Sri Lanka’s Education Funding among Lowest in Its Income Group

• CNL Reporter
• October 20, 2025
• Education
• Sri Lanka
• 0 Comments

Sri Lanka’s public spending on education remains among the lowest in the developing world, according to a new Human Rights Watch (HRW) report titled “Tax Giveaways, Struggling Schools.” The report reveals that Sri Lanka allocates only 2% of GDP to education—less than half the average for comparable low- and middle-income countries. HRW attributes the shortfall to weak tax revenues and excessive fiscal concessions that limit resources for critical sectors.

The report also notes stark disparities in per-student spending, with Sri Lanka spending just $516 per primary student in 2010, compared to $1,278 in Morocco and over $11,000 in the United Kingdom. HRW urges the Government to raise tax revenues, curb wasteful exemptions, and boost education spending to international standards to safeguard the country’s long-term human capital development.