Every figure below carries its named source and year. The Eco Index scores twelve pillars on the same scale everywhere; seven are measured from published data with fixed thresholds, five are assessed from the named sources.
Sri Lanka at a Glance.
The score, and the four numbers that set the tone. 12 equally-weighted pillars, every pillar sourced.
Compare with:
Renewable power
62%
of electricity
Food imported
15%
of merchandise imports · ~US$3,285m a year
The Eco Index across 12 pillars · scored 0 to 5 · World Bank, OWID, WHO/UNICEF JMP, FiBL, Protected Planet, IUCN, UNESCO (2023-24)
Water
Food & farming
Plant-based
Organic
Conservation
Wildlife
Materials
Pollution
Recycling
Energy
Culture
Heritage
Facts That Surprise People About Sri Lanka.
The numbers and firsts that change how you see Sri Lanka, the sobering and the remarkable. Every one is dated and linked to its source.
SoberingHealth
One in ten adults has diabetes
In 2024, 10.2% of Sri Lankans aged 20 to 79 were living with diabetes, according to World Bank data.
SoberingFood
An overnight organic switch cut rice harvests by 32%
In 2021 Sri Lanka banned agrochemicals overnight. Rice harvests dropped by 32% and the government reversed course seven months later.
SoberingNature
488 elephants died in conflict with people in 2023
Wildlife Department figures show 488 elephants and 184 people died as a result of human and elephant conflict in 2023. Habitat loss and encroachment are driving the clashes.
Source: Daily Mirror (Sri Lanka), Over 370 jumbos perish in 2024 · 2023
SoberingHealth
Fewer than half have safely managed drinking water
In 2024, only 46.9% of Sri Lankans used safely managed drinking water services, according to World Bank data.
RemarkableHistory
The modern world's first elected woman leader
In 1960 Sirimavo Bandaranaike became prime minister of Sri Lanka, then Ceylon. She was the modern world's first elected female head of government.
Source: HISTORY, Who was the first elected female head of government · 1960
RemarkableNature
Most of Sinharaja's trees grow nowhere else
Sinharaja, a World Heritage site since 1988, is the country's last viable area of primary tropical rainforest. More than 60% of its trees are endemic.
Source: IUCN World Heritage Outlook, Sinharaja Forest Reserve · 2025
RemarkableFood
Home of most of the world's true cinnamon
Sri Lanka is the largest producer of pure cinnamon, accounting for 70% of global production, according to its Export Development Board in 2015.
The History of Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka carries a deep and widely practised living heritage. Kandyan dance with its sacred ves costume, the Low Country and Sabaragamuwa dance forms, and the healing mask rituals of the Sanni Yakuma are performed to this day, alongside Bharatanatyam, taught as a full degree at Eastern University.
Where the name comes from
Śrī Laṅkā in Sinhala and Ilaṅkai in Tamil, from Lanka, the island's name in Sanskrit epic. It was Ceylon under British rule and took its own name back in 1972. Source: UK Permanent Committee on Geographical Names toponymic factfile.
The land itself: low, flat to rolling plain, with mountains through the south-central interior. Its high point is Pidurutalagala, 2,524 m. Source: UK Permanent Committee on Geographical Names toponymic factfile.
Where it starts
Bows in the rainforest
Bone arrow points from Fa Hien Lena, a rainforest cave, reach back about 48,000 years and are the earliest evidence of bow and arrow technology anywhere outside Africa. Batadomba-lena adds microliths, ochre and marine shell beads from around 36,000 years ago. Together they show sustained human life inside tropical rainforest, an environment long thought too hard to occupy. From the 3rd century BC Anuradhapura grew into a political and religious capital that flourished for 1,300 years.
How it got here
Water engineering, then three empires
Buddhism took root in the 3rd century BC, when a cutting of the Buddha's fig tree was brought to Anuradhapura. The first large reservoir was built in the same century, and tank builders went on to link village reservoirs in cascades across the dry zone over nearly two thousand years. The rock fortress at Sigiriya was built from 477. Portuguese, Dutch and then British rule followed from 1505, with plantation labour brought from South India. Sri Lanka became independent in 1948, and the civil war that began in 1983 ended in 2009.
The timeline
c. 48,000 years ago
Fa Hien Lena.
Bone arrow points from a rainforest cave are the earliest evidence of bow and arrow technology outside Africa. Source
c. 36,000 years ago
Batadomba-lena.
Microliths, ochre and marine shell beads show people living in the rainforest from about 36,000 years ago. Source
From the 3rd century BC
Anuradhapura.
A sacred city grows around a cutting of the Buddha's fig tree and flourishes for 1,300 years as a political and religious capital, until an invasion in 993. Source
3rd century BC
Buddhism arrives.
Sanghamitta, founder of an order of Buddhist nuns, brings a cutting of the Buddha's fig tree to Anuradhapura. Source
From the 3rd century BC
Irrigation engineering.
Village reservoirs linked in cascades spread across the dry zone over nearly two thousand years, and the system is now recognised by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization. Source
477 to 495
Sigiriya.
King Kassapa I builds his capital on and around a granite rock some 180 metres high, entered through the mouth of a giant brick and plaster lion. Source
1505 to 1948
Three colonisers.
The Portuguese arrive in 1505, the Dutch take control in 1658 and Britain from 1796, bringing in Tamil labourers from southern India to work the plantations. Source
1948
Independence.
Ceylon is granted independence as the Dominion of Ceylon on 4 February 1948, and stays a dominion until it becomes a republic in 1972. Source
1983 to 2009
Civil war.
Civil war between the government and the Tamil Tigers begins in 1983 and ends in May 2009, when the army overruns the last rebel-held territory. Source
Science Advances, Bows and arrows and complex symbolic displays 48,000 years ago · UNESCO World Heritage, Ancient City of Sigiriya · Journal of Human Evolution, People of the ancient rainforest at Batadomba-lena · UNESCO World Heritage, Sacred City of Anuradhapura · FAO, Cascaded Tank-Village System in the Dry Zone of Sri Lanka · BBC News, Sri Lanka profile timeline · Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Sri Lanka, Milestone list
Nature and Biodiversity in Sri Lanka.
Roughly 31% of Sri Lanka's land is protected (World Bank, 2025), including the Sinharaja rainforest World Heritage Site and major national parks such as Yala and Wilpattu. Marine protection is negligible at about 0.3%, and parks face encroachment and human-elephant conflict.
Is wild Sri Lanka protected? 30.8% of the land is, already past the 30% target for 2030
How protected is nature in Sri Lanka?
Forest cover34%
Terrestrial protected area30.8%
Marine protected area0.3%
478 (mammals, birds, fish & plants) listed as threatened.
World Bank Open Data · Protected Planet (UNEP-WCMC / WDPA) · GBIF occurrence data · IUCN Red List, threatened species by country (Summary Statistics, Table 5) · World Bank, Marine protected areas (% of territorial waters), Sri Lanka · Convention on Biological Diversity, Global Biodiversity Framework Target 3
Found only here. Sri Lankan leopard, purple-faced langur, dozens of endemic birds such as the Sri Lanka blue magpie, and many endemic amphibians.
The watchlist
ThreatenedHawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata) Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Sri Lanka in GBIF occurrence data (turtle).
ThreatenedDumbara Agama (Cophotis dumbara) Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Sri Lanka in GBIF occurrence data (reptile).
ThreatenedStuart's Shrub Frog (Pseudophilautus stuarti) Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Sri Lanka in GBIF occurrence data (amphibian).
ThreatenedAneuretus simoni Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Sri Lanka in GBIF occurrence data (insect).
ThreatenedCrudia zeylanica Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Sri Lanka in GBIF occurrence data (plant).
ThreatenedCeylonthelphusa sanguinea Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Sri Lanka in GBIF occurrence data (species).
ThreatenedErdelen's Horned Lizard (Ceratophora erdeleni) Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Sri Lanka in GBIF occurrence data (reptile).
ThreatenedAspidura ravanai Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Sri Lanka in GBIF occurrence data (reptile).
What is still here, and what is gone?
Tap a species for the honest status.
Closest to being lost, by name
Hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata)
Critically Endangered, the last IUCN category before Extinct in the Wild, and still recorded in Sri Lanka. GBIF holds 41 verified occurrence records.
