In terms of mental health, distressing trends are evident. The proportion of students without close friendships has risen from 5.6 per cent in 2016 to 7.5 per cent in 2024.
A 2024 survey conducted jointly by Sri Lanka’s Ministries of Health and Education, under the auspices of the World Health Organisation, has uncovered a striking deterioration in both physical and mental health among school-going adolescents, according to the latest figures released on 4 September 2025.
The Global Student Health Survey in Sri Lanka encompassed 2,912 students from Grades 8 to 12, aged between 13 and 17, across 40 schools nationwide. Using self-reported questionnaires, the survey assessed aspects such as alcohol and drug use, eating habits, physical activity levels, psychosocial wellbeing, injuries, exposure to violence and skipping meals due to food insufficiency.
A comparison with data from a similar 2016 survey shows a worrying trend across multiple indicators. There has been an increase in substance use, consumption of sugar sweetened beverages, physical inactivity, sedentary habits and various psychosocial problems. Researchers report a dual burden of malnutrition, alongside elevated rates of smoking, violent injury experiences, physical fights and incidents of cyberbullying.
Undernourishment and Depression
Concerning nutritional data reveals that 21.4 per cent of the surveyed adolescents are underweight, while 12.1 per cent are overweight and 3 per cent are obese. Undernourishment is typically linked to chronic malnutrition, whereas overweight and obesity appear to be driven by poor diet and lack of physical exercise. Moreover, some students reported food insecurity: 4.3 per cent said they had felt hungry because there was not enough food at home in the 30 days before the survey – up from 3.1 per cent in 2016. A further 1.8 per cent said they had skipped breakfast due to food shortages in the seven days leading up to their response.
Fruit and vegetable intake remains notably low. Nearly a quarter – 24.9 per cent – reported not having eaten any fruit in the week prior to the survey; 3.1 per cent had not eaten any vegetables. Only 26.1 per cent of students consumed vegetables three or more times a day.
In terms of mental health, distressing trends are evident. The proportion of students without close friendships has risen from 5.6 per cent in 2016 to 7.5 per cent in 2024. Feelings of loneliness have also more than doubled – from 9 per cent to 22.4 per cent. Anxiety has taken a heavier toll too: 11.9 per cent of students reported sleep disruption caused by anxiety, compared to just 4.6 per cent in 2016.
Depressive symptoms have surged. Overall, 18 per cent of students displayed signs of depression, with 16 to 17 year olds particularly affected, at a rate of 26.3 per cent. Self harm ideation has also increased alarmingly – 15.4 per cent of respondents said they had considered suicide, up from 9.4 per cent in 2016. Suicide attempts have similarly risen, from 6.8 per cent to 9.1 per cent. Further compounding concerns, over one third of pupils – 36.2 per cent – reported severe psychological distress, yet only a mere 2.1 per cent sought help from adolescent clinics.
Adolescent Health
When asked to comment on these results, a senior official from the Ministry of Health attributed much of the mental health burden to an education culture steeped in competition. The official noted that students are compelled into private tuition, leaving little to no time for rest, exercise, creative or artistic pursuits, or simply being outdoors.
Proposed education reforms under the current government, led by the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna and National People’s Power, aim to address this by reducing competition in schooling and expanding high quality learning opportunities without pressure. However, critics argue that the reforms risk aligning education more closely with labour market demands at the expense of subjects such as art or history, potentially undermining broader educational development.
Compounding these challenges, survey authors call for an adolescent responsive health system. Recommendations include allocating more resources to adolescent health, ensuring that health providers are trained to serve this age group appropriately, expanding service access and promoting widespread awareness among young people.
Yet public health funding is heading in the opposite direction. In 2024, public health expenditure stood at 410 billion rupees – roughly equivalent to US $1.27 billion – only to be trimmed to 383 billion rupees in 2025, as part of austerity measures tied to International Monetary Fund requirements.
The survey findings also underscore how the education crisis is rooted in widening social inequality, limited university placements and shrinking job prospects – trends reinforced by decades of austerity. Education spending has persistently hovered at just one to two per cent of GDP, with projections pointing to further cuts aligned with external financial directives.
Food insecurity
Food insecurity plays a tragically central role in this crisis. A recent international agency report estimates that 2.3 million children in Sri Lanka currently lack enough to eat. Families face soaring living costs and diminishing access to healthcare and schooling, with public services being ever more stretched.
Economic forecasts warn that the national poverty rate may rise to 22.7 per cent this year, a scenario made more likely by ongoing privatisation of key public enterprises and the fallout from global economic tensions including the US–China trade war. Job losses are mounting, exacerbating hardship across vulnerable communities.
To reverse the deepening crisis, analysts argue, Sri Lanka will require substantial investment in public health, education and employment. Without such measures, many young citizens will continue to face declines in both physical and mental wellbeing – undermining the future development of the country.
Image: UNICEF
