Pray for Sri Lanka

About Sri Lanka

The capital is Colombo. People speak Sinhala and Tamil. The largest faith is Buddhism.

Source: Wikipedia, with the cited sources it lists.

Prayer briefing for Sri Lanka

Last updated October 2026. Facts come from the sources listed below.

Current events

Sri Lanka is still rebuilding after Cyclone Ditwah, which killed more than 640 people in late 2025 and affected over a tenth of the population. The World Bank reports that only a small part of the reconstruction money had been spent by mid 2026. Floods and mudslides in August killed seven more people, and riots in several prisons in July and August left many dead and injured.

We pray for: Immediate relief, safety and urgent help.

Leadership and politics

Sri Lanka is a republic led by an elected President. The President is Anura Kumara Dissanayake and the Prime Minister is Harini Amarasuriya, both of the National People's Power, in office since September 2024. Courts have convicted several former ministers and officials for corruption this year, and in July two former senior officials were sentenced over the 2019 Easter attacks.

We pray for: Wisdom, integrity and justice for those in authority.

Economic health

The economy grew about 5% in 2025 and about 4.7% in the first half of 2026, and the World Bank has raised Sri Lanka to upper middle income. But real wages are still about 12% below 2019, and about one in six people lives below the $4.20 a day poverty line. Inflation rose to about 8% in August, and in July the United States placed a 10% tariff on Sri Lankan goods.

We pray for: Provision for families and honest stewardship.

Social and cultural issues

Sri Lanka is home to a Sinhalese majority, Tamils of the north and east and of the hill country, and Muslims, with smaller communities as well. Trust between communities still needs care after decades of conflict. The poor, those who lost homes and land in the cyclone, and families still searching for missing loved ones are among the most vulnerable.

We pray for: Reconciliation, peace and protection of the vulnerable.

Spiritual landscape

The 2012 census found about 70% of Sri Lankans Buddhist, about 13% Hindu, about 10% Muslim and about 7% Christian. Most Sinhalese are Buddhist and most Tamils Hindu, with a Christian minority among Tamils. About four in five Christians are Catholic, and churches are strongest in the Western, Northwestern, Northern and Eastern provinces.

We pray for: Spiritual awakening, hope and the spread of truth.

Religious freedom

The constitution gives Buddhism the foremost place among the faiths, though it is not a state religion. The US State Department reports that new places of worship need ministry approval, and some evangelical churches have been told to stop meeting for lack of registration; a Christian monitoring group recorded 43 incidents against Christians in 2023. Muslims and Hindus have also faced pressures, including disputes over sacred land. Many Sri Lankans of all faiths live in peace side by side.

We pray for: Protection for believers and freedom to worship safely.

Historical wounds

The civil war from 1983 to 2009 between the government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam cost about 70,000 to 130,000 lives. Tamils in the north bore a heavy toll, and Sinhalese, Muslim and Tamil families across the island lost loved ones. On Easter Sunday 2019, bombings of churches and hotels killed more than 250 people, a deep wound for Christians and for the whole nation.

We pray for: National healing, breaking old cycles and deep forgiveness.

Let us pray together

Our Father, we come to You together for Sri Lanka. Bring shelter, safety and comfort to all who lost homes and loved ones in the cyclone and the floods. Give President Dissanayake, Prime Minister Amarasuriya and all in authority wisdom, integrity and justice. Provide for every family, raise wages and lift the poor out of need. Bring reconciliation between Sinhalese, Tamils and Muslims, and protect the vulnerable and the families of the missing. Let Your truth and hope spread in every town and village, and strengthen Your church. Keep believers safe and give them freedom to worship. Heal the deep wounds of the war and of Easter 2019, and lead Sri Lanka in forgiveness and peace. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Sources

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