1/3 of Sri Lanka acutely food-insecure in 2022 - WFP

COLOMBO (News 1st) - Nearly one-third of Sri Lanka’s population was acutely food-insecure in 2022, the United Nations World Food Programme said, in its latest report.

6.3 million people in Sri Lanka were acutely food-insecure in 2022 due to a severe shortage of food, fuel, and other essentials, according to the WFP’s report.

In 2022, Sri Lanka faced the worst economic crisis since its independence in 1948.

A range of factors, such as consecutive years of drought, depleted foreign reserves, political turbulence, high inflation, and increased public debt had a devastating impact on the country's economy. 

This marked a dramatic reversal for a country in which food insecurity was at 10 percent in 2019, the report added.