Sri Lanka’s Digital and Trade Reforms Risk Widening Inequality — UNDP

Sri Lanka’s push toward Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) and trade liberalisation may deepen inequality unless major access and capability gaps are Vagisha Gunasekara has warned. Speaking in response to a CEPA lecture on the World Bank’s South Asia Development Update, she said AI, digital systems, and trade reforms will disproportionately benefit groups already equipped to access them.

More than one third of households remain offline, only 37% of adults use the internet, and computer literacy stands at 34%. Women, rural communities, and persons with disabilities face even greater barriers. She noted that digital divides worsened during COVID-19, shaping unequal future labour-market outcomes.

Sri Lanka is expanding digital identity, payments, and e-Government systems while aiming to grow the digital economy to 10% of GDP. Dr. Gunasekara cautioned that unless DPI is designed for low-income and rural users, reforms could reinforce — rather than reduce — structural inequali

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