The World Giving Index (WGI) is an annual report published by the Charities Aid Foundation, using data gathered by Gallup, and ranks over 140 countries in the world according to how charitable they are. The aim of the World Giving Index is to provide insight into the scope and nature of giving around the world. The first edition was released in September 2010. [1] The most recent edition was published in October 2022, with Indonesia, Kenya and the United States of America ranking as the top three. Australia, New Zealand, Myanmar, Sierra Leone, Canada, Zambia, and Ukraine making up the rest of the top ten. [2]
This report is primarily based upon data from the Gallup World Poll, which is an ongoing research project carried out in more than 140 countries that together represent around 95% of the world's adult population (around 5 billion people). In most countries surveyed, 1,000 questionnaires are completed by a representative sample of individuals living across the country. The coverage area is the entire country, including rural areas. The sampling frame represents the entire civilian, non-institutionalized, aged 15 and older population of the entire country. In some large countries such as China and Russia, samples of at least 2,000 are collected, while in a small number of countries, the poll covers 500 to 1,000 people but still features a representative sample. The survey is not conducted in a limited number of instances, including where the safety of interviewing staff is threatened, scarcely populated islands in some countries, and areas that interviewers can reach only by foot, animal, or small boat. [3]
In all, over 150,000 people were interviewed by Gallup in 2014, and samples are probability-based. Surveys are carried out by telephone or face-to-face depending on the country's telephone coverage. [4] There is of course a margin of error (the amount of random sampling error) in the results for each country, which is calculated by Gallup around a proportion at the 95% confidence level (the level of confidence that the results are a true reflection of the whole population). The maximum margin of error is calculated assuming a reported percentage of 50% and takes into account the design effect.
Gallup asked people which of the following three charitable acts they had undertaken in the past month: [4]
Country | 2022 rank [2] | 2021 rank [5] | 2019 rank [6] | 2018 rank [7] | 2017 rank [8] | 2016 rank [9] | 2015 rank [4] | 2014 rank [10] | 2013 rank [11] |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Indonesia | 1 | 1 | 10 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 22 | 13 | 17 |
Kenya | 2 | 2 | 11 | 8 | 3 | 12 | 11 | 15 | 33 |
United States | 3 | 19 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Australia | 4 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
New Zealand | 5 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 2 |
Myanmar | 6 | 4 | 2 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
Sierra Leone | 7 | n/a | 20 | 20 | 12 | 46 | 54 | 55 | n/a |
Canada | 8 | 35 | 6 | 14 | 7 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 2 |
Zambia | 9 | 17 | 32 | 21 | 18 | 63 | 51 | 47 | 45 |
Ukraine | 10 | 20 | 101 | 81 | 90 | 106 | 89 | 103 | 102 |