Dumbara Agama (Cophotis dumbara)
Critically Endangered, the last IUCN category before Extinct in the Wild, and still recorded in Sri Lanka. GBIF holds 32 verified occurrence records.
Stuart's Shrub Frog (Pseudophilautus stuarti)
Critically Endangered, the last IUCN category before Extinct in the Wild, and still recorded in Sri Lanka. GBIF holds 59 verified occurrence records.
Aneuretus simoni
Critically Endangered, the last IUCN category before Extinct in the Wild, and still recorded in Sri Lanka. GBIF holds 12 verified occurrence records.
Species named here are drawn from GBIF occurrence records for Sri Lanka filtered to the IUCN Red List threatened categories. Species are listed where GBIF holds occurrence records for them in this country. Record counts are not published here because the figure cannot be reproduced from a public GBIF query.
Who is putting it back
National park in Uva Province, mapped and named in the open record for Sri Lanka. OpenStreetMap.
National park in Uva Province, mapped and named in the open record for Sri Lanka. OpenStreetMap.
National park in Southern Province, mapped and named in the open record for Sri Lanka. OpenStreetMap.
National park in Uva Province, mapped and named in the open record for Sri Lanka. OpenStreetMap.
National park in Southern Province, mapped and named in the open record for Sri Lanka. OpenStreetMap.
National park in Uva Province, mapped and named in the open record for Sri Lanka. OpenStreetMap.
Water and Ocean in Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka is watered by two monsoons and stores rain in a 2,000-year-old network of tanks (wewa) and reservoirs fed by rivers such as the Mahaweli, so raw supply is abundant. Even so, only about 47% of people have safely managed drinking water (World Bank, 2024), and the dry-zone farming belt suffers a serious chronic kidney disease (CKDu) problem linked to water quality. Basic access is widespread but safe, on-premises water is not universal.
Does Sri Lanka have enough fresh water? Yes, with headroom
46.9% of people here have safely managed drinking water at home (2024, WHO/UNICEF JMP). Coverage is well short of universal, so a visitor should not assume the tap is safe.
Cleanest water: Hill-country streams in Horton Plains and the Knuckles range.
How much fresh water does Sri Lanka have, per person?
2,380 m³
Sri Lanka
1,000 m³
the UN “water scarce” line
Sri Lanka withdraws about 12,946 million cubic metres of fresh water a year (2022). That is 90.8% of the fresh water actually available to it, which FAO counts as critical water stress. Of what is taken, farming takes 87%, homes and towns 6%, industry 6%. Source: FAO AQUASTAT.
What are the rules on Sri Lanka beaches?
✕Tap water: Not drinkable.
✓Plastic rules: Partial: polystyrene and several single-use plastic items banned since 2017..
✕Solo travel: rated take care on the record for this destination.
✕Marine protection: 0.3% of the sea is protected. The 30x30 pledge for 2030 is not met yet.
Named on the open map: Ahangama Beach, Ahangama Secret Beach, Awesome Beach and Dunes, Dehiwala Beach, Kirinde Beach, Marakolliya Beach, Midigama Beach, Panama Beach. That is 11 named beaches in the public record for Sri Lanka, each one a place you can look up before you go. OpenStreetMap.
Where does the sewage go?
95.4%
of people have at least basic sanitation
95.3% of people here use at least a basic toilet not shared with other households (2024, World Bank / WHO UNICEF JMP). No figure is published for how much of that waste is safely treated, so the share reaching the ground or the water untreated is unknown.
How is the sea around Sri Lanka doing?
One cross-section, every answer measured.
Surface
What the coast carries
Two monsoon windows, SW May–Sep, NE Nov–Feb; the south coast is best Nov–Apr.
Nearshore
Protected water
0.3% of territorial waters are protected, against the 30% pledged for 2030 under the Global Biodiversity Framework.
Cleanest
Where the water is cleanest
Hill-country streams in Horton Plains and the Knuckles range..
The record
Measured
Sri Lanka is watered by two monsoons and stores rain in a 2,000-year-old network of tanks (wewa) and reservoirs fed by rivers such as the Mahaweli, so raw supply is abundant. Even so, only about 47% of people have safely managed drinking water (World Bank, 2024), and the dry-zone farming belt suffers a serious chronic kidney disease (CKDu) problem linked to water quality.
Sri Lanka scored 62 out of 100 on the Ocean Health Index in its 2025 assessment, below the global average of 72, and ranked 196th of 220 coastal regions. The index team says it is no longer updating scores, so the 2025 figures may be the last.
Sea protected
0.3%
Against the 30% pledged for 2030 under the Global Biodiversity Framework.
Is the tap water safe in Sri Lanka?
46.9% of people have safely managed drinking water at home (2024, WHO/UNICEF JMP). Renewable fresh water works out at about 2,380 cubic metres per person a year (World Bank).
How hard is the water supply being pushed?
Of every 10 buckets nature refills, 9 are already taken. Withdrawals run at 90.8% of what Sri Lanka renews internally each year (2022, World Bank / FAO AQUASTAT). That is past the 25% mark generally treated as water stress, so the supply is being pushed towards its limit.
When is the best time to visit Sri Lanka? Tap your month.
Tap your month.
How much fresh water does Sri Lanka actually have?
Nature renews about 2,380 cubic metres of fresh water per person per year here. That ranks Sri Lanka 93 of 208 countries measured, putting it in the drier half of the world. The UN treats anything under 1,000 cubic metres as water scarce, and this is above that line. World Bank / FAO AQUASTAT.
Food and Drink in Sri Lanka.
Agriculture is central to Sri Lanka. Farming, forestry and fishing make up about 8% of GDP, and almost half the land is farmland. How fragile that base is showed in 2021, when an overnight ban on agrochemicals cut rice harvests by 32% and tea production by 18%.
Where does the food in Sri Lanka come from?
15.3% imported
about US$3,285m a year
On the plate: Rice and curry, dhal, coconut (sambol), jackfruit, string hoppers and spices.
2 of 10
bites are imported
The island buys in more food energy than it eats. About US$3,285m a year leaves the country to pay for it. The green slice is roughly what still grows here.
About 15.3% of everything Sri Lanka buys in from abroad is food, roughly 2 in every 10 imported items on the dock (2024, World Bank). Farming itself is 8.4% of the economy and 48.6% of the land is agricultural, of which 22.2% is arable. The green slice is roughly what still grows here.
What is killing people in Sri Lanka? The imported diet.
Cause of death, and the diet behind it.
Non-communicable diseases, all combined74.8%
Diabetes10.2%
There is no published national count. Community medicine specialist Dr Shanti Gunawardena said in November 2024 that one person in Sri Lanka loses a leg every hour because of diabetes. In October 2025 the Sri Lanka Medical Association said about 100,000 people live with diabetic wounds and 40,000 new ones form every year, and vascular surgeon Prof Rezni Cassim of Colombo National Hospital said 85 to 90 per cent of amputated legs start with a small wound on the foot. Source: Ada Derana.
Adults living with overweight or obesity. 38.8%.
Can Sri Lanka feed itself?
22.2%
Arable land
48.6%
Agricultural land
2,136,999
Farmers
3,390,281
Arable acres
8.4%
Agriculture, share of GDP
Harvest: Rice Maha harvest around February to March and Yala harvest around August to September; tea year-round.
Feeding itself
Agriculture is central to Sri Lanka, which is largely self-sufficient in its staple rice and a major grower of tea, coconut, rubber and spices. No verified import figure was found, and wheat, sugar, dairy and pulses are imported, but the farm sector is large and food culture is deeply local.
Certification
About 2.6% of agricultural land is certified organic (FiBL, 2020 data), helped by organic tea, spice and coconut estates aimed at export markets. A 2021 nationwide chemical-fertiliser ban was abrupt, damaged harvests and was reversed.
Water for crops
Sri Lanka is watered by two monsoons and stores rain in a 2,000-year-old network of tanks (wewa) and reservoirs fed by rivers such as the Mahaweli, so raw supply is abundant. Even so, only about 47% of people have safely managed drinking water (World Bank, 2024), and the dry-zone farming belt suffers a serious chronic kidney disease (CKDu) problem linked to water quality.
