Cyclone Ditwah, which struck Sri Lanka in late November, has caused an estimated US$4.1 billion in direct physical damage to buildings, agriculture and critical infrastructure, according to a World Bank Group Global Rapid Post-Disaster Damage Estimation (GRADE) report released today.
The World Bank said this damage is equivalent to around 4 percent of Sri Lanka’s GDP.
Described as one of the most intense and destructive cyclones in Sri Lanka’s recent history, Cyclone Ditwah affected nearly two million people and 500,000 families across all 25 districts, severely disrupting livelihoods, essential services and the broader economy.
The Sri Lanka GRADE report provides timely insights to guide emergency response efforts, recovery planning and long-term disaster risk reduction. The assessment uses the World Bank’s rapid, remote, model-based GRADE methodology to estimate direct economic damage to physical assets. However, it does not include income or production losses, nor the full costs of recovery and reconstruction.
The estimated US$4.1 billion in damage represents a major shock to affected regions. The Central Province was the hardest hit, with damages in Kandy District alone estimated at US$689 million, primarily due to flooding and, to a lesser extent, landslides.
Infrastructure suffered the greatest losses, with damage to roads, bridges, railways and water supply networks estimated at US$1.735 billion, accounting for 42 percent of total damages and severely disrupting connectivity and access to markets and services.
Residential buildings and household contents were also heavily impacted, with damages totaling approximately US$985 million. The widespread destruction of homes highlights the urgent need for resilient building designs, improved flood control systems and better land-use planning.
The agriculture sector sustained an estimated US$814 million in damage, affecting paddy and vegetable crops, subsistence farming, maize, livestock, agricultural infrastructure and inland fisheries. These losses pose serious risks to food security and rural livelihoods, particularly in already vulnerable communities.
Non-residential buildings, including schools, healthcare facilities, businesses and large industrial facilities located near rivers and creeks, accounted for an estimated US$562 million in damages. The destruction has disrupted education, healthcare delivery and local economic activity in cyclone-affected areas.
The assessment underscores how pre-existing socio-economic vulnerabilities—such as poverty, limited access to services and exposure to climate risks—are likely to worsen the cyclone’s impact and slow recovery, particularly for women, children, older persons and female-headed households. Targeted recovery measures will be essential to ensure assistance reaches the most at-risk communities.
“As we look closely at the hardest-hit districts, we see that deep-rooted vulnerabilities have left communities especially exposed,” said Gevorg Sargsyan, World Bank Group Country Manager for Sri Lanka and Maldives. He noted that in Badulla, Kegalle and Puttalam, many already-poor households now face some of the highest housing losses, while in Kandy and Nuwara Eliya, nearly half of households are headed by women or older persons. Thousands of women and girls have been displaced or remain in unsafe homes, highlighting the need for community-centred recovery efforts.
In the immediate aftermath of the cyclone, the World Bank Group has mobilised up to US$120 million from ongoing projects to support recovery and restore essential services and infrastructure, including healthcare, water supply, education, agriculture and transport connectivity, in the worst-affected areas.
While the GRADE report provides a rapid estimate of direct physical damage, the World Bank cautioned that recovery and reconstruction needs are expected to far exceed these figures. The report stresses the importance of comprehensive recovery strategies that address humanitarian needs, restore livelihoods, strengthen resilient housing and infrastructure, and integrate climate and disaster risk considerations into future development planning.
The World Bank acknowledged the Government of Sri Lanka’s leadership in completing the assessment, noting close collaboration with the External Resources Department, the Treasury, the National Planning Department and the Disaster Management Centre.
About GRADE
The World Bank’s Global Rapid Post-Disaster Damage Estimation (GRADE) approach has supported more than 54 countries over the past decade by providing rapid, evidence-based damage assessments following disasters. To date, 71 post-disaster assessments have been completed worldwide, with validation studies showing around 90 percent accuracy compared to detailed ground-based assessments.
The Sri Lanka GRADE report was conducted and financially supported by the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR) and the Ministry of Finance of Japan, through the World Bank’s programme on mainstreaming disaster risk management in developing countries.