Ireland | 11 | 26 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 4 | 5 |
Thailand | 12 | 10 | 21 | 61 | 16 | 37 | 19 | 21 | 38 |
Czech Republic | 13 | 88 | 111 | 125 | 128 | 121 | 130 | 112 | 103 |
Nigeria | 14 | 3 | 22 | 16 | 28 | 56 | 43 | 21 | 20 |
United Arab Emirates | 15 | 13 | 14 | 12 | 9 | 10 | 14 | n/a | n/a |
Poland | 16 | 37 | 86 | 112 | 105 | 109 | 78 | 115 | 84 |
United Kingdom | 17 | 22 | 7 | 5 | 11 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 6 |
Brazil | 18 | 54 | 74 | 73 | n/a | n/a | 61 | n/a | n/a |
Guinea | 19 | n/a | 51 | 70 | 98 | 69 | 80 | 40 | 74 |
Philippines | 20 | 65 | 33 | 89 | 54 | 47 | 46 | 30 | 16 |
Argentina | 21 | 74 | 75 | 94 | 83 | 83 | 108 | 77 | 78 |
Uganda | 22 | 8 | 35 | 50 | 22 | 26 | 57 | 34 | 48 |
Iceland | 23 | 46 | n/a | 17 | 15 | 17 | n/a | 14 | 17 |
Denmark | 24 | 40 | 16 | 24 | 21 | 20 | 39 | 18 | 25 |
Mongolia | 25 | 16 | 37 | 45 | 29 | 27 | 52 | 32 | 41 |
Honduras | 26 | n/a | 43 | 46 | 40 | 74 | 60 | 58 | 55 |
Serbia | 27 | 48 | 123 | 129 | 132 | 135 | 118 | 124 | 123 |
Jamaica | 28 | 57 | n/a | 56 | n/a | n/a | 21 | 20 | n/a |
Netherlands | 29 | 39 | 8 | 11 | 10 | 13 | 7 | 12 | 8 |
Russia | 30 | 67 | 117 | 110 | 124 | 126 | 129 | 126 | 123 |
Singapore | 31 | n/a | 46 | 7 | 30 | 28 | 34 | n/a | 64 |
Norway | 32 | 47 | n/a | 13 | 20 | 14 | 15 | n/a | 11 |
Austria | 33 | 62 | 15 | 32 | 26 | 30 | 23 | 17 | 15 |
Macedonia | 34 | 38 | 96 | 130 | 64 | 119 | 86 | 72 | 118 |
Malta | 35 | 77 | 12 | 18 | 13 | 16 | 12 | 16 | 12 |
Venezuela | 36 | 53 | 108 | 107 | 115 | 117 | 128 | 134 | 91 |
Mexico | 37 | 73 | 73 | 114 | 106 | 107 | 90 | 85 | 76 |
Dominican Republic | 38 | 33 | 31 | 49 | 32 | 36 | 41 | 27 | 39 |
Paraguay | 39 | 23 | 60 | 59 | 120 | 101 | 125 | 68 | 45 |
Sri Lanka | 40 | 63 | 9 | 27 | n/a | 5 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
Kyrgyzstan | 41 | 36 | 55 | 55 | 85 | 34 | 18 | 83 | 73 |
Bosnia and Herzegovina | 42 | 60 | 91 | 90 | 59 | 128 | 88 | 103 | 109 |
Costa Rica | 43 | 83 | 39 | 62 | 43 | 62 | 36 | 34 | 23 |
Kosovo | 44 | 9 | 62 | 66 | 65 | 60 | 116 | 50 | 78 |
Bolivia | 45 | 55 | 61 | 86 | 70 | 70 | 65 | 57 | 54 |
Ghana | 46 | 6 | 38 | 37 | 23 | 77 | 63 | 54 | 61 |
Vietnam | 47 | 25 | 84 | n/a | 116 | 64 | 79 | 79 | 116 |
Iran | 48 | 32 | 23 | 29 | 17 | 45 | 32 | 19 | n/a |
China | 49 | 95 | 126 | 142 | 138 | 140 | 144 | 128 | 133 |
Sweden | 50 | 64 | 29 | 42 | 34 | 25 | 28 | 40 | 39 |
Colombia | 51 | 51 | 49 | 80 | 61 | 73 | 66 | 53 | 31 |
Ecuador | 52 | 90 | 98 | 119 | 53 | 97 | 131 | 132 | 84 |
Slovakia | 53 | 72 | 94 | 88 | 102 | 124 | 123 | 94 | 101 |
Bulgaria | 54 | 45 | 120 | 126 | 127 | 129 | 115 | 126 | 118 |
Germany | 55 | 85 | 18 | 22 | 19 | 21 | 20 | 28 | 22 |
Nepal | 56 | 27 | 53 | 52 | 51 | 39 | 76 | 44 | 55 |
India | 57 | 14 | 82 | 124 | 81 | 91 | 106 | 69 | 93 |
Nicaragua | 58 | 41 | 68 | 67 | 87 | 76 | 69 | 67 | 82 |
Uruguay | 59 | 71 | 65 | 77 | 60 | 58 | 77 | 62 | 47 |
Cyprus | 60 | 70 | 24 | 35 | 45 | 35 | 42 | 23 | 24 |
Senegal | 61 | 50 | 71 | 87 | 79 | 95 | 85 | 79 | 57 |
Hungary | 62 | 82 | 109 | 120 | 119 | 134 | 124 | 72 | 78 |
Turkey | 63 | 78 | n/a | 131 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 128 | 128 |
Estonia | 64 | 84 | 95 | 109 | 100 | 118 | 99 | 103 | 93 |