Why the organic number looks like that. Certification covers only part of what is grown cleanly, so a small certified share is a gap in the paperwork rather than proof that nothing is. What the official land record does show: 48.6% of the country is agricultural land and 22.2% is arable (2023, World Bank). Certification is paid for per farm per year by a foreign body, which prices out smallholders, so the organic number reads worse than the practice.
What actually grows here
RiceCoconutsTeaSugarcanePlantainsFiber cropsCassavaPumpkins/squash
The food that already fits
The plant-based kitchen here is not an import. By tonnage, the largest crops grown in Sri Lanka are rice, coconuts, tea leaves, plantains and cooking bananas and sugarcane (FAO, FAOSTAT crop production, 2024). That is what the land itself puts on a plate.
Buy direct where residents buy: Baddegama General Market Place, Boralesgamuwa Public Market, Denipitiya Market, Dompe Weekly Market, Fish Market, Kalviyankadu Market. Each is a mapped, named marketplace, so the money stays with the seller rather than the importer. OpenStreetMap.
Not yet checked by us. Plant based kitchens listed publicly: Ranbath, vegan restaurant in Colombo: organic, heirloom rice and traditional Sri Lankan food; The Vegan Kitchen, vegan home restaurant in Colombo: Sri Lankan breakfast and veggie burgers, booking required; Gandhi Lodge Restaurant, vegetarian hotel restaurant in Colombo with an all day vegan buffet lunch; Indo Ceylon Cafe, Dosa King, vegetarian South Indian restaurant in Colombo, mostly vegan; Thalis Restaurant, vegetarian thali and dosa eatery in Colombo, most dishes vegan; Shanmugas, vegetarian restaurant in Colombo since 1998 with a lunch buffet. Tell us how they are.
Is this grown in Sri Lanka?
Tap a food for the honest answer.
RiceCurryDhalJackfruitString hoppersSpices
World Bank Open Data · FAO, FAOSTAT crop production · World Health Organization · FAO AQUASTAT · News First, Health Ministry reports 23% of urban population in Sri Lanka suffer from diabetes (2 November 2024) · Ada Derana, 100,000 in Sri Lanka suffer from diabetic ulcers: health experts (30 October 2025) · HappyCow, Colombo listings · World Bank, Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (% of GDP), Sri Lanka · World Bank, Agricultural land (% of land area), Sri Lanka · International Water Management Institute, Challenges and opportunities for an agro ecological transformation
Climate and Energy in Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka is a very low per-capita emitter at roughly 0.93 tonnes of CO2 per person, far below the global average, reflecting modest industrialisation and heavy reliance on public transport and biomass. Renewable sources supplied about 49% of electricity in 2023, led by hydropower at 36% with solar and wind adding a further 11%, while the balance came from fuel oil and the Norochcholai coal plant. The government has committed to a 100% renewable electricity target and net-zero by 2050, and renewable output has since climbed towards 70% in favourable rainfall years. Coal and imported fuel oil, together with fuel-supply crises, still expose the grid, which holds the score below the top band despite the country's genuinely low emissions.
What powers Sri Lanka?
Renewable 61.6%Fossil 38.4%
The Ceylon Electricity Board, which ran generation, transmission and most distribution for over 50 years, was dissolved on 9 March 2026 when the Sri Lanka Electricity Act, No. 36 of 2024 came into force and the 1969 CEB Act was repealed. Its work passed to six successor companies, including Electricity Generation Lanka, the National Transmission Network Service Provider, the National System Operator and Electricity Distribution Lanka. All six are fully owned by the government. The National System Operator now buys power through competitive procurement, and private firms can sell to it under power purchase agreements. The regulator is the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka. In January 2026 it said the CEB licences, one for transmission, four for distribution and one for each power plant, would stay in force until the new companies were legally in place and would then be reissued in their names.
Climate pollution per person
The safe amount, what the planet can absorb
2 tonnes
One person here
1.06 tonnes
The world average, for comparison
4.7 tonnes
The worst it ever got
1.06 tonnes
The grid
Sri Lanka is a very low per-capita emitter at roughly 1.06 tonnes of CO2 per person, far below the global average, reflecting modest industrialisation and heavy reliance on public transport and biomass. Renewable sources supplied about 49% of electricity in 2023, led by hydropower at 36% with solar and wind adding a further 11%, while the balance came from fuel oil and the Norochcholai coal plant.
Pollution
Fine-particle pollution is moderate at about 19 micrograms per cubic metre (AQLI, 2022). Sri Lanka's 2017 order on polystyrene and single-use plastics was revoked and replaced by a wider ban under Gazette Extraordinary 2341/30, in force since 1 October 2023, covering single-use straws, stirrers, cutlery, plates, cups, expanded polystyrene meal boxes, garlands and string hopper trays, but litter and plastic leakage remain visible, especially around towns and waterways.
Water stress
Sri Lanka is watered by two monsoons and stores rain in a 2,000-year-old network of tanks (wewa) and reservoirs fed by rivers such as the Mahaweli, so raw supply is abundant. Even so, only about 47% of people have safely managed drinking water (World Bank, 2024), and the dry-zone farming belt suffers a serious chronic kidney disease (CKDu) problem linked to water quality.
What pollutes most here
1The grid The share of electricity still generated from fossil fuel.50.8%
2Industry Coastal prawn farming that clears mangroves, and river sand mining..named
3Air Modelled annual mean against a WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³.19.1
4On the record Fine-particle pollution is moderate at about 19 micrograms per cubic metre (AQLI, 2022).
What has Sri Lanka promised on climate?
Net zero, whole economy2050 (per LTS); 2060 (per NDC)
Electricity renewable today49.2% (2021)
Land protected, against a 30% target30.8% by 2025
Sea protected, against a 30% target0.3% by 2025
The net-zero target year on file with Climate Watch is 2050 (per LTS); 2060 (per NDC), status: in policy document. Measured against it, 49.2% of electricity is already renewable (2021, World Bank), so 50.8% of the grid is still to be converted. The pledge on file is measured here against what has actually been delivered, not taken on its own (UNFCCC NDC Registry, CBD Kunming-Montreal Target 3).
The biggest line item
One return flight against a whole year of living.
A resident's entire year1.06 t CO2e
Safe-climate budget, per year2 t CO2e
Los Angeles return, economy2.72 t CO2e
New York return, economy2.54 t CO2e
Sydney return, economy1.58 t CO2e
London return, economy1.57 t CO2e
Paris return, economy1.53 t CO2e
How much CO2 does flying to Sri Lanka emit?
Tap where you would fly from. One return flight, economy.
Firsts on climate finance. In September 2024 DFCC Bank raised Rs 2.5 billion through three year green bonds, marked at the Colombo Stock Exchange as Sri Lanka's first ever green bond issue. A national framework for green, social and sustainability bonds followed in 2025. The EU said in May 2026 that recent issues of these bonds had raised about LKR 85 billion (EUR 186 million), supported by its EUR 5 million Green Recovery Facility. In November 2022 Sri Lanka was reported to be in talks on a debt for nature swap of up to US$1 billion.
Climate Watch (WRI) · UNFCCC NDC Registry · World Bank Open Data · UK DESNZ greenhouse gas conversion factors · Newsfirst, End of a 50 year era: CEB dissolved, power sector split into six companies (9 March 2026) · Ada Derana, CEB dissolved; six new companies take over operations (9 March 2026) · The Morning, Pre/post CEB restructuring: PUCSL clarifies licensing (7 January 2026) · Daily Mirror, Sri Lanka rings bell on first ever green bond issuance (1 October 2024) · European Union Delegation to Sri Lanka, EU funded Green Recovery Facility drives recognition for Sri Lanka's sustainable bonds (May 2026) · Ada Derana, Sri Lanka in talks for USD 1 Bn debt for nature swap deal: report
AI and Data Centres in Sri Lanka.
Every prompt runs on a machine in a building on somebody’s grid. What that costs the planet depends less on the prompt than on what is burning to power it. Here is what would power one in Sri Lanka.
