Building Resilience: Public Investments and Sri Lanka's Rural Economy

Abstract

In 2016, of the 20.7 million population in the country, 17 million (or 82 per cent) resided in the rural (16.1 million) and estate (.9 million) sectors, implying that despite urbanisation and rural to urban migration, the rural economy remains an integral part of the economy. The rural and estate sectors are home to 92 per cent of the poor in the country. In addition, a large proportion of the population, mainly in rural areas, lives just above the poverty line making them highly vulnerable.