Burkina Faso | 65 | n/a | 87 | 82 | 86 | 72 | 104 | 90 | 109 |
Tajikistan | 66 | 11 | 44 | 36 | 50 | 87 | 73 | 34 | 64 |
Malawi | 67 | n/a | 36 | 57 | 36 | 38 | 44 | 56 | 43 |
Peru | 68 | 57 | 72 | 100 | 88 | 65 | 114 | 72 | 84 |
Slovenia | 69 | 94 | 40 | 47 | 58 | 40 | 37 | 34 | 44 |
Uzbekistan | 70 | 29 | 25 | 53 | 38 | 11 | 27 | 28 | 50 |
Chile | 71 | 31 | 41 | 61 | 49 | 55 | 49 | 50 | 35 |
Congo | 72 | 56 | 76 | 115 | 77 | 136 | 91 | 99 | 93 |
Mali | 73 | 80 | 99 | 93 | 112 | 99 | 121 | 118 | 123 |
Finland | 74 | 81 | 25 | 44 | 37 | 24 | 31 | 25 | 33 |
Iraq | 75 | 34 | 52 | 34 | 39 | 31 | 38 | 43 | 89 |
Switzerland | 76 | 97 | 13 | 26 | 33 | 23 | 40 | n/a | 12 |
Cameroon | 77 | 18 | 56 | 63 | 68 | 51 | 92 | 58 | 63 |
Israel | 78 | 92 | 34 | 38 | 35 | 43 | 75 | 32 | 31 |
Mauritius | 79 | 61 | n/a | 25 | 130 | n/a | 45 | n/a | 93 |
Ivory Coast | 80 | 52 | n/a | 111 | 91 | 104 | 107 | 69 | n/a |
Hong Kong | 81 | 104 | n/a | 30 | 25 | n/a | 26 | n/a | 17 |
Croatia | 82 | 86 | 118 | 132 | 121 | 127 | 62 | 130 | 133 |
Lithuania | 83 | 99 | 121 | 138 | 137 | 124 | 142 | 119 | 120 |
Panama | 84 | n/a | 47 | 78 | 57 | 33 | 53 | 46 | 48 |
Saudi Arabia | 85 | 49 | 50 | 51 | 48 | 41 | 47 | 47 | 57 |
El Salvador | 86 | 79 | 93 | 127 | 94 | 85 | 117 | 96 | 107 |
South Africa | 87 | 21 | 45 | 40 | 24 | 61 | 49 | 34 | 69 |
South Korea | 88 | 110 | 57 | 60 | 62 | 75 | 64 | 60 | n/a |
Namibia | 89 | 42 | n/a | 122 | n/a | n/a | 61 | n/a | n/a |
Moldova | 90 | 43 | 80 | 99 | n/a | 110 | 120 | 96 | 88 |
Taiwan | 91 | 87 | 48 | 64 | 52 | 50 | 35 | 47 | 52 |
Togo | 92 | n/a | n/a | 117 | 109 | 103 | 133 | n/a | n/a |
Kazakhstan | 93 | 98 | 78 | 96 | 87 | 96 | 56 | 101 | 66 |
Mozambique | 94 | n/a | n/a | 79 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
Gabon | 95 | 103 | 77 | 113 | 96 | 89 | 111 | 69 | 78 |
Albania | 96 | 65 | 105 | 108 | 95 | 105 | 83 | 85 | 132 |
Tanzania | 97 | 24 | 59 | 84 | 63 | 57 | 81 | 87 | 51 |
Benin | 98 | 91 | 106 | 105 | 113 | 102 | 132 | 103 | 120 |
Spain | 99 | 100 | 58 | 54 | 71 | 79 | 58 | 62 | 57 |
France | 100 | 106 | 66 | 72 | 67 | 81 | 74 | 90 | 77 |
Jordan | 101 | 102 | 90 | 75 | 74 | 71 | 118 | 99 | 120 |
Greece | 102 | 101 | 125 | 143 | 114 | 137 | 140 | 120 | 135 |
Morocco | 103 | 109 | 83 | 104 | 136 | 123 | 126 | 112 | 115 |
Georgia | 104 | 28 | 112 | 118 | 135 | 120 | 112 | 123 | 116 |
Zimbabwe | 105 | 44 | 70 | 76 | 72 | 108 | 87 | 94 | 82 |
Romania | 106 | 96 | 97 | 102 | 80 | 93 | 93 | 108 | 105 |
Algeria | 107 | 76 | n/a | 92 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | 109 |
Pakistan | 108 | 107 | 69 | 91 | n/a | 92 | 94 | 61 | 53 |
Italy | 109 | 111 | 54 | 68 | 84 | 82 | 72 | 79 | 21 |
Armenia | 110 | n/a | 114 | 123 | 122 | 130 | 138 | 124 | 113 |
Latvia | 111 | 105 | 110 | 137 | 131 | 113 | 110 | 89 | 93 |
Tunisia | 112 | 89 | 103 | 135 | 92 | 122 | 139 | 120 | 103 |
Laos | 113 | 75 | n/a | 134 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | 41 |
Portugal | 114 | 113 | 88 | 83 | 104 | 90 | 82 | 78 | 71 |
Lebanon | 115 | 108 | 67 | 85 | 76 | 80 | 96 | 65 | 68 |
Egypt | 116 | 68 | 104 | 106 | 108 | 112 | 112 | 120 | 105 |
Afghanistan | 117 | n/a | 63 | 136 | 89 | 78 | 84 | 79 | 35 |
Japan | 118 | 114 | 107 | 128 | 111 | 114 | 102 | 90 | n/a |
