Global Rapid Post-Disaster Damage Estimation (GRADE) report: Cyclone Ditwah 2025, Sri Lanka

This Global Rapid Post-Disaster Damage Estimation (GRADE) report provides a synopsis of the estimated direct physical damage in Sri Lanka due to the passage of Cyclone Ditwah. The report is based on a rapid and remote post-disaster damage assessment which follows the established GRADE methodology (World Bank, 2018a) and is prepared within a short timeframe to inform early decision-making. It is not intended as a substitute for the detailed, sectoral, on-the-ground analysis which may be conducted in the weeks and months after a disaster. The objective of this report is to provide an estimate of the direct physical damage caused by Cyclone Ditwah in November 2025 in Sri Lanka.

The Total damage is estimated at US$4.1 billion, equivalent to approximately 4 percent of Sri Lanka's 2024 gross domestic product (GDP). Sri Lanka's 25 districts were all impacted by ooding and extreme rainfall. Kandy was the worst hit district in terms of estimated damage (US$689 million), caused by ooding primarily and to a lesser extent by landslides. This makes Cyclone Ditwah one of the costliest cyclones to impact Sri Lanka on record.