By: Staff Writer
October 18, Colombo (LNW): Sri Lanka’s decision to postpone the release of its 2025 Household Income and Expenditure Survey (HIES) until December raises critical questions about the country’s ability to measure the real impact of economic stabilisation on household living standards, poverty and income inequality.
The report, originally scheduled for release in October 2026, has been delayed by two months because of difficulties in data cleaning, computerisation delays, staff vacancies and work associated with the Economic Survey, according to a statement issued by Parliament on October 16.
Although officials have cited the need for accurate compilation, the delay highlights persistent administrative weaknesses in the production of economic and social statistics at a time when reliable household data is essential for assessing the country’s recovery.
The Department of Census and Statistics (DCS), operating under the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, collects and compiles the survey. Information was gathered from 25,000 households across the island over 12 months, with verification, cleaning and analysis still underway.
The scale of the exercise underscores its importance. The HIES provides essential evidence about household incomes, expenditure patterns, poverty levels and disparities in living conditions. Without its findings, policymakers, researchers and the public face a significant information gap when evaluating whether economic improvements are reaching ordinary families.
Sri Lanka has pursued fiscal consolidation and economic stabilisation following its unprecedented economic crisis. However, improving macroeconomic indicators do not automatically translate into higher disposable incomes, affordable food, secure employment or improved household welfare.
The delayed survey therefore leaves an important question unanswered: how much of the economic adjustment has been absorbed by households through higher living costs, and how much improvement has reached the most vulnerable sections of society?
The Parliamentary Committee on Public Finance (CoPF), which examined poverty, income distribution and household welfare this week, stressed the importance of publishing survey results promptly to identify changes in economic and social conditions.
The committee also highlighted the need to update the consumer basket used to calculate the poverty line. If the basket fails to reflect contemporary consumption patterns and essential household requirements, official poverty estimates may not adequately capture the financial pressures experienced by families.
This is particularly important because food, housing, transport, healthcare, education and utility costs can change significantly over time. A poverty threshold based on outdated consumption assumptions risks understating the resources needed to maintain an acceptable standard of living.
The implications extend to social protection. Aswesuma beneficiary selection depends on identifying households whose economic circumstances justify assistance. Outdated or inaccurate income and expenditure information can result in eligible families being excluded while better-off households continue receiving public support.
The delay does not, by itself, prove that existing poverty figures are inaccurate. However, it demonstrates the need for stronger statistical capacity, adequate staffing and efficient computerised systems.
Sri Lanka needs economic statistics that are not merely accurate when eventually published, but sufficiently timely to guide decisions. Unless administrative bottlenecks are addressed, the country risks measuring recovery too late to respond effectively to the hardships that recovery is supposed to overcome.
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