Cambodia | 119 | 93 | 102 | 140 | 134 | 98 | 100 | 108 | 93 |
Azerbaijan | n/a | n/a | 99 | 139 | 126 | 131 | 122 | 87 | 69 |
Angola | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | 134 | 96 | n/a |
Bahrain | n/a | 12 | n/a | 10 | n/a | n/a | 13 | n/a | n/a |
Bangladesh | n/a | 69 | 81 | 74 | 129 | 94 | 95 | 72 | 89 |
Belarus | n/a | n/a | 92 | 121 | 117 | 100 | 103 | 83 | 93 |
Belgium | n/a | 112 | 42 | 39 | 56 | 32 | 48 | 52 | 57 |
Belize | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | 70 | n/a | n/a |
Bhutan | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | 18 | 17 | n/a | n/a |
Botswana | n/a | n/a | 64 | 97 | 93 | 54 | 55 | 62 | 84 |
Burundi | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | 145 | n/a | n/a |
Central African Republic | n/a | n/a | n/a | 69 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
Comoros | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | 84 |
Chad | n/a | n/a | 89 | 101 | 99 | 111 | 136 | 115 | 93 |
Democratic Republic of the Congo | n/a | n/a | 113 | 58 | 125 | 136 | 127 | 112 | 131 |
Ethiopia | n/a | 15 | 79 | 98 | 107 | 84 | 97 | 72 | 109 |
Gambia | n/a | n/a | n/a | 31 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
Guatemala | n/a | n/a | 26 | 65 | 41 | 29 | 16 | 25 | 30 |
Haiti | n/a | n/a | 27 | 15 | 55 | 53 | 59 | 40 | 28 |
Kuwait | n/a | n/a | n/a | 33 | 31 | 19 | 24 | n/a | n/a |
Lesotho | n/a | n/a | n/a | 95 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
Liberia | n/a | n/a | 17 | 19 | 14 | 52 | 25 | 45 | n/a |
Libya | n/a | n/a | n/a | 28 | 42 | 44 | n/a | n/a | 14 |
Luxembourg | n/a | n/a | 28 | 41 | 44 | 49 | 33 | 65 | 28 |
Madagascar | n/a | n/a | 116 | 100 | 133 | 132 | 101 | 110 | 113 |
Malaysia | n/a | 29 | 30 | n/a | n/a | 22 | 10 | 7 | 71 |
Mauritania | n/a | n/a | 85 | 133 | 130 | 88 | 109 | 115 | 93 |
Montenegro | n/a | 59 | 119 | 116 | 110 | 133 | 98 | 130 | 126 |
Niger | n/a | n/a | 100 | 71 | 118 | 115 | 135 | 102 | 108 |
Northern Cyprus | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | 46 | 42 | 30 | 39 | n/a |
Palestinian Territory | n/a | n/a | 122 | 141 | n/a | 139 | 141 | 133 | 127 |
Puerto Rico | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | 29 | n/a | n/a |
Qatar | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | 9 |
Rwanda | n/a | n/a | 115 | 103 | 101 | 116 | 137 | 110 | 128 |
South Sudan | n/a | n/a | n/a | 48 | 73 | 48 | 68 | n/a | n/a |
Sudan | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | 67 | n/a | 61 |
Suriname | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | 66 |
Syria | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | 66 | n/a | 30 | 35 |
Trinidad and Tobago | n/a | n/a | n/a | 23 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 10 | n/a |
Turkmenistan | n/a | n/a | 19 | 43 | 69 | 15 | 71 | 23 | 26 |
Yemen | n/a | n/a | 124 | 144 | 139 | 138 | 143 | 134 | 130 |
"n/a" indicates a country was not surveyed for that year's World Giving Index report
In 2010, the Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa hailed the results of the Index where Sri Lanka came in 8th. President Rajapaksa said it captured "the reality of our caring and sharing society". [12]
In 2010, the President of Taiwan, Ma Ying-jeou described the results as "unfair" and stated that Taiwan had transformed itself from an "importer of love to an exporter of love". [13]
