Sri Lanka is an island in the Indian Ocean, formerly known as Ceylon and also by many other names. It is about the size of Ireland. It is about 28 kilometres (18 mi.) off the south-eastern coast of India with a population of about 22 million. The population density is highest in the south-west where Colombo, the country's main port and industrial center, is located. The net population growth is about 0.7%. Sri Lanka is ethnically, linguistically, and religiously diverse.
Overview
According to the 2012 census the population of Sri Lanka was 20,359,439, giving a population density of 325/km2. The population had grown by 5,512,689 (37.1%) since the 1981 census (the last full census), equivalent to an annual growth rate of 1.1%. 3,704,470 (18.2%) lived in urban sectors – areas governed by municipal and urban councils.
5,131,666 (25.2%) of the population were aged 14 or under whilst 2,525,573 (12.4%) were aged 60 or over, leaving a working age (15–59) population of 12,702,700. The dependency ratio was 60.2%. The mean age was 32 years and the median age was 31 years. The sex ratio was 94 males per 100 females. The fertility rate for married females aged 15 or over was 2.65 live births. There were 5,264,282 households, of which 3,986,236 (75.7%) were headed by males and 1,278,046 (24.3%) were headed by females.
Of the 15,227,773 aged 15 or over, 10,322,105 (67.8%) were married, 3,927,602 (25.8%) were never married, 792,947 (5.2%) were widowed and 185,119 (1.2%) were divorced or separated.
Of those aged 15 or over, 7,857,370 (51.6%) were economically active, 4,199,558 (27.6%) did housework, 1,431,105 (9.4%) were students, 914,934 (6.0%) were unable to work and 346,084 (2.3%) were pensioners. 521,938 (6.6%) of the economically active were unemployed. 604,540 Sri Lankans were living aboard for more than six months but were intending to return to Sri Lanka, mostly in the Gulf states (373,050 61.7%).
The overall literacy rate for those aged 10 and over was 95.7% but amongst those living in the estate sector it was only 86.1%. Of the 18,615,577 aged 5 or over, 499,563 (2.7%) had received a higher education qualification, 2,293,841 (12.3%) had passed G.C.E. A/L, 3,159,402 (17.0%) had passed G.C.E. O/L and 700,419 (3.8%) had no formal schooling. The remaining 11,962,352 (64.3%) had left school with no qualifications or were currently at school.
Sri Lanka's population is aging faster than any other nation in South Asia and has the fifth highest rapidly growing population of older people in Asia after China, Thailand, South Korea and Japan. In 2015, Sri Lanka's population aged over 60 was 13.9%, by 2030 this will increase to 21% and by 2050 this number will reach 27.4%. Sri Lanka's rapidly growing older population has ignited concerns of the socio-economic challenges that the country will face because of this.
Age groups
Age groupMaleFemaleTotal% Total 9 856 634 10 502 805 20 359 439 100 0–4 879 223 864 639 1 743 862 8.57 5–9 882 108 865 644 1 747 752 8.58 10–14 829 069 810 983 1 640 052 8.06 15–19 819 927 824 322 1 644 249 8.08 20–24 742 316 790 567 1 532 883 7.53 25–29 743 510 809 338 1 552 848 7.63 30–34 796 866 842 549 1 639 415 8.05 35–39 686 037 723 040 1 409 077 6.92 40–44 661 623 697 586 1 359 209 6.68 45–49 618 140 667 690 1 285 830 6.32 50–54 581 293 638 167 1 219 460 5.99 55–59 500 871 563 358 1 064 229 5.23 60–64 425 428 492 482 917 910 4.51 65–69 283 764 349 525 633 289 3.11 70–74 181 846 230 568 412 414 2.03 75–79 116 389 166 797 283 186 1.39 80–84 64 250 95 129 159 379 0.78 85–89 28 293 45 148 73 441 0.36 90–94 9 293 14 965 24 258 0.12 95+ 6 388 10 308 16 696 0.08Age group MaleFemaleTotalPercent 0–14 2 590 400 2 541 266 5 131 666 25.21 15–64 6 576 011 7 049 099 13 625 110 66.92 65+ 690 223 912 440 1 602 663 7.87
