Acccording to a report from the Department of Census and Statistics,the minimum expenditure required by a person to fulfil their basic needs for a month has gone up by 144 per cent in January 2024 when compared to 2019.

Additional Director General (Statistics) from the Department of Census Shyamalie Karunaratne said to fulfil their basic needs required only Rs. 6966 per month in 2019, whereas a person now needs needs Rs. 17,014.

She stated a family of four members needs Rs. 68,056 to fulfil their basic needs as per the Official Poverty Line calculated based on a household income and expenditure survey.

Ms. Karunaratne said the Official Poverty Line has gone up during the last four years due to the drastic increase in inflation.

The District Poverty Line, Colombo and Gampaha recorded the highest levels of 18,350 and 18,256, respectively, while the lowest levels of Rs. 16.268 was recorded in the Moneragala District.

Ms. Karunaratne concluded the prices of goods should be dropped by a considerable amount for a reduction in the Official Poverty Line.