Sri Lanka has been ranked third worst in the world for food price inflation, according to a report from the World Bank, as an economic crisis continues and malnutrition looms.
According the data analysed by the global body, Sri Lanka ranked third in terms of real food inflation, with 30% rate of increase based on the latest month from May to August 2022.
In terms of nominal food inflation, which does not take into account overall inflation Sri Lanka ranks fourth in the world, behind Zimbabwe, Lebanon and Venezuela.
See the report here.
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) warned this month that 30 percent of the population in Sri Lanka is “experiencing acute food insecurity” and will need urgent assistance.
UNICEF also warned of child malnutrition in Sri Lanka, though the government’s health ministry rejected the notion.
The International Monetary Fund agreed an emergency bailout plan with the Sri Lankan government last month, as an unprecedented economic crisis continues to ravage the island.