Data centres
1
Registered colocation and interconnection facilities, PeeringDB, 2026
Grid renewable
61.6 %
What a machine here runs on.
What powers a data centre in Sri Lanka?
A machine here runs mostly on renewables, but not entirely.
Renewable 61.6%Fossil 38.4%
Cooling water. Every one of those halls runs on the national grid, which is 49.2% renewable today (World Bank). A data centre is only as clean as the electricity behind it, so the same figure that decides this country's climate score also decides the footprint of the AI running inside it. Cooling water use is not separately published by facility, and no operator here reports it.
The rules. Sri Lanka has 1 colocation and interconnection facilities on the public PeeringDB register, concentrated in Colombo (1), alongside 1 internet exchange (Colocix Internet Exchange). Named sites include Lanka Bell Limited.
Where the cables land. 4 landing points · Colombo, Matara, Mt. Lavinia, Ratmalana
Economy and Tourism in Sri Lanka.
91% residents to 9% visitors across a year. 2,027,000 international arrivals in 2019 against 21,756,000 people who live here (2025, World Bank / UN Tourism).
Where a visitor dollar goes in Sri Lanka
540k
Visitors a year
0.0
Visitors per resident
How deep in debt is Sri Lanka?· for every $100 Sri Lanka earns in a year, it owes…
Pay to the order of: the creditorsmemo · the 2022 peak
$ 116The worst year on the IMF record. Sri Lanka owed $116 for every $100 it earned.
IMF World Economic Outlook, 2022signed, the creditors
Pay to the order of: the creditorsmemo · today
$ 101What is owed now, for every $100 of national income (2024).
IMF World Economic Outlook, 2024signed, the creditors
For every $100 Sri Lanka earns in a year, it owes $101 (2024, IMF World Economic Outlook). That is more than a full year of national income, and the interest is paid before anything else.
Where does a tourist dollar actually go in Sri Lanka?
Play one tourist dollar around the board. Every square is a measured fact from this page.
START!
1
GO: a visitor lands
$100 goes on the table. 2,027,000 international arrivals in 2019 against 21,756,000 residents, one visitor a year for every 11 residents (World Bank / UN Tourism).
$100 in play2
The bed
Who owns the largest places to stay in Sri Lanka is not published in the records we can check, so this square is left open rather than guessed. Where a listing names its owner, it is shown in the ownership table below.
not published3
The plate
Food is 15.3% of everything Sri Lanka imports (2024, World Bank), so a large part of every restaurant bill is paid to a supplier abroad. Eating what the land here actually grows, rice, coconuts, tea, sugarcane, plantains, fiber crops, cassava, pumpkins/squash, keeps that money with the grower.
sails in4
The power
49.2% of the electricity is renewable (2021, World Bank), so the energy on the bill is mostly generated inside the country rather than shipped in.
made at home5
What actually stays
On the parts that can be measured, the plate leaves and the power stays. It is genuinely a coin toss, decided by what you book.
split6
Pay the bank first
Sri Lanka owes $101 for every $100 it earns (2024, IMF World Economic Outlook). The interest is paid before anything else on this board.
$101 per $1007
A spread hand
The largest single export, knitted clothing, is 22.6% of the total (2023, UN Comtrade). No one shock can take the whole board.
top export 22.6%8
Community chest
Tourism earns 8.2% of everything Sri Lanka makes from exports (2020, World Bank / UN Tourism). That is how much of the economy depends on the game continuing.
8.2% of exports9
The flight
Getting here is usually the biggest single line on the bill. From Los Angeles a return economy seat is 2.72 t CO2, on the UK Government's published conversion factors. It is the one part of the trip this board cannot reduce.
2.72 t CO210
Back to GO
The economy turns over about US$99 billion a year (2024, IMF). Every lap of this board is a choice about how much of it stays.
US$99bnGDPUS$108.8bn
Agriculture, share of GDP8.4%
Visitors a year540,000
Visitors per resident0
Residents~21,756,000
Agriculture
Farming is 8.4% of the economy. Agriculture is central to Sri Lanka, which is largely self-sufficient in its staple rice and a major grower of tea, coconut, rubber and spices.
Natural materials
Sri Lanka is a leading world producer of coir, the fibre from coconut husks, and keeps living handloom cotton, reed and palm weaving (including Dumbara mats) and batik traditions. These remain everyday crafts and export industries.
Energy
Sri Lanka is a very low per-capita emitter at roughly 1.06 tonnes of CO2 per person, far below the global average, reflecting modest industrialisation and heavy reliance on public transport and biomass. Renewable sources supplied about 49% of electricity in 2023, led by hydropower at 36% with solar and wind adding a further 11%, while the balance came from fuel oil and the Norochcholai coal plant.
Who owns the biggest hotels in Sri Lanka?
By rooms · company records and press.
Gal Oya Lodge · ~10 roomsIndependentnot published
Visitors, over time
20151,993k
20162,168k
20172,248k
20182,521k
20192,027k
2020540k
International tourism receipts run at about US$1.08 billion in 2020 (World Bank / UN Tourism). That is 8.2% of everything the country earns from exports.
How much of your money actually stays here?
Tap the holiday you are planning.
Visiting Sri Lanka, whoever you are.
Resort guest, villa renter, family, nomad or backpacker. The honest playbook for each, from the same sourced numbers.
Already booked a resort? · the rescue list
Five swaps that move your money back on-island
1. Eat where the country eats Choose kitchens cooking what the land here grows, rice, coconuts, tea, sugarcane, plantains, fiber crops, cassava and pumpkins/squash, over an imported menu.
2. Book with a local operator Never the lobby desk. The margin on a tour is the part that stays.
3. Stay somewhere locally owned Ownership decides where the room rate books. Eco stays
4. Use the transport residents use Scenic hill-country trains, buses and tuk-tuks; many visitors hire a car with a driver.
5. Buy the craft, not the souvenir Natural-materials work made here pays the maker directly; imported gifts pay a shipping line.
Swipe
First time here
A compact tropical island of exceptional endemism, ancient tank irrigation and deeply plant-based food, held back by water-safety and waste gaps.
Best time: December to March for the west and south coasts and the hill country; May to September for the east coast.
Getting around
Scenic hill-country trains, buses and tuk-tuks; many visitors hire a car with a driver.
Transport is where the fare either stays or leaves.
Eating here
The everyday plate that actually grows here is rice, coconuts, tea, sugarcane, plantains, fiber crops, cassava and pumpkins/squash. Ordering those keeps the money with the grower and cuts the imported share of the meal.
Eating what the country grows is the cheapest way to cut the import bill.
Good to know
Cash in the provinces; LKR. Tuk-tuks are the negotiation sport; dress modestly at temples.
Rate my hotel. Tap yours for the honest verdict.
Ownership from company records and press.
Who owns the place to stay
Gal Oya LodgeIndependent · 10 rooms
The one property listed here does not publish who ultimately owns it, so no claim is made either way. Ownership is what decides how much of a room rate stays in the country, which is why we show it when a listing states it.
Society and Governance in Sri Lanka.
How well is Sri Lanka actually run?
Governance, measured · World Bank WGI
Four measured answers, none of them opinion. Averaged across corruption control, delivery and accountability, Sri Lanka scores 47 out of 100 (2024, World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators). That matters here because every pledge on this page is only as good as the machinery meant to deliver it.
What is daily life in Sri Lanka really like? Measured
Getting around, breathing, throwing away, learning. The honest checklist.
TransportAirWaterWastePower
✓How you get around Scenic hill-country trains, buses and tuk-tuks; many visitors hire a car with a driver.
92.7%
literacy. Public spending on education runs at 1.8% of GDP and 7.2% of all government spending, and secondary enrolment stands at 88.0% gross (UNESCO Institute for Statistics, 2023 to 2024).
Made in Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka is a leading world producer of coir, the fibre from coconut husks, and keeps living handloom cotton, reed and palm weaving (including Dumbara mats) and batik traditions. These remain everyday crafts and export industries. Every step of processing done at home is value that stops leaving the country.
What Sri Lanka actually sells the world
The single biggest thing Sri Lanka sells the world is knitted clothing, 22.6% of all exports in 2023 (about US$2.73 billion, UN Comtrade). The next four are woven clothing at 14.6%, coffee, tea and spices at 13.8%, rubber at 7.8%, pearls, gemstones and precious metals at 3.6%.