Australian Parliamentary Secretary for Social Inclusion and the Voluntary Sector and Senator for New South Wales, Dr Ursula Stephens said, "I see each day the enormous efforts of our country's five million volunteers and witness the generosity of the millions of Australians whose donations make the work of our non-profit organizations possible. So, this result on the World Giving Index is confirmation of what we already know – we are a country of generous people who are quick to lend a helping hand in times of need." [14]
The Community and Voluntary Sector Minister in New Zealand, Tariana Turia, said, "The report shows that New Zealanders are particularly generous when it comes to giving money and helping strangers, but also in terms of volunteering. As a nation we must celebrate our generosity and make sure that our decisions and our actions bolster it even further." [15]
Sri Lanka, historically known as Ceylon, and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian peninsula by the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait. It shares a maritime border with the Maldives in the southwest and India in the northwest.
Ranil Wickremesinghe is a Sri Lankan politician serving as the ninth and current President of Sri Lanka. He also holds several ministerial roles, including Minister of Finance, Minister of Defence, Minister of Technology and Minister of Women, Child Affairs and Social Empowerment. Wickremesinghe has led the United National Party (UNP) since 1994 and has been Prime Minister of Sri Lanka on six occasions.
Mahinda Rajapaksa is a Sri Lankan politician. He served as the President of Sri Lanka from 2005 to 2015; the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka from 2004 to 2005, 2018, and 2019 to 2022; the Leader of the Opposition from 2002 to 2004 and 2018 to 2019, and the Minister of Finance from 2005 to 2015 and 2019 to 2021. He has been a Member of Parliament (MP) for Kurunegala since 2015.
The United People's Freedom Alliance was a political alliance in Sri Lanka founded by former Sri Lankan president Chandrika Kumaratunga in 2004 and dissolved by former Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena in 2019.
The Sri Lanka Freedom Party is one of the main political parties of Sri Lanka. It was founded by S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike in 1951 and has been one of the two largest parties in the Sri Lankan political arena since. It first came to power in 1956 and has served as the predominant ruling party on a number of occasions. It is currently the third largest party in the Parliament of Sri Lanka after the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna and the Samagi Jana Balawegaya.
Gallup, Inc. is an American multinational analytics and advisory company based in Washington, D.C. Founded by George Gallup in 1935, the company became known for its public opinion polls conducted worldwide. Gallup provides analytics and management consulting to organizations globally. In addition the company offers educational consulting, the CliftonStrengths assessment and associated products, and business and management books published by its Gallup Press unit.
