FSCI Indicators Breakdown

The Food Systems Countdown Initiative (FSCI) is a collaborative interdisciplinary effort to monitor global food systems. The FSCI developed a framework that includes five themes: (1) diets, nutrition, and health; (2) environment, natural resources, and production; (3) livelihoods, poverty, and equity; (4) governance; and (5) resilience and identified 50 indicators across these themes. This page presents national level data for these 50 indicators for Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka income group: Upper Middle Income
Comparison
Sri Lanka
Southern Asia
World

Diets, Nutrition, and Health

Less Desirable
More Desirable
Sri Lanka
4.3
Southern Asia
3.3
World
3.4
Cost of a healthy diet per capita
4.3 PPP dollar/capita/day
Per-person cost of the least expensive locally available foods to meet daily needs, based on food-based dietary guidelines
2021
Source: FAOSTAT
Sri Lanka
56
Southern Asia
72
World
42
Percent of the population who cannot afford a healthy diet
56%
Share of the population whose food budget is less than the cost of a healthy diet
2021
Source: FAOSTAT
Sri Lanka
133.2
Southern Asia
180.3
World
261.4
Availability of fruits
133.2 g/capita/day
Amount of fruits—an underconsumed yet highly nutritious food group—available in a country’s food supply per capita per day
2021
Source: FAOSTAT
Sri Lanka
211.4
Southern Asia
239.9
World
300.8
Availability of vegetables
211.4 g/capita/day
Amount of vegetables—an underconsumed yet highly nutritious food group—available in a country’s food supply per capita per day
2021
Source: FAOSTAT
Sri Lanka
39
Southern Asia
62
World
68
Percent of the population using safely managed drinking water services
39%
Share of the population that gets drinking water from an improved source, providing the clean water essential for food security (SDG 6.1.1)
2022
Sri Lanka
0.7
Southern Asia
1
World
155.1
Retail value (total sales) of ultra-processed foods per capita
0.7 current PPP dollar/capita/year
Annual perperson sales of ultra-processed foods, which are known to be associated with poor health outcomes
2021
Sri Lanka
82
Southern Asia
45
World
66
MDD-W: Minimum dietary diversity for women
82%
Share of women who consumed at least the minimum recommended food groups the previous day, which makes it more likely they consume adequate micronutrients
2021
Sri Lanka
58
Southern Asia
27
World
39
All-5: Consumption of all five food groups
58%
Share of the adult population consuming all five food groups typically recommended for daily consumption
2021
Sri Lanka
4.2
Southern Asia
3.3
World
3.8
NCD-Protect
4.2
Average score for adults on an indicator of dietary practices protective against noncommunicable diseases, like eating enough fiber, on a scale from 0 to 9
2021
Sri Lanka
1.6
Southern Asia
1.5
World
2.1
NCD-Risk
1.6
Average score for adults on an indicator of dietary practices known to raise the risk of noncommunicable diseases, like eating too much sugar, on a scale from 0 to 9
2021
Sri Lanka
6
Southern Asia
20
World
11
Adults: Zero fruit or vegetable consumption
6%
Share of adults who did not consume any fruits or vegetables the previous day
2021
Sri Lanka
7
Southern Asia
14
World
19
Adults: Soft drink consumption
7%
Share of adults who consumed a sugar-sweetened soft drink, which are generally known to be unhealthy, during the previous day
2021
Sri Lanka
5
Southern Asia
16
World
11
POU: Prevalence of undernourishment
5%
Share of the population that goes hungry—that is, lacks enough calories for a healthy, active life (SDG 2.1.1)
2021
Source: FAOSTAT
Sri Lanka
11
Southern Asia
40
World
31
Percent of the population experiencing moderate or severe food insecurity
11%
Per-person cost of the least expensive locally available foods to meet daily needs, based on food-based dietary guidelines
2021
Source: FAOSTAT
Sri Lanka
78
Southern Asia
19
World
32
MDD (IYCF): Minimum dietary diversity for infants and young children
78%
Share of young children who consumed at least the minimum recommended food groups the previous day, which makes it more likely they consume adequate micronutrients
2016
Source: UNICEF
Sri Lanka
11
Southern Asia
54
World
39
Children (6-23 months): Zero fruit or vegetable consumption
11% population 6-23 months
Share of young children who did not consume any fruits or vegetables the previous day
2016
Source: UNICEF
Less Desirable
More Desirable