Sells now · 22.6% of exports
Knitted clothing
Knitted clothing is 22.6% of everything Sri Lanka sold abroad in 2023, worth about US$2.73 billion. UN Comtrade.
Sells now · 14.6% of exports
Woven clothing
Woven clothing is 14.6% of everything Sri Lanka sold abroad in 2023, worth about US$1.75 billion. UN Comtrade.
Sells now · 13.8% of exports
Coffee, tea and spices
Coffee, tea and spices is 13.8% of everything Sri Lanka sold abroad in 2023, worth about US$1.67 billion. UN Comtrade.
Sells now · 7.8% of exports
Rubber
Rubber is 7.8% of everything Sri Lanka sold abroad in 2023, worth about US$0.94 billion. UN Comtrade.
Sells now · 3.6% of exports
Pearls, gemstones and precious metals
Pearls, gemstones and precious metals is 3.6% of everything Sri Lanka sold abroad in 2023, worth about US$0.43 billion. UN Comtrade.
Could make · grown here already
Rice
Grown in Sri Lanka and mostly sold raw. Processing it here would keep the margin here.
Could make · grown here already
Curry
Grown in Sri Lanka and mostly sold raw. Processing it here would keep the margin here.
Could make · grown here already
Dhal
Grown in Sri Lanka and mostly sold raw. Processing it here would keep the margin here.
The maths for an entrepreneur. Sri Lanka produces about US$109 billion a year, which is roughly US$5,002 per person (2025, World Bank). Farming is 8.4% of that, while food is 15.3% of everything the country imports. The country buys in more food than its own farms contribute to the economy, and every point of that gap is a business someone could build here rather than ship in. With 22.2% of the land arable, the raw material for that is already in the ground.
See the verified makersCulture in Sri Lanka.
Kandyan dance
One of the three main styles of classical dance, rooted in Kandy, the hill country capital of the island's last independent kingdom.
Low Country dance
Masked dances from the south, including tovil ceremonies that try to banish illness, held for a single family or a whole village.
Sabaragamuwa dance
The third classical style, performed to honour the goddess Pattini and to ask for good health and a good harvest.
Sanni Yakuma healing mask rituals
A healing ritual in which masked dancers portray disease demons, each linked to its own ailment, led by Maha Kola Sanniya.
BharatanatyamA classical dance taught as a full four-year degree at Eastern University's Swami Vipulananda Institute of Aesthetic Studies.
Baila musicIts roots go back to Portuguese times, when African and Portuguese music mixed, and it is traditionally performed at social occasions.
Does Sri Lanka protect its heritage by law?
Partly, and the gaps say as much as the protections.
What is kept alive. Sri Lanka carries a deep and widely practised living heritage. Kandyan dance with its ves costume and thundering geta bera drumming, Low Country and Sabaragamuwa dance forms, and the healing mask rituals of the Sanni Yakuma are performed to this day, alongside Bharatanatyam among the Tamil community. The annual Kandy Esala Perahera parades caparisoned elephants, dancers and drummers in honour of the Sacred Tooth Relic, one of Asia's grandest living processions.
Who it belongs to. Living Sinhalese, Tamil and Muslim communities and the small indigenous Vedda people sustain strong village, temple and craft traditions, and community homestay and village tourism are growing. A large resort and package sector sits alongside this, so how much money reaches locals varies.
Only here. True Ceylon cinnamon (Cinnamomum verum), of which Sri Lanka grows the large majority of the world's supply..
The Future of Sri Lanka.
Three futures for Sri Lanka, every one run forward from measured data.
Where the making actually happens
Named cultural and craft sites on the open map: Triangle (Central Province), Henarathgoda Botanical Garden (Gampaha), Hakgala Botanical Garden (Central Province), Dry Zone Botanical Garden (Hambantota), Seethawaka Wet Zone Botanical Garden (Western Province). OpenStreetMap. Named craft workshops on the open map: Amali Brassware, Crafts Gallery, Kumara Brass Carving, Nuwan Brassware.
Every measured trend on one line
Run forward at the pace already recorded.
World Bank open data, recorded series
How much forest is left?
Forest cover moved from 36.7% to 34.4% across 29 recorded years.
How clean is the grid?
Renewable electricity moved from 92.7% to 49.2% across 26 recorded years.
How much climate pollution per person?
CO2 per person moved from 0.36 t to 1.06 t across 29 recorded years.
How many people visit?
Tourist arrivals moved from 414k to 540k across 25 recorded years.
How much land is protected?
Protected land moved from 22% to 30.8% across 12 recorded years.
How many people still farm?
Farm workforce moved from 35.3% to 25.9% across 30 recorded years.
How much sea is protected?
Protected sea moved from 0.1% to 0.3% across 12 recorded years.
How much land is farmed?
Agricultural land moved from 37.1% to 48.8% across 29 recorded years.
How fast is it urbanising?
Urban population moved from 15.9% to 20.5% across 30 recorded years.
Is the air getting cleaner?
Air pollution moved from 31.1 µg/m³ to 22.7 µg/m³ across 28 recorded years.
Is water getting scarcer?
Fresh water per person moved from 3,006 m³ to 2,380 m³ across 27 recorded years.
Is diet-related disease rising?
Adult overweight moved from 11.9% to 38.8% across 27 recorded years.
Who has power?
Electricity access moved from 70.3% to 100% across 24 recorded years.
Is income rising?
GDP per person moved from 742 to 5,002 across 30 recorded years.
How fast is it growing?
Population moved from 17,564k to 21,756k across 30 recorded years.
What share of all energy is renewable?
Renewable energy use moved from 69.9% to 48.8% across 26 recorded years.
How much energy does one person use?
Energy per person moved from 342 kg to 439 kg across 29 recorded years.
How much land and sea is protected together?
Protected area, total moved from 2.5% to 3.7% across 12 recorded years.
How long do people live?
Life expectancy moved from 69.7 yrs to 77.7 yrs across 29 recorded years.
How much does a hectare of cereal produce?
Cereal yield moved from 3,053 kg/ha to 4,068 kg/ha across 29 recorded years.
How much fertiliser goes on the land?
Fertiliser use moved from 232 kg/ha to 161 kg/ha across 29 recorded years.
How many people still live rurally?
Rural population moved from 84.1% to 79.5% across 30 recorded years.
How much value per cubic metre of water?
Water productivity moved from 2.59 $/m3 to 6.91 $/m3 across 27 recorded years.
How much goes on health?
Health spending moved from 4.11% to 3.68% across 23 recorded years.
How much forest is there in total?
Forest area moved from 23,005 km2 to 21,207 km2 across 30 recorded years.
How much electricity per person?
Electric power use moved from 224 kWh to 695 kWh across 29 recorded years.
How have agriculture emissions moved?
Agriculture emissions moved from 7.3 to 6.8 MtCO2e across 33 recorded years.
Climate Watch (WRI), historical emissions
How have building emissions moved?
Building emissions moved from 3.71 to 2.94 MtCO2e across 33 recorded years.
Climate Watch (WRI), historical emissions
How have electricity/heat emissions moved?
Electricity/Heat emissions moved from 0.15 to 7.55 MtCO2e across 33 recorded years.
Climate Watch (WRI), historical emissions
How have energy emissions moved?
Energy emissions moved from 7.4 to 19.3 MtCO2e across 33 recorded years.
Climate Watch (WRI), historical emissions
How have industrial processes emissions moved?
Industrial Processes emissions moved from 0.17 to 0.9 MtCO2e across 33 recorded years.
Climate Watch (WRI), historical emissions
How have manufacturing/construction emissions moved?
Manufacturing/Construction emissions moved from 0.45 to 0.91 MtCO2e across 33 recorded years.
Climate Watch (WRI), historical emissions
How have transportation emissions moved?
Transportation emissions moved from 2.55 to 7.7 MtCO2e across 33 recorded years.
Climate Watch (WRI), historical emissions
Worst caseCurrent pathBest case
Worst case
Every measured decline continues at the pace already recorded. The weakest pillar, water at 1/5, is the one that gives way first.
