Sri Lankan farmers have adopted or sustained climate-smart agricultural practices, even though it’s critical they do so as the island’s climate gets hotter and more unpredictable.”

Georgetown University Professor of the Practice of International Development Shanta Devarajan said: “BRIGHT will be a wonderful evidence base for policymakers, but I also hope BRIGHT serves as a powerful resource for civil society, for the media, and for the Sri Lankan public, to ensure that Sri Lankan leaders remain accountable to the public, and that pro-poor policies are not only adopted, but continuously improved and sustained over the longer run.”

Researchers said the BRIGHT dataset provides a baseline to track economic and social recovery, refine social protection programs, and plan responses to future climate shocks using detailed household-level evidence.