Freedom in Sri Lanka
Where Sri Lanka sits on every statistic this site carries, each against the countries the same source covers. Sri Lanka has a figure for 54 of 60 indicators.
Personal
What a person may say, believe, publish, join and where they may go.
| Statistic | Value | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Freedom of expression | 0.871 | 2025 | 33 of 163 |
| Freedom of association | 0.853 | 2025 | 49 of 163 |
| Civil liberties | 0.816 | 2025 | 63 of 163 |
| Freedom from political violence | 0.799 | 2025 | 76 of 163 |
| Equal protection of rights | 0.602 | 2025 | 95 of 163 |
| Academic freedom | 0.828 | 2025 | 42 of 163 |
| Media censorship effort | 1.961 | 2025 | 25 of 163 |
| Harassment of journalists | 2.776 | 2025 | 6 of 163 |
| Media self-censorship | 1.873 | 2025 | 11 of 163 |
| Universal right to vote | 1.000 | 2025 | 76 of 167 |
| Legal rights for women | 65.6 | 2023 | 129 of 164 |
| Women can get a passport as men do | 1.000 | 2023 | 79 of 164 |
| Access to justice for women | 0.000 | 2025 | 103 of 163 |
| Access to justice for men | 0.000 | 2025 | 109 of 163 |
| Civil liberties score | 34.0 | 2025 | 80 of 167 |
| Political rights score | 29.0 | 2025 | 64 of 167 |
Economic
What a person may own, trade, earn and keep.
| Statistic | Value | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trade openness | 41.8% | 2025 | 104 of 125 |
| Government spending as a share of GDP | 18.0% | 2023 | 19 of 79 |
| Regulatory quality | 50.1 | 2024 | 92 of 169 |
| GDP per capita | $14.6K | 2025 | 86 of 157 |
| GDP growth | 5.0% | 2025 | — |
| Inflation | -4.8% | 2025 | — |
| Unemployment | 4.0% | 2025 | 61 of 163 |
Digital
What a person may read, send and encrypt online, and who is watching.
| Statistic | Value | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Internet use | 54.6% | 2024 | 116 of 154 |
| Fixed broadband subscriptions | 8.5 | 2024 | 85 of 134 |
| Mobile subscriptions | 132.6 | 2024 | 35 of 134 |
Government
How power is held, checked and abused.
| Statistic | Value | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electoral democracy | 0.783 | 2025 | 32 of 163 |
| Liberal democracy | 0.613 | 2025 | 39 of 163 |
| Rule of law | 0.829 | 2025 | 40 of 163 |
| Judicial checks on government | 0.912 | 2025 | 26 of 163 |
| Legislative checks on government | 0.599 | 2025 | 82 of 157 |
| Political corruption | 0.278 | 2025 | 49 of 163 |
| Civil society participation | 0.805 | 2025 | 46 of 163 |
| Women’s political empowerment | 0.742 | 2025 | 88 of 163 |
| Voice and accountability | 54.6 | 2024 | 79 of 170 |
| Control of corruption | 40.1 | 2024 | 90 of 170 |
| Government effectiveness | 46.0 | 2024 | 96 of 169 |
| Political stability | 59.9 | 2024 | 99 of 170 |
Society
Health, schooling, safety and who takes part.
| Statistic | Value | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Human Development Index | 0.776 | 2023 | 76 of 165 |
| Life expectancy | 77.7 | 2024 | 56 of 170 |
| Adult literacy | 92.7% | 2024 | 17 of 27 |
| Government spending on education | 1.8% | 2023 | — |
| Health spending | 3.7% | 2023 | — |
| Health costs paid out of pocket | 54.8% | 2023 | 142 of 164 |
| Maternal mortality | 18.0 | 2023 | 63 of 167 |
| Women in parliament | 9.8% | 2025 | 141 of 156 |
| Women in the workforce | 31.0% | 2025 | — |
| Fertility rate | 1.95 | 2024 | — |
| Urban population | 20.5% | 2025 | — |
| Refugees who left | 636.4 | 2024 | 142 of 168 |
| Population | 21.8M | 2025 | — |
Environment
Energy, emissions and access to power.
| Statistic | Value | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| CO₂ emissions per person | 1.06 | 2024 | 52 of 165 |
| Renewable energy use | 48.8% | 2021 | 50 of 169 |
| Access to electricity | 100.0% | 2024 | 47 of 169 |
What is missing
6 of the 60 statistics here have no figure for Sri Lanka in the year they were last ranked. Coverage differs by source: an indicator missing here is one its producer does not publish for Sri Lanka, not a zero. Who publishes what