Computed from: recorded series extended with no policy change
What the best case actually asks for
Lift water
It scores 1 out of 5 today, among the weakest parts of Sri Lanka's record. Sri Lanka is watered by two monsoons and stores rain in a 2,000-year-old network of tanks (wewa) and reservoirs fed by rivers such as the Mahaweli, so raw supply is abundant.
measured each year
Costs: spending and enforcement, not new technology
Lift organic farming
It scores 2 out of 5 today, among the weakest parts of Sri Lanka's record. About 2.6% of agricultural land is certified organic (FiBL, 2020 data), helped by organic tea, spice and coconut estates aimed at export markets. A 2021 nationwide chemical-fertiliser ban was abrupt, damaged harvests and was reversed.
measured each year
Costs: spending and enforcement, not new technology
Lift recycling
It scores 2 out of 5 today, among the weakest parts of Sri Lanka's record. Formal municipal recycling is very low and most waste is landfilled or open-dumped, a risk underlined by the fatal 2017 Meethotamulla dump collapse in Colombo. An informal sector recovers some PET and metal.
measured each year
Costs: spending and enforcement, not new technology
Government and Goals in Sri Lanka.
Who is in charge of Sri Lanka now · Office-holders from the UN Protocol and Liaison Service public list of Heads of State and Heads of Government, 20 October 2026. Legislature and election dates from IFES ElectionGuide. Constitution dates from the Constitute Project. Governance scores from the World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators 2024.
Anura Kumara Dissanayake
President
Anura Kumara Dissanayake is the head of government of Sri Lanka, in office since 23 September 2024. Every climate, protection and energy pledge on this page is delivered, or not, under this administration.
Public opinion, measured
Voice and accountability, the freedom to question government scores 57.9 out of 100 in 2025. On this World Bank scale, 100 is the strongest governance measured. Up from 55.7 in 2024. World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025 data (updated 25 September 2026)
Control of corruption scores 42.3 out of 100 in 2025. On this World Bank scale, 100 is the strongest governance measured. Up from 40.1 in 2024. World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025 data (updated 25 September 2026)
Political stability and absence of violence scores 64.9 out of 100 in 2025. On this World Bank scale, 100 is the strongest governance measured. Up from 61.5 in 2024. World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025 data (updated 25 September 2026)
Rule of law scores 55.2 out of 100 in 2025. On this World Bank scale, 100 is the strongest governance measured. Up from 53.9 in 2024. World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025 data (updated 25 September 2026)
Regulatory quality scores 50.3 out of 100 in 2025. On this World Bank scale, 100 is the strongest governance measured. Up from 49.2 in 2024. World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025 data (updated 25 September 2026)
Anura Kumara DissanayakePresident
ParliamentLegislature, unicameral
Last election14 November 2024
Constitution1978, as revised to 2015
Government typepresidential republic
Sri Lanka national goals: climate commitments on record · as recorded by Climate Watch, World Resources Institute
Plain Answers About Sri Lanka.
The questions people actually type, answered in full sentences from the sourced data above.
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Is Sri Lanka sustainable?
Sri Lanka scores 65 out of 100 on the Throne Eco Index, across twelve equally weighted pillars. A compact tropical island of exceptional endemism, ancient tank irrigation and deeply plant-based food, held back by water-safety and waste gaps.
Is the water in Sri Lanka safe and plentiful?
Sri Lanka is watered by two monsoons and stores rain in a 2,000-year-old network of tanks (wewa) and reservoirs fed by rivers such as the Mahaweli, so raw supply is abundant. Even so, only about 47% of people have safely managed drinking water (World Bank, 2024), and the dry-zone farming belt suffers a serious chronic kidney disease (CKDu) problem linked to water quality. Basic access is widespread but safe, on-premises water is not universal.
Can Sri Lanka feed itself?
Agriculture is central to Sri Lanka, which is largely self-sufficient in its staple rice and a major grower of tea, coconut, rubber and spices. No verified import figure was found, and wheat, sugar, dairy and pulses are imported, but the farm sector is large and food culture is deeply local.
Is it easy to eat plant-based in Sri Lanka?
Everyday food is rice and curry, a spread of vegetable, dhal, jackfruit, greens and coconut dishes with sambols, and strong Buddhist and Hindu vegetarian traditions make meat-free eating the easy default. Fresh produce and unprocessed plant staples are cheap and everywhere.
How much of Sri Lanka is actually protected?
Roughly 31% of Sri Lanka's land is protected (World Bank, 2025), including the Sinharaja rainforest World Heritage Site and major national parks such as Yala and Wilpattu. Marine protection is negligible at about 0.3%, and parks face encroachment and human-elephant conflict.
What wildlife is left in Sri Lanka?
Sri Lanka is a global biodiversity hotspot with exceptional endemism, including dozens of endemic birds such as the Sri Lanka blue magpie, many endemic amphibians, the purple-faced langur and the endemic Sri Lankan leopard. Yala holds one of the world's highest leopard densities and Minneriya sees the largest seasonal gathering of wild Asian elephants.
Is Sri Lanka on clean energy?
Sri Lanka is a very low per-capita emitter at roughly 1.06 tonnes of CO2 per person, far below the global average, reflecting modest industrialisation and heavy reliance on public transport and biomass. Renewable sources supplied about 49% of electricity in 2023, led by hydropower at 36% with solar and wind adding a further 11%, while the balance came from fuel oil and the Norochcholai coal plant. The government has committed to a 100% renewable electricity target and net-zero by 2050, and renewable output has since climbed towards 70% in favourable rainfall years.
How polluted is Sri Lanka?
Fine-particle pollution is moderate at about 19 micrograms per cubic metre (AQLI, 2022). Sri Lanka's 2017 order on polystyrene and single-use plastics was revoked and replaced by a wider ban under Gazette Extraordinary 2341/30, in force since 1 October 2023, covering single-use straws, stirrers, cutlery, plates, cups, expanded polystyrene meal boxes, garlands and string hopper trays, but litter and plastic leakage remain visible, especially around towns and waterways.
Does recycling work in Sri Lanka?
Formal municipal recycling is very low and most waste is landfilled or open-dumped, a risk underlined by the fatal 2017 Meethotamulla dump collapse in Colombo. An informal sector recovers some PET and metal.
Is the farming in Sri Lanka organic?
About 2.6% of agricultural land is certified organic (FiBL, 2020 data), helped by organic tea, spice and coconut estates aimed at export markets. A 2021 nationwide chemical-fertiliser ban was abrupt, damaged harvests and was reversed.
Are there natural materials and craft in Sri Lanka?
Sri Lanka is a leading world producer of coir, the fibre from coconut husks, and keeps living handloom cotton, reed and palm weaving (including Dumbara mats) and batik traditions. These remain everyday crafts and export industries.
Is there living culture in Sri Lanka?
Living Sinhalese, Tamil and Muslim communities and the small indigenous Vedda people sustain strong village, temple and craft traditions, and community homestay and village tourism are growing. A large resort and package sector sits alongside this, so how much money reaches locals varies.
What heritage does Sri Lanka keep alive?
Sri Lanka carries a deep and widely practised living heritage. Kandyan dance with its ves costume and thundering geta bera drumming, Low Country and Sabaragamuwa dance forms, and the healing mask rituals of the Sanni Yakuma are performed to this day, alongside Bharatanatyam among the Tamil community. The annual Kandy Esala Perahera parades caparisoned elephants, dancers and drummers in honour of the Sacred Tooth Relic, one of Asia's grandest living processions.
So is Sri Lanka actually green? The measured answer
What is working: land protected at 30.8%.
What is not: sea protected at 0.3% against a 30% mark, renewable electricity at 49.2% against a 100% mark.
World Bank Open Data · Protected Planet (UNEP-WCMC / WDPA) · Climate Watch (WRI) · Yale Environmental Performance Index 2026 · World Bank, Population, total, Sri Lanka · CIA World Factbook, Sri Lanka (factbook.json mirror) · World Bank, Terrestrial protected areas, Sri Lanka · World Bank, Renewable electricity output, Sri Lanka · World Bank, CO2 emissions per capita excluding LULUCF, Sri Lanka · World Bank, Cause of death by non-communicable diseases, Sri Lanka
How Sri Lanka Ranks, region and world.