Vital statistics UN estimates
PeriodLive births per yearDeaths per yearNatural change per yearCBR1CDR1NC1TFR1IMR1 1950–1955 322,000 171,000 151,000 37.4 19.8 17.5 5.80 103.9 1955–1960 367,000 143,000 223,000 38.6 15.1 23.5 5.80 86.7 1960–1965 377,000 128,000 248,000 35.5 12.1 23.4 5.20 77.5 1965–1970 391,000 116,000 276,000 32.9 9.7 23.2 4.70 69.3 1970–1975 383,000 103,000 280,000 29.1 7.8 21.3 4.00 55.4 1975–1980 401,000 99,000 302,000 27.8 6.9 20.9 3.61 38.8 1980–1985 401,000 96,000 305,000 25.6 6.1 19.5 3.19 30.3 1985–1990 362,000 110,000 253,000 21.6 6.5 15.1 2.64 24.1 1990–1995 349,000 119,000 230,000 19.6 6.7 12.9 2.39 22.1 1995–2000 329,000 146,000 183,000 17.8 7.9 9.9 2.16 18.9 2000–2005 360,000 121,000 239,000 18.7 6.3 12.4 2.27 15.9 2005–2010 386,000 132,000 253,000 19.0 6.5 12.5 2.36 12.4 2010–2015 16.4 6.6 9.8 2.11 2015–2020 14.9 7.1 7.8 2.03 1 CBR = crude birth rate (per 1000); CDR = crude death rate (per 1000); NC = natural change (per 1000); TFR = total fertility rate (number of children per woman); IMR = infant mortality rate per 1000 births
Registered births and deaths
YearPopulationLive birthsDeathsNatural changeCrude birth rate (per 1000)Crude death rate (per 1000)Natural change (per 1000)Crude migration change (per 1000)Total Fertility Rate 1948 287,695 93,711 193,984 39.7 13.0 26.7 1949 291,191 91,889 199,302 39.1 12.4 26.7 1950 304,635 95,142 209,493 39.7 12.6 27.1 1951 313,662 100,072 213,590 39.8 12.9 26.9 1952 313,532 95,298 218,234 38.8 12.0 26.8 1953 321,217 89,003 232,214 38.7 10.9 27.8 1954 303,894 86,794 217,100 35.7 10.4 25.3 1955 325,538 94,368 231,170 37.3 11.0 26.3 1956 325,067 87,561 237,506 36.4 9.8 26.6 1957 334,135 92,759 241,376 36.5 10.1 26.4 1958 335,690 90,815 244,875 35.8 9.7 26.1 1959 356,336 87,971 268,365 37.0 9.1 27.9 1960 361,702 84,918 276,784 36.6 8.6 28.0 1961 363,677 81,653 282,024 35.8 8.0 27.8 1962 370,762 88,928 281,834 35.5 8.5 27.0 1963 365,842 91,673 274,169 34.1 8.5 25.6 1964 361,577 95,618 265,959 33.2 8.8 24.4 1965 369,437 91,728 277,709 33.1 8.8 24.3 1966 369,153 94,419 274,734 32.3 8.3 24.0 1967 369,531 87,877 281,654 31.9 7.5 24.4 1968 384,178 94,903 289,275 32.0 7.9 24.1 1969 372,774 102,356 270,418 30.4 8.1 22.3 1970 367,901 94,129 273,772 29.4 7.5 21.9 1971 382,668 96,328 286,340 30.4 7.7 22.7 1972 385,462 100,080 285,382 30.0 8.1 21.9 1973 367,158 100,678 266,480 28.0 7.7 20.3 1974 365,902 119,518 246,384 27.5 9.0 18.5 1975 374,689 115,108 259,581 27.8 8.5 19.3 1976 380,702 106,506 274,196 27.8 7.8 20.0 1977 389,522 103,284 286,238 27.9 7.4 20.5 1978 404,831 93,971 310,860 28.5 6.6 21.9 1979 417,986 94,244 323,742 28.9 6.5 22.4 1980 418,373 91,020 327,353 28.4 6.2 22.2 1981 423,973 88,481 335,492 28.2 5.9 22.3 1982 408,895 92,244 316,651 26.9 6.1 20.8 1983 405,122 95,174 309,948 26.3 6.2 20.1 1984 391,064 100,725 290,339 25.1 6.5 18.6 1985 389,599 98,089 291,510 24.6 6.2 18.4 1986 361,735 96,145 265,590 22.4 6.0 16.4 1987 357,723 97,756 259,967 21.8 6.0 15.8 1988 344,179 95,934 248,245 20.7 5.8 14.9 1989 363,343 105,239 258,104 21.6 6.3 15.3 1990 341,223 97,713 243,510 20.8 6.0 14.8 1991 356,593 95,574 261,019 21.7 5.8 15.9 1992 356,842 98,380 258,462 21.5 5.9 15.6 1993 350,707 96,179 254,528 20.8 5.7 15.1 1994 356,071 100,394 255,677 20.8 5.9 14.9 1995 343,224 104,707 238,517 19.9 6.0 13.9 1996 340,649 122,161 218,488 19.5 7.0 12.5 1997 333,219 114,591 218,628 18.8 6.4 12.4 1998 322,672 112,653 210,019 18.2 6.2 12.0 