Wednesday, December 12, 2012

A Few Random Statistics on Sri Lanka

Here are a few statistics, mostly from Sri Lanka’s Central Bank, Economic and Social Statistics, 2012, a few from conversations with friends.

• Sri Lanka’s population is 20 million.

• 76% are Buddhists, 9% are Muslims, 8% are Hindus, and 7% are Christians.

• The average household has four people.

• The average life expectancy is 75 years.

• Unemployment was three-and-a-half percent in 2010.

• The median monthly income is $200.

• 33% of the work force is in agriculture, 17% in manufacturing, and 15% in trade and hotels.

• ¼ of a million Sri Lankans migrated for employment in 2011, mostly to Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, and the U.A.E. 52% of those who migrated were male, while 48% were female.

• Sri Lanka’s biggest exports are textiles, garments, tea, rubber, and coconut products.

• Anuradhapura, the city near our home, has no rain for six months.

• Humidity during the six-month dry season is 60% during the day and 90% at night.

• Humidity during the rainy season (Nov and Dec) is 80% in the day and 95% at night.

• 80% of household cooking is done with wood, 16% with gas, and 4% with kerosene.

• 55% of household garbage is burned or buried, 22% is dumped outside, 15% is hauled away, and 6% is processed for fertilizer.

• There are 32 institutions of higher education in Sri Lanka, 15 of which are government-funded universities, where tuition is free for students.

• Rice is the staple food in Sri Lankan, eaten three times a day by many Sri Lankans.

• The average adult consumes 20 to 25 pounds of rice a month, costing 10 to 15 cents a pound.

• Rice accounts for 17% of the average household monthly expenditures.

• There are fewer than one million internet subscribers in Sri Lanka.

• There are 18 million cell phones in use.

• The preferred mode of suicide (though uncommon) is drinking insecticides and pesticides.

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