Where Sri Lanka sits on the Eco Index, against its Asia neighbours and the 77 destinations scored worldwide.
How does Sri Lanka compare in Asia?
1India67
3Laos63
4Cambodia62
5Thailand62
Scored Asia destinations, Eco Index.
The global top 10 of the 77 destinations scored
1Switzerland78
2France78
3Finland77
4Slovenia77
5Australia77
6Portugal75
7Germany75
8New Zealand75
9Italy73
10Spain73
Sri Lanka sits 36 of 77 at 65/100. Every name links to its own destination page, built exactly like this one. The full ranking
What is Sri Lanka particularly good at?
✓ Plant-based eating, scored 5/5. Everyday food is rice and curry, a spread of vegetable, dhal, jackfruit, greens and coconut dishes with sambols, and strong Buddhist and Hindu vegetarian traditions make meat-free eating the easy default. Fresh produce and unprocessed plant staples are cheap and everywhere.
✓ Heritage, scored 5/5. Sri Lanka carries a deep and widely practised living heritage. Kandyan dance with its ves costume and thundering geta bera drumming, Low Country and Sabaragamuwa dance forms, and the healing mask rituals of the Sanni Yakuma are performed to this day, alongside Bharatanatyam among the Tamil community. The annual Kandy Esala Perahera parades caparisoned elephants, dancers and drummers in honour of the Sacred Tooth Relic, one of Asia's grandest living processions. Theravada Buddhism and Tamil Hindu devotion remain central to daily life, ancestral deity veneration and Ayurvedic knowledge endure, and the indigenous Vedda people maintain their own language and forest traditions.
✓ Wildlife, scored 4/5. Sri Lanka is a global biodiversity hotspot with exceptional endemism, including dozens of endemic birds such as the Sri Lanka blue magpie, many endemic amphibians, the purple-faced langur and the endemic Sri Lankan leopard. Yala holds one of the world's highest leopard densities and Minneriya sees the largest seasonal gathering of wild Asian elephants.
Where does Sri Lanka score worst?
✕ Water, scored 1/5. Sri Lanka is watered by two monsoons and stores rain in a 2,000-year-old network of tanks (wewa) and reservoirs fed by rivers such as the Mahaweli, so raw supply is abundant. Even so, only about 47% of people have safely managed drinking water (World Bank, 2024), and the dry-zone farming belt suffers a serious chronic kidney disease (CKDu) problem linked to water quality. Basic access is widespread but safe, on-premises water is not universal.
✕ Organic farming, scored 2/5. About 2.6% of agricultural land is certified organic (FiBL, 2020 data), helped by organic tea, spice and coconut estates aimed at export markets. A 2021 nationwide chemical-fertiliser ban was abrupt, damaged harvests and was reversed.
✕ Recycling, scored 2/5. Formal municipal recycling is very low and most waste is landfilled or open-dumped, a risk underlined by the fatal 2017 Meethotamulla dump collapse in Colombo. An informal sector recovers some PET and metal.
A note from the lens of mother natureSwipe
Water, 1/5
Sri Lanka is watered by two monsoons and stores rain in a 2,000-year-old network of tanks (wewa) and reservoirs fed by rivers such as the Mahaweli, so raw supply is abundant.
Consequence: It is the lowest-scoring part of Sri Lanka's record, so it is where the score moves first.
Organic farming, 2/5
About 2.6% of agricultural land is certified organic (FiBL, 2020 data), helped by organic tea, spice and coconut estates aimed at export markets. A 2021 nationwide chemical-fertiliser ban was abrupt, damaged harvests and was reversed.
Recycling, 2/5
Formal municipal recycling is very low and most waste is landfilled or open-dumped, a risk underlined by the fatal 2017 Meethotamulla dump collapse in Colombo. An informal sector recovers some PET and metal.
The Sri Lanka Directory.
Everything on Hold The Throne that sits in Sri Lanka, checked and listed.
How the rest of the world scores Sri Lanka
Independent global indices, for calibration.
Forest cover
34.4
World Bank, 2024.
Protected land
30.8
World Bank, 2025.
Protected sea
0.3
World Bank, 2025.
Renewable grid
49.2
World Bank, 2021.
CO2 per person
1.1
World Bank, 2024.
Threatened species
478 (mammals, birds, fish & plants)
Recorded figure, sourced on this page.
Control of corruption
42.3 / 100
World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025. Score from 0 to 100, where 100 is the strongest governance.
Government effectiveness
49.7 / 100
World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025. Score from 0 to 100, where 100 is the strongest governance.
Rule of law
55.2 / 100
World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025. Score from 0 to 100, where 100 is the strongest governance.
Political stability
64.9 / 100
World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025. Score from 0 to 100, where 100 is the strongest governance.
Voice and accountability
57.9 / 100
World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025. Score from 0 to 100, where 100 is the strongest governance.
Environmental Performance Index
39.6 / 100 · 94 of 177
Yale Environmental Performance Index 2026, ranked 94 of 177 countries assessed.
Ecosystem vitality
37.8 / 100 · 121 of 177
Yale Environmental Performance Index 2026, ranked 121 of 177 countries assessed.
Biodiversity and habitat
35.1 / 100 · 120 of 177
Yale Environmental Performance Index 2026, ranked 120 of 177 countries assessed.
Air quality
23.2 / 100 · 142 of 177
Yale Environmental Performance Index 2026, ranked 142 of 177 countries assessed.
Terrestrial biomes protected
84.3 / 100 · 41 of 177
Yale Environmental Performance Index 2026, ranked 41 of 177 countries assessed.
Marine habitat protected
12.9 / 100 · 71 of 111
Yale Environmental Performance Index 2026, ranked 71 of 111 countries assessed.
How Sri Lanka Is Scored. The Throne Standard.
Every destination on the index is scored the same way, so a 4 in Barbados means exactly what a 4 means in Iceland. No self-declared data and no brochure claims are accepted. Seven pillars are scored from published measurements with the same fixed thresholds everywhere: energy (low-carbon share of electricity, 90% or more scores 5, 70% 4, 50% 3, 25% 2), conservation (land and sea protected), water (safe drinking water, wastewater treated, water stress), organic farmland, recycling, food import dependence and air quality. Where a measurement is not published for a place, that pillar keeps its source-assessed score and is labelled as such. Wildlife, culture, heritage, materials and plant-based eating have no comparable measurement and are assessed from the named sources. The Eco Index is the average of the twelve pillar scores multiplied by 20. Every figure on this page carries its named source and year, and the history on each page names what empire took as plainly as it scores the present.
The 12 pillars every destination is scored on, equally weighted
01
Water
Safe drinking water, wastewater treated and water stress. Measured.
02
Food & farming
How much of the import bill is food: whether the place feeds itself. Measured.
03
Plant-based
How easy it is to eat plant-based, from documented sources.
04
Organic
Certified organic share of farmland. Measured.
05
Conservation
Land and sea legally protected, against the 30 by 30 goal. Measured.
06
Wildlife
What survives, what is endemic, what is lost, from documented sources.
07
Materials
Local natural fibres and craft, from documented sources.
08
Pollution
Air quality (PM2.5, measured) and plastics and waste policy.
09
Recycling
Share of municipal waste recycled. Measured.
10
Energy
Low-carbon share of electricity, nuclear included. Measured.
11
Culture
Living culture and community-led visits, from documented sources.
12
Heritage
What the law keeps standing, from documented sources.
What each 0 to 5 pillar score means, in plain words
0
Absent
nothing verifiable exists
1
Failing
measurably going the wrong way
2
Weak
claims outrun delivery
3
Fair
real effort, mixed results
4
Strong
genuinely good, evidence named
5
Leading
world class, and the trend holds
Where the numbers come from.
