Married women are required by law to obey their husbands in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Married women are required by law to obey their husbands was 1 (1=yes; 0=no) in 2023. ▬ Flat
Married women are required by law to obey their husbands in Sri Lanka, 1970–2023
Source: Women, Business and the Law; World Bank – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in (1=yes; 0=no).
Analysis
In 2023, married women are required by law to obey their husbands in Sri Lanka stood at 1 (1=yes; 0=no). That is the highest value across all 54 years on record.
That represents a change of unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, married women are required by law to obey their husbands in Sri Lanka peaked at 1 (1=yes; 0=no) in 1970 and was at its lowest, 1 (1=yes; 0=no), in 1970.
Sri Lanka ranks 1st of 188 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
Married women are required by law to obey their husbands in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | (1=yes; 0=no) | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | — |
| 1971 | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | +0.0% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 1 (1=yes; 0=no) is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 1 (1=yes; 0=no), 1.0× the median. (55 countries reporting)
- Sri Lanka's 1 (1=yes; 0=no) is above the median for South Asia, which is 1 (1=yes; 0=no), 1.0× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 10 |
| 1980s | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 10 |
| 1990s | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 10 |
| 2000s | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 10 |
| 2010s | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 10 |
| 2020s | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 4 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
- 1 Albania 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Algeria 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Angola 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Antigua and Barbuda 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Argentina 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Armenia 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Australia 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Austria 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Azerbaijan 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Bahamas 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Bangladesh 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Barbados 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Belarus 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Belgium 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Belize 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Benin 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Bhutan 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Bolivia 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Bosnia and Herzegovina 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Botswana 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Brazil 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Bulgaria 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Burkina Faso 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Burundi 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Cambodia 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Cameroon 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Canada 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Cape Verde 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Central African Republic 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Chad 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Chile 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 China 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Colombia 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Comoros 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Congo 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Costa Rica 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Cote d'Ivoire 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Croatia 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Cyprus 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Czechia 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Democratic Republic of Congo 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Denmark 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Dominica 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Dominican Republic 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 East Timor 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Ecuador 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 El Salvador 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Eritrea 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Estonia 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Eswatini 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Ethiopia 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Fiji 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Finland 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 France 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Gabon 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Gambia 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Georgia 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Germany 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Ghana 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Greece 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Grenada 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Guatemala 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Guinea 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Guinea-Bissau 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Guyana 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Haiti 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Honduras 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Hong Kong 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Hungary 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Iceland 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 India 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Indonesia 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Ireland 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Israel 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Italy 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Jamaica 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Japan 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Kazakhstan 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Kenya 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Kiribati 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Kyrgyzstan 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Laos 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Latvia 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Lebanon 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Lesotho 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Liberia 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Libya 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Lithuania 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Luxembourg 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Madagascar 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Malawi 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Maldives 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Malta 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Marshall Islands 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Mauritius 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Mexico 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Micronesia (country) 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Moldova 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Mongolia 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Montenegro 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Morocco 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Mozambique 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Myanmar 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Namibia 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Nepal 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Netherlands 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 New Zealand 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Nicaragua 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Niger 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Nigeria 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 North Macedonia 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Norway 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Oman 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Pakistan 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Palau 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Panama 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Papua New Guinea 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Paraguay 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Peru 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Philippines 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Poland 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Portugal 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Puerto Rico 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Romania 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Russia 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Rwanda 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Saint Kitts and Nevis 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Saint Lucia 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Samoa 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 San Marino 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Sao Tome and Principe 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Senegal 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Serbia 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Seychelles 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Sierra Leone 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Singapore 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Slovakia 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Slovenia 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Solomon Islands 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Somalia 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 South Africa 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 South Korea 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 South Sudan 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Spain 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Suriname 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Sweden 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Switzerland 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Syria 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Tajikistan 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Tanzania 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Thailand 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Togo 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Tonga 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Trinidad and Tobago 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Tunisia 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Turkey 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Uganda 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Ukraine 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 United Arab Emirates 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 United Kingdom 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 United States 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Uruguay 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Uzbekistan 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Vanuatu 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Venezuela 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Vietnam 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Zambia 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
- 1 Zimbabwe 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
More gender data for Sri Lanka
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) 4,804 (2030)
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) (0-14), annual growth -0.8687 % change on previous year (2030)
- Population 18,964 (2030)
- Working-age population (UN estimates and projections) 18,964 (2030)
- Population (UN estimates and projections), annual growth rate 0.7411 % change on previous year (2030)
- Age population, age 00, female, interpolated 155,366 (2025)
- Age population, age 00, male, interpolated 162,031 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, female, interpolated 156,342 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, male, interpolated 163,015 (2025)
- Age population, age 02, female, interpolated 157,484 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is married women are required by law to obey their husbands in Sri Lanka?
- Married women are required by law to obey their husbands in Sri Lanka was 1 (1=yes; 0=no) in 2023, according to Women, Business and the Law; World Bank – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest married women are required by law to obey their husbands recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 1 (1=yes; 0=no) in 1970.
- What is the lowest married women are required by law to obey their husbands recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 1 (1=yes; 0=no) in 1970.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for married women are required by law to obey their husbands?
- Sri Lanka ranks 1st out of 188 countries with data for 2023.
- Is married women are required by law to obey their husbands rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Sri Lanka data come from?
- The figures come from Women, Business and the Law; World Bank – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Married women are required by law to obey their husbands. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
This indicator captures whether family law includes any provision requiring a married woman to obey her husband or penalizing her for disobedience, such as loss of maintenance rights.