• Expenditure far outweighs income in 11 national museums 
• Rs  4,516 m incurred with only Rs  738 m income  

Sri Lanka’s 11 national museums have cost the State more than Rs  4.5 billion to maintain over the past 11 years, but generated less than Rs  740 m  in income during the same period, figures obtained by The Daily Morning under the Right to Information (RTI) Act have revealed.

According to the information released under the RTI Act, No. 12 of 2016, a total of Rs  4,516.66 m  had been spent on recurrent and capital expenditure from 2015 to 2025, while total income generated by the museums amounted to only Rs  738.16 m . 

The network of national museums includes the National Museums in Colombo, Galle, Kandy, and Ratnapura, the National Museum of Natural History in Colombo, the Dutch Museum in Colombo, the Independence Memorial Museum in Colombo, the Maritime Museum in Galle, the Folk Museum in Anuradhapura, the Ancient Technology Museum in Polonnaruwa, and the Magampura Ruhunu Heritage Museum in Hambantota.

According to information obtained under the RTI, in 2015, the recurrent expenditure stood at Rs  149.85 m  and capital expenditure at Rs  268.24 m . In 2016, recurrent expenditure increased to Rs  157.84 m , while capital expenditure rose to Rs  333.75 m . In 2017, recurrent expenditure was Rs  184.89 m  and capital expenditure Rs  252.37 m . In 2018, recurrent expenditure amounted to Rs  189.90 m  and capital expenditure to Rs  267.88 m . In 2019, recurrent expenditure rose to Rs  210.75 m , while capital expenditure dropped sharply to Rs  75.43 m . 

In 2020, recurrent expenditure increased further to Rs  225.12 m  and capital expenditure stood at Rs  67.13 m . In 2021, recurrent expenditure was recorded at Rs  221.61 m  and capital expenditure at Rs  153.82 m . In 2022, recurrent expenditure rose to Rs  257 m , while capital expenditure declined to Rs  71.95 m . In 2023, recurrent expenditure stood at Rs  272.68 m  and capital expenditure at Rs  99.1 m . In 2024, recurrent expenditure reached Rs  323.68 m  and capital expenditure Rs  334.51 m . In 2025, recurrent expenditure further increased to Rs  388.98 m , while capital expenditure stood at Rs  307.18 m . Overall, recurrent expenditure from 2015 to 2025 totalled Rs  2,285.3 m , while capital expenditure totalled Rs  2,231.36 m .

Meanwhile, museum income figures show that Rs  37.11 m  was generated in 2015, Rs  43.69 m  in 2016, Rs  64.57 m  in 2017, and Rs  92.92 m  in 2018. Income declined to Rs  74.95 m  in 2019 before dropping sharply to Rs  22.84 m  in 2020 and Rs  6.91 m  in 2021, during the Covid-19 period. Income later recovered to Rs  31.58 m  in 2022, Rs  82.58 m  in 2023, Rs  132.43 m  in 2024, and Rs  148.58 m  in 2025. The total income generated by the museums from 2015 to 2025 amounted to Rs  738.16 m .