Environment, natural resources, and production

Less Desirable
More Desirable
Sri Lanka
96
Southern Asia
42
World
63
Cropland nitrogen use efficiency
96%
2021
Source: FAOSTAT
Sri Lanka
3
Southern Asia
3.5
World
4.2
Cereals yield
3 tonnes/ha
Yield, or production per unit area (tonnes per hectare)—an indicator of how efficient production is
2022
Source: FAOSTAT
Sri Lanka
16.1
Southern Asia
14.4
World
13.8
Fruit yield
16.1 tonnes/ha
Yield, or production per unit area (tonnes per hectare)—an indicator of how efficient production is
2022
Source: FAOSTAT
Sri Lanka
12.3
Southern Asia
15.5
World
20.1
Vegetable yield
12.3 tonnes/ha
Yield, or production per unit area (tonnes per hectare)—an indicator of how efficient production is
2022
Source: FAOSTAT
Sri Lanka
1,203.3
Southern Asia
1,825.4
World
2,262.9
Cow's milk yield
1,203.3 100 g/animal
Yield, or production per animal (100 g per animal)—an indicator of how efficient production is
2022
Source: FAOSTAT
Sri Lanka
1,310
Southern Asia
1,285.2
World
2,210.1
Beef yield
1,310 100 g/animal
Yield, or production per animal (100 g per animal)—an indicator of how efficient production is
2022
Source: FAOSTAT
Southern Asia
27.2
World
21.2
Fishery health index progress score
No Data
An indicator summarizing the availability and sustainability of fish, which are at risk of overfishing or environmental degradation
Sri Lanka
14,887.9
Southern Asia
216,683.4
World
83,692.6
Agri-food systems greenhouse gas emissions
14,887.9 kT CO2eq
Greenhouse gas emissions (kt CO2 equivalents) from food systems
2021
Source: FAOSTAT
Sri Lanka
0.4
Southern Asia
0.2
World
0.2
Greenhouse gas emissions intensity for cereals (excluding rice)
0.4 kg CO2eq/kg product
Greenhouse gas emissions (kg CO2 equivalents) per kilogram produced of cereals (excluding rice)
2021
Source: FAOSTAT
Sri Lanka
0.8
Southern Asia
0.8
World
1.1
Greenhouse gas emissions intensity for rice
0.8 kg CO2eq/kg product
Greenhouse gas emissions (kg CO2 equivalents) per kilogram produced of rice
2021
Source: FAOSTAT
Sri Lanka
1.7
Southern Asia
1.2
World
1
Greenhouse gas emissions intensity for cow's milk
1.7 kg CO2eq/kg product
Greenhouse gas emissions (kg CO2 equivalents) per kilogram produced of cow's milk
2021
Source: FAOSTAT
Sri Lanka
36.2
Southern Asia
29.5
World
28.3
Greenhouse gas emissions intensity for beef
36.2 kg CO2eq/kg product
Greenhouse gas emissions (kg CO2 equivalents) per kilogram produced of beef
2021
Source: FAOSTAT
Sri Lanka
1
Southern Asia
0
World
0
Cropland area change
1% change
Average percentage change in cropland over the previous five years; expanding cropland is a major driver of biodiversity and ecosystem service loss and greenhouse gas emissions
2021
Source: FSCI
Sri Lanka
42
Southern Asia
11
World
43
Functional integrity: Agricultural land with minimum level of natural habitat
42% agricultural land
Percentage of agricultural land area with enough semi-natural or natural habitat, relative to the amount of cropland or rangeland, to maintain biodiversity and functioning ecosystems
2015
Sri Lanka
21
Southern Asia
40
World
17
Agriculture water withdrawal as percent of total renewable water resources
21%
Water withdrawn for irrigation each year, as a percentage of the total renewable water resources available
2020
Source: AQUASTAT
Sri Lanka
1.2
Southern Asia
0.4
World
2.3
Pesticide use per area of cropland
1.2 kg/ha
The use of pesticides per area of cropland (kg active ingredient per hectare); pesticide use can cause pollution and harm health
2021
Source: FAOSTAT
Less Desirable
More Desirable

Livelihoods, Poverty, and Equity

Less Desirable
More Desirable
Sri Lanka
9
Southern Asia
16
World
4
Share of agriculture in GDP
9% GDP
Percentage of a country’s GDP derived from agriculture, a measure of the level of economic development of the country
2022
Source: FAOSTAT
Sri Lanka
4
Southern Asia
4
World
4
Unemployment rate (Rural)
4% working age population
Percentage of working-age people in rural areas who are unemployed
2022
Source: ILO
Sri Lanka
3
Southern Asia
3
World
6
Underemployment rate (Rural)
3% working age population
Percentage of working-age people in rural areas who are underemployed (i.e., worked fewer hours than expected)
2022
Source: ILO
Sri Lanka
38
Southern Asia
74
World
58
Social protection coverage
38% population
Percentage of people who live in households that benefit from social protection programs, like cash transfers and health insurance
2019
Source: World Bank
Sri Lanka
17
Southern Asia
8
World
23
Social protection adequacy
17% welfare of beneficiary households
An indicator showing the extent to which social protection is sufficient to meet household needs
2019
Source: World Bank
Sri Lanka
1
Southern Asia
5
World
8
Percent of children 5-17 years engaged in child labor
1% children 5-17
Percentage of children ages 5–17 who are engaged in child labor, the majority of which is known to be in the food system and specifically in agriculture
2016
Source: UNICEF
Southern Asia
25
World
31
Share of women among owners or rights-bearers of agricultural land
No Data
Source:
Less Desirable
More Desirable