The institutions above are the ones cited on this page, ranked by how many of its figures they carry. This same sectioned page renders for all 77 scored destinations, each with its own researched history, comparison charts and three-way future. Read the full methodology
Every figure on this page, and where it came from: 90 sources across 31 institutions
World Bank21 FIGURES
- Forest area (% of land area) AG.LND.FRST.ZS, 2023 check
- Terrestrial protected areas (% of land) ER.LND.PTLD.ZS, 2025 check
- Marine protected areas (% of territorial waters) ER.MRN.PTMR.ZS, 2025 check
- Renewable electricity output (% of total) EG.ELC.RNEW.ZS, 2021 check
- People using safely managed drinking water (% of population) SH.H2O.SMDW.ZS, 2024 check
- Threatened species (mammals EN.MAM.THRD.NO, birds EN.BIR.THRD.NO, fish EN.FSH.THRD.NO, higher plants EN.HPT.THRD.NO), 2022 check
- CO2 emissions per capita EN.GHG.CO2.PC.CE.AR5, 2024 check
- GDP (current US$) NY.GDP.MKTP.CD, 2025 check
- International tourist arrivals ST.INT.ARVL, 2020 check
- Agricultural land (% of land area) AG.LND.AGRI.ZS, 2023 check
- Arable land (% of land area) AG.LND.ARBL.ZS, 2023 check
- Agriculture, value added (% of GDP) NV.AGR.TOTL.ZS, 2025 check
- Adult literacy rate SE.ADT.LITR.ZS, 2024 check
- Renewable internal freshwater per capita (m3) ER.H2O.INTR.PC, 2022 check
- Overweight prevalence, adults (%) SH.STA.OWAD.ZS, 2022 check
- Central government debt (% of GDP) GC.DOD.TOTL.GD.ZS, 2015 check
- Population total SP.POP.TOTL, 2025 check
- Terrestrial protected areas (% of total land area), Sri Lanka, Roughly 31% of Sri Lanka's land is protected (World Bank, 2025), including the Sinharaja rainforest World Heri check
- Terrestrial protected areas (% of total land area), Sri Lanka corroboration check
- Terrestrial protected areas (% of total land area), Sri Lanka corroboration check
- What a Waste 2.0 country-level dataset check
IUCN Red List assessment20 FIGURES
- Eretmochelys imbricata (Hawksbill Turtle), Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Sri Lanka in GBIF occurrence data (turtle). check
- Eretmochelys imbricata (Hawksbill Turtle) corroboration check
- Eretmochelys imbricata (Hawksbill Turtle) corroboration check
- Eretmochelys imbricata (Hawksbill Turtle) corroboration check
- Cophotis dumbara (Dumbara Agama), Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Sri Lanka in GBIF occurrence data (reptile). check
- Cophotis dumbara (Dumbara Agama) corroboration check
- Cophotis dumbara (Dumbara Agama) corroboration check
- Cophotis dumbara (Dumbara Agama) corroboration check
- Pseudophilautus stuarti (Stuart's Shrub Frog), Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Sri Lanka in GBIF occurrence data (amphibian). check
- Pseudophilautus stuarti (Stuart's Shrub Frog) corroboration check
- Pseudophilautus stuarti (Stuart's Shrub Frog) corroboration check
- Aneuretus simoni (Sri Lankan Relict Ant), Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Sri Lanka in GBIF occurrence data (insect). check
- Aneuretus simoni (Sri Lankan Relict Ant) corroboration check
- Aneuretus simoni (Sri Lankan Relict Ant) corroboration check
- Crudia zeylanica, Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Sri Lanka in GBIF occurrence data (plant). check
- Crudia zeylanica corroboration check
- Crudia zeylanica corroboration check
- Ceylonthelphusa sanguinea, Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Sri Lanka in GBIF occurrence data (species). check
- Ceylonthelphusa sanguinea corroboration check
- Ceylonthelphusa sanguinea corroboration check
UNESCO Institute for Statistics4 FIGURES
- government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP, Sri Lanka, Public spending on education runs at 1.8% of GDP and 7.2% of all government spending, and secondary enrolment check
- government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP, Sri Lanka corroboration check
- government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP, Sri Lanka corroboration check
- government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP, Sri Lanka corroboration check
BirdLife International, IUCN and UNEP-WCMC3 FIGURES
- UN SDG Global Database, terrestrial Key Biodiversity Areas covered by protected areas (%) ER_PTD_TERR, Sri Lanka, 2025 (45.2%), country-reported check
- UN SDG Global Database, marine Key Biodiversity Areas covered by protected areas (%) ER_MRN_MPA, Sri Lanka, 2025 (58.0%), country-reported check
- UN SDG Global Database, freshwater Key Biodiversity Areas covered by protected areas (%) ER_PTD_FRHWTR, Sri Lanka, 2025 (43.9%), country-reported check
Central Environmental Authority of Sri Lanka3 FIGURES
FAO FAOSTAT3 FIGURES
- Production: Crops and livestock products (QCL), Sri Lanka, 2024, By tonnage, the largest crops grown in Sri Lanka are rice, coconuts, tea leaves, plantains and cooking bananas check
- Production: Crops and livestock products (QCL), Sri Lanka, 2024 corroboration check
- Production: Crops and livestock products (QCL), Sri Lanka, 2024 corroboration check
PLOS ONE3 FIGURES
- Barcode high-resolution melting analysis to authenticate true cinnamon (Cinnamomum verum), 2025, True Ceylon cinnamon (Cinnamomum verum), of which Sri Lanka grows the large majority of the world's supply. check
- Barcode high-resolution melting analysis to authenticate true cinnamon (Cinnamomum verum), 2025 corroboration check
- Barcode high-resolution melting analysis to authenticate true cinnamon (Cinnamomum verum), 2025 corroboration check
UN Comtrade3 FIGURES
Wilderness and Wildlife Conservation Trust (Sri Lanka)3 FIGURES
- The Sri Lankan Leopard in Yala National Park: a research summary (Kittle and Watson), Yala holds one of the world's highest leopard densities and Minneriya sees the largest seasonal gathering of w check
- The Sri Lankan Leopard in Yala National Park: a research summary (Kittle and Watson) corroboration check
- The Sri Lankan Leopard in Yala National Park: a research summary (Kittle and Watson) corroboration check
Convention on Biological Diversity2 FIGURES
FAO, Global Forest Resources Assessment2 FIGURES
IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria2 FIGURES
Our World in Data / Ember2 FIGURES
University of Chicago EPIC2 FIGURES
Climate Watch (WRI)1 FIGURE
- Net-Zero Tracker check
Constitute Project1 FIGURE
- Sri Lanka 1978 (rev. 2015) check
Department of Census and Statistics1 FIGURE
- Sri Lanka, national statistical authority check
Department of Wildlife Conservation1 FIGURE
- Sri Lanka, national protected-area and wildlife authority check
FiBL1 FIGURE
- The World of Organic Agriculture, organic farmland statistics check
FiBL and IFOAM1 FIGURE
- The World of Organic Agriculture (organic share of agricultural land, 2020 data) check
IEA, World Energy Balances1 FIGURE
- UN SDG Global Database, renewable share of total final energy consumption (%) EG_FEC_RNEW, Sri Lanka, 2023 (55.5%), modelled estimate check
IFES ElectionGuide1 FIGURE
- Sri Lanka elections and chambers check
Low Carbon Power1 FIGURE
- Sri Lanka electricity generation mix, 2023 check
Other published sources1 FIGURE
- The 2017 order (Gazette 2034/38) was expressly revoked and replaced; the wider ban has been in force since 1 October 2023 under Gazette 2341/30 check
Our World in Data1 FIGURE
- Sri Lanka CO2 country profile (Global Carbon Budget), 2024 check
PubMed1 FIGURE
- Local Endemism Within the Western Ghats and Sri Lanka Biodiversity Hotspot, 2004 check
The bisokotuwa1 FIGURE
- whose 'first valve pit' status is a contested colonial-era reading (Jayawardana, HoST, 2022) check
UN Protocol and Liaison Service1 FIGURE
- Heads of State, Heads of Government and Ministers for Foreign Affairs, public list dated 20 October 2026 check
UNESCO1 FIGURE
- Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists check
UNFCCC1 FIGURE
- Sri Lanka on Path to 100% Renewable Energy, 2023 check
WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme1 FIGURE
- UN SDG Global Database, population using safely managed drinking water (%) SH_H2O_SAFE, Sri Lanka, 2024 (46.9%), modelled estimate check