1999 328,725 115,330 213,395 18.1 6.3 11.8 2000 347,749 116,200 231,549 18.4 6.1 12.3 2001 358,583 112,858 245,725 18.9 5.9 13.0 2002 367,709 111,863 255,846 19.1 5.8 13.3 2003 370,643 115,495 255,148 18.9 5.9 13.0 2004 364,711 114,915 249,796 18.5 5.8 12.7 2005 370,731 132,097 238,634 18.1 6.5 11.6 2006 373,538 117,467 256,071 18.8 5.9 12.9 2007 386,573 118,992 267,581 19.2 5.9 13.3 2008 373,575 123,814 249,761 18.4 6.1 12.3 2009 368,304 127,776 240,528 18.0 6.2 11.8 2010 364,565 128,603 235,962 17.7 6.2 11.4 2011 363,415 123,261 240,154 17.4 5.9 11.5 2012 20,425,000 355,900 122,063 233,837 17.5 6.0 11.52.252 2013 20,585,000 365,792 127,124 238,668 17.9 6.2 11.7 −3.92.264 2014 20,771,000 349,715 127,758 221,957 16.8 6.2 10.6 −1.6 2.148 2015 20,970,000 334,821 131,634 203,187 16.0 6.3 9.7 −0.1 2.046 2016 21,203,000 331,073 130,765 200,308 15.6 6.2 9.4 1.7 1.985 2017 21,444,000 326,052 139,822 186,230 15.2 6.5 8.7 2.7 1.944 2018 21,670,000 328,112 139,498 188,614 15.1 6.4 8.7 1.8 1.937 2019 21,803,000 319,010 146,053 172,957 14.6 6.7 7.9 −1.8 1.871 2020 21,919,000 301,706 132,431 169,275 13.8 6.0 7.8 −2.5 1.756 2021 22,156,000 284,848 163,936 120,912 12.9 7.4 5.5 5.3 1.642 2022 22,181,000 275,321 179,792 95,529 12.4 8.1 4.3 −3.2 1.586 2023 22,037,000 247,900 181,239 66,661 11.2 8.2 3.0 −9.6 1.49(e) 2024 21,916,000 220,761 171,194 49,567 10.1 7.8 2.3 −7.8 1.37(e) 2025 21,756,000 214,570 172,603 41,967 9.9 7.9 2.0 −9.3 1.37 (e) 2026*21,778,000215,366169,42645,9409.97.82.1−1.1 *Data from July 2025 to June 2026.
Current vital statistics + Period Live births Deaths Natural increase January–June 2024 109,025 + January–June 2025 110,652 Difference +1,627 (+1.5%) – Source:
Demographic and Health Surveys Total Fertility Rate (TFR) (Wanted Fertility Rate) and Crude Birth Rate (CBR): Year total urban rural estate CBR TFR CBR TFR CBR TFR CBR TFR 1981–1983 3,1 2,4 3,2 3,4 1987 2,8 (2,4) 2,3 (1,9) 2,9 (2,4) 3,4 (3,2) 2006–2007 18,7 2,3 (2,1) 18,5 2,2 (2,0) 18,6 2,3 (2,1) 20,0 2,5 (2,1) 2024 1.3 1.2 1.3 1.6
Life expectancy
PeriodLife expectancy inYearsPeriodLife expectancy inYears1950–195554.51985–199068.91955–196058.31990–199570.01960–196560.31995–200069.11965–197062.92000–200573.21970–197565.22005–201074.11975–198067.02010–201574.61980–198569.1
Ethnicity
The Sinhalese make up 74.1% of the population (according to 2024 census) and are concentrated in the densely populated south-west and central parts of the island.
The Sri Lanka Tamils, who live predominantly in the north and east of the island, form the largest minority group at 12.3% (according to the 2024 census) of the population.
The Moors, descendants of Arab + Indian traders and native Sri Lankan Tamils, form the third largest ethnic group at 10.5% of the population. These Tamil-speaking Muslims are mostly concentrated in urban areas in the southern parts of the island with substantial populations in the Central and Eastern provinces. During times of Portuguese colonization, Moors were persecuted, and many forced to retreat to the central highlands and the eastern coast.
There are also Indian Tamils who form a distinct ethnic group comprising 4.1% of the population. The British brought them to Sri Lanka in the 19th century as tea and rubber plantation workers, and they remain concentrated in the "tea country" of south-central Sri Lanka. The Indian Tamils of Sri Lanka were considered to be "stateless" as they were denied Ceylonese citizenship and simultaneously stripped of Indian citizenship, with over 300,000 Indian Tamils were deported back to India, due to the agreement between Sri Lanka and India in 