Governance

Less Desirable
More Desirable
Sri Lanka
0.6
Southern Asia
0.6
World
0.6
Civil society participation index
0.6
An indicator capturing the level of participation in civil society organizations
2022
Sri Lanka
2
Southern Asia
2
World
8
Percent of the urban population living in cities signed onto the Milan Urban Food Policy Pact
2%
Percentage of the urban population that lives in cities signed on to the Milan Urban Food Policy Pact, suggesting prioritization of food issues in urban planning
2023
Source: Milan Urban Food Policy Pact
Oakridge National Laboratory (Landscan population product)
FSCI
Southern Asia
NaN
World
NaN
Degree of legal recognition of the right to food
No Data
An indicator that classifies countries by the extent to which national laws or policies recognize or enact people’s right to sufficient food
Source: FAOLEXFSCI
Southern Asia
NaN
World
NaN
Presence of a national food system transformation pathway
No Data
Whether the country has developed a food system transformation pathway through the UNFSS process
Source: FAOFSCI
Sri Lanka
-0.4
Southern Asia
0
World
0
Government effectiveness index
-0.4
An index capturing the perception of how effective the government is in making and enforcing policies and providing services
2022
Sri Lanka
40
Southern Asia
57.3
World
69.5
Food safety capacity
40
Whether functioning mechanisms exist to detect and respond to foodborne disease issues, measured as the percentage of a set of criteria met
2020
Southern Asia
NaN
World
NaN
Presence of national health-related food environment policies
No Data
Whether the country has any health-related food taxes, which are used to discourage consumption of unhealthy foods
Sri Lanka
0.8
Southern Asia
0.3
World
0.2
V-Dem accountability index
0.8
An index capturing the extent to which the government is seen as being accountable for its actions
2022
Sri Lanka
30
Southern Asia
37.5
World
43
Open budget index score
30
A score based on how easily the public can access information about how the government raises and spends money
2021
Southern Asia
NaN
World
NaN
Guarantees for public access to information
No Data
Whether the country has and implements guarantees for access to information (SDG 16.10.2)
Less Desirable
More Desirable

Resilience

Less Desirable
More Desirable
Southern Asia
NaN
World
NaN
Ratio of total damages from all disasters to GDP
No Data
Cost of all damage from natural disasters, as a percentage of GDP
Source: EM-DAT
Sri Lanka
0.6
Southern Asia
0.7
World
0.7
Dietary sourcing flexibility index
0.6
An index capturing the diversity of pathways through which food reaches consumers, indicating how difficult it is to disrupt the food supply
2019
Source:
FAO
Sri Lanka
143.1
Southern Asia
110.1
World
110.1
Mobile cellular subscriptions
143.1 Number per 100 people
Number of mobile phone subscriptions as a percentage of the population, indicating the level of infrastructure and access to information to respond to shocks
2022
Sri Lanka
0.5
Southern Asia
0.4
World
0.5
Social capital index
0.5
An index for the social capital in the country—how much people feel they can trust and can rely on their government and one another
2021
Sri Lanka
77
Southern Asia
62
World
25
Proportion of agricultural land with minimum level of species diversity (crop and pasture)
77% agricultural land
Percentage of agricultural land (crop and pasture) containing a sufficient diversity of species, which helps cope with shocks and changes
2020
Source:
Jones et al. 2021
Sri Lanka
12,392
Southern Asia
276,969
World
163,165.1
Number of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture secured in either medium- or long-term conservation facilities
12,392
Number of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture secured in medium- or long-term conservation facilities (SDG 2.5.1)
2021
Source: FAOSTAT
Southern Asia
29.7
World
3.8
Number of animal genetic resources for food and agriculture secured in either medium- or long-term conservation facilities
No Data
Number of animal genetic resources for food and agriculture secured in medium- or long-term conservation facilities (SDG 2.5.1)
Source: FAOSTAT
Sri Lanka
0.5
Southern Asia
0.3
World
0.4
Prevalence of severe coping strategies
0.5
Percentage of high-risk populations who need to rely on extreme strategies to cope with food insecurity
2022
Source:
WFP
Sri Lanka
1.1
Southern Asia
0.8
World
0.7
Food price volatility
1.1
How much food prices vary over time, indicating how well the food system can respond to shocks
2022
Source: FAOSTATFSCI
Sri Lanka
9
Southern Asia
22.5
World
32.2
Food supply variability per capita
9 kcal/capita/day
How much the food supply (in calories per person per day) varies over time, indicating how well the food system can respond to shocks
2021
Source: FAOSTAT
Less Desirable
More Desirable