The claim
Dilith Jayaweera claimed on live TV that 75 percent of Sri Lankans are poor and that the share of the impoverished backing the government has doubled.
Original publisher’s rating
Misleading
Reviewed by Fact Crescendo Sri Lanka ↗ ·
Read the original fact check ↗Original review summary
The review found no official figure or recognized poverty estimate putting three in four Sri Lankans in poverty. It also says the rise in poverty largely traces to the 2022–2023 crisis, before the current government took office, and that available statistics cannot establish a poverty rate for government voters as a group.[S1]
Additional context
Jayaweera appeared on Siyatha TV’s “Thrikonaya” programme on September 2, where the review says he discussed the economy and made the statements at issue. [S1]
The review reports a World Bank poverty estimate of 24.5% for 2024, compared with 11.3% in 2019, and says the current government assumed office in late 2024. [S1]
Research date:
Sources and attribution
- [S1] Fact Crescendo Sri Lanka original review
Original review · Retrieved October 15, 2026
Original review: Fact Crescendo Sri Lanka. Structured data compiled by Data Commons under CC BY 4.0. Publisher article content is subject to its own terms. Summaries and context are produced by PeakMetrics with AI assistance.
Updated