Renewable freshwater resources per capita in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Renewable freshwater resources per capita was 2,380 cubic meters in 2022. ▼ Falling
Latest (2022)
2,380 cubic meters
Change on year
down 0.1%
World rank
93rd
of 183 countries
All-time high
5,334 cubic meters
in 1961
All-time low
2,380 cubic meters
in 2022
Years of data
62
1961–2022
Renewable freshwater resources per capita in Sri Lanka, 1961–2022
Source: AQUASTAT - FAO's Global Information System on Water and Agriculture, FAO, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in cubic meters.
Analysis
Sri Lanka recorded 2,380 cubic meters for renewable freshwater resources per capita in 2022. That is the lowest value across all 62 years on record.
That represents a change of down 0.1% on the previous year and down 4.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, renewable freshwater resources per capita in Sri Lanka peaked at 5,334 cubic meters in 1961 and was at its lowest, 2,380 cubic meters, in 2022.
Sri Lanka ranks 93rd of 183 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 62 years of available data.
Renewable freshwater resources per capita in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | cubic meters | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 5,334 cubic meters | — |
| 1962 | 5,205 cubic meters | -2.4% |
| 1963 | 5,079 cubic meters | -2.4% |
| 1964 | 4,956 cubic meters | -2.4% |
| 1965 | 4,837 cubic meters | -2.4% |
| 1966 | 4,721 cubic meters | -2.4% |
| 1967 | 4,608 cubic meters | -2.4% |
| 1968 | 4,499 cubic meters | -2.4% |
| 1969 | 4,395 cubic meters | -2.3% |
| 1970 | 4,297 cubic meters | -2.2% |
| 1971 | 4,207 cubic meters | -2.1% |
| 1972 | 4,122 cubic meters | -2.0% |
| 1973 | 4,043 cubic meters | -1.9% |
| 1974 | 3,968 cubic meters | -1.8% |
| 1975 | 3,897 cubic meters | -1.8% |
| 1976 | 3,827 cubic meters | -1.8% |
| 1977 | 3,758 cubic meters | -1.8% |
| 1978 | 3,690 cubic meters | -1.8% |
| 1979 | 3,622 cubic meters | -1.8% |
| 1980 | 3,556 cubic meters | -1.8% |
| 1981 | 3,497 cubic meters | -1.7% |
| 1982 | 3,454 cubic meters | -1.2% |
| 1983 | 3,431 cubic meters | -0.7% |
| 1984 | 3,419 cubic meters | -0.3% |
| 1985 | 3,397 cubic meters | -0.7% |
| 1986 | 3,356 cubic meters | -1.2% |
| 1987 | 3,317 cubic meters | -1.2% |
| 1988 | 3,284 cubic meters | -1.0% |
| 1989 | 3,250 cubic meters | -1.0% |
| 1990 | 3,229 cubic meters | -0.6% |
| 1991 | 3,205 cubic meters | -0.7% |
| 1992 | 3,154 cubic meters | -1.6% |
| 1993 | 3,101 cubic meters | -1.7% |
| 1994 | 3,056 cubic meters | -1.4% |
| 1995 | 3,006 cubic meters | -1.6% |
| 1996 | 2,949 cubic meters | -1.9% |
| 1997 | 2,893 cubic meters | -1.9% |
| 1998 | 2,839 cubic meters | -1.9% |
| 1999 | 2,787 cubic meters | -1.8% |
| 2000 | 2,737 cubic meters | -1.8% |
| 2001 | 2,694 cubic meters | -1.6% |
| 2002 | 2,666 cubic meters | -1.0% |
| 2003 | 2,646 cubic meters | -0.7% |
| 2004 | 2,628 cubic meters | -0.7% |
| 2005 | 2,612 cubic meters | -0.6% |
| 2006 | 2,594 cubic meters | -0.7% |
| 2007 | 2,577 cubic meters | -0.7% |
| 2008 | 2,559 cubic meters | -0.7% |
| 2009 | 2,544 cubic meters | -0.6% |
| 2010 | 2,529 cubic meters | -0.6% |
| 2011 | 2,513 cubic meters | -0.6% |
| 2012 | 2,494 cubic meters | -0.8% |
| 2013 | 2,565 cubic meters | +2.8% |
| 2014 | 2,541 cubic meters | -0.9% |
| 2015 | 2,518 cubic meters | -0.9% |
| 2016 | 2,490 cubic meters | -1.1% |
| 2017 | 2,461 cubic meters | -1.1% |
| 2018 | 2,437 cubic meters | -1.0% |
| 2019 | 2,422 cubic meters | -0.6% |
| 2020 | 2,409 cubic meters | -0.5% |
| 2021 | 2,383 cubic meters | -1.1% |
| 2022 | 2,380 cubic meters | -0.1% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 2,380 cubic meters is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 3,061 cubic meters, 78% of the median. (52 countries reporting)
- Sri Lanka's 2,380 cubic meters is above the median for South Asia, which is 1,697 cubic meters, 1.4× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 4,848 cubic meters | 4,395 cubic meters | 5,334 cubic meters | 9 |
| 1970s | 3,943 cubic meters | 3,622 cubic meters | 4,297 cubic meters | 10 |
| 1980s | 3,396 cubic meters | 3,250 cubic meters | 3,556 cubic meters | 10 |
| 1990s | 3,022 cubic meters | 2,787 cubic meters | 3,229 cubic meters | 10 |
| 2000s | 2,626 cubic meters | 2,544 cubic meters | 2,737 cubic meters | 10 |
| 2010s | 2,497 cubic meters | 2,422 cubic meters | 2,565 cubic meters | 10 |
| 2020s | 2,391 cubic meters | 2,380 cubic meters | 2,409 cubic meters | 3 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
- 90 North Korea 2,545 cubic meters compare
- 91 Cote d'Ivoire 2,528 cubic meters compare
- 92 El Salvador 2,489 cubic meters compare
- 94 South Sudan 2,359 cubic meters compare
- 95 Spain 2,327 cubic meters compare
- 96 Slovakia 2,320 cubic meters compare
More energy & mining data for Sri Lanka
- Fossil fuel consumption by fuel, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary energy use, annual growth rate 4.83 % change on previous year (2025)
- Coal consumption, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2025)
- Coal consumption, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary energy use, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Coal production, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2024)
- Coal production, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary energy use, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2025)
- Fuel imports 21.5% (2024)
- Ores and metals imports 1.6% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is renewable freshwater resources per capita in Sri Lanka?
- Renewable freshwater resources per capita in Sri Lanka was 2,380 cubic meters in 2022, according to AQUASTAT - FAO's Global Information System on Water and Agriculture, FAO, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest renewable freshwater resources per capita recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 5,334 cubic meters in 1961.
- What is the lowest renewable freshwater resources per capita recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 2,380 cubic meters in 2022.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for renewable freshwater resources per capita?
- Sri Lanka ranks 93rd out of 183 countries with data for 2022.
- Is renewable freshwater resources per capita rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is down 4.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sri Lanka data come from?
- The figures come from AQUASTAT - FAO's Global Information System on Water and Agriculture, FAO, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Renewable freshwater resources per capita. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 62 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Renewable internal freshwater resources flows refer to internal renewable resources (internal river flows and groundwater from rainfall) in the country.