Accurate demographics of atheism are difficult to obtain since conceptions of atheism vary considerably across different cultures and languages, ranging from an active concept to being unimportant or not developed. Also in some countries and regions atheism carries a strong stigma, making it harder to count atheists in these countries. In global studies, the number of people without a religion is usually higher than the number of people without a belief in a deity and the number of people who agree with statements on lacking a belief in a deity is usually higher than the number of people who self-identify as "atheists".
Nandasena Gotabaya Rajapaksa, is a former Sri Lankan politician and military officer, who served as the eighth President of Sri Lanka from 18 November 2019 until his resignation on 14 July 2022. He previously served as Secretary to the Ministry of Defence and Urban Development from 2005 to 2015 under the administration of his elder brother former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, during the final phase of the Sri Lankan Civil War.
Sri Lanka and the United States established diplomatic relations on 23 October 1948.
Japan–Sri Lanka relations refers to the bilateral relations between the Sri Lanka and Japan.
Maithripala Yapa Sirisena is a Sri Lankan politician who served as the seventh President of Sri Lanka from 9 January 2015 to 18 November 2019. Sirisena is Sri Lanka's first president from the North Central Province of the country and does not belong to the traditional Sri Lankan political elite. He is currently a member of parliament from Polonnaruwa.
Presidential elections were held in Sri Lanka on 26 January 2010. The elections were announced on 23 November 2009 when incumbent President Mahinda Rajapaksa decided to seek a fresh mandate prior to the expiration of his term in 2011. Nominations were accepted on 17 December 2009.
Lakshman Namal Rajapaksa is a Sri Lankan politician and lawyer. He is the eldest son of former President and former Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and a member of parliament. He was the Minister of Youth and Sports from 2020 to 2022.
Corruption in Sri Lanka is considered a major problem in all levels of society, from the top echelons of political power to minor staff levels.
The World Happiness Report is a publication that contains articles and rankings of national happiness, based on respondent ratings of their own lives, which the report also correlates with various life factors. The report primarily uses data from the Gallup World Poll. As of March 2024, Finland has been ranked the happiest country in the world seven times in a row.
Presidential elections were held in Sri Lanka on 8 January 2015, two years ahead of schedule. Incumbent President Mahinda Rajapaksa was the ruling United People's Freedom Alliance's candidate, seeking a third term in office. The United National Party-led opposition coalition chose to field Maithripala Sirisena, former Minister of Health in Rajapaksa's government and general secretary of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party – the main constituent party of the UPFA – as its common candidate.
Parliamentary elections were held in Sri Lanka on 17 August 2015, ten months ahead of schedule, to elect 225 members to Sri Lanka's 15th Parliament.
The Sri Lanka People's Front, commonly known by its Sinhalese name Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP), is a political party in Sri Lanka. It is the current ruling party in Sri Lanka. Previously a minor political party known as the Sri Lanka National Front (SLNF) and Our Sri Lanka Freedom Front (OSLFF), it was relaunched in 2016 as the SLPP and the party became the base for members of the United People's Freedom Alliance loyal to its former leader Mahinda Rajapaksa.
Presidential elections were held in Sri Lanka on 16 November 2019. Incumbent president Maithripala Sirisena did not run for a second term. Gotabaya Rajapaksa, brother of former president Mahinda Rajapaksa, was the candidate of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna and was endorsed by the Sri Lanka Freedom Party. Sajith Premadasa, son of former president Ranasinghe Premadasa and deputy leader of the United National Party was the candidate of the ruling party.
In 2015 a coup d'état was allegedly attempted in Sri Lanka by former president Mahinda Rajapaksa in order to remain in power after he had been voted out in the 2015 Sri Lankan presidential election. Rajapaksa, who was expected to easily win a third term in office lost to Maithripala Sirisena, a former ally and member of the Rajapaksa administration. Though ultimately there was a peaceful transition between governments, some government officials claim Rajapaksa made an attempt to deploy the army and police to stop the counting of votes when initial results showed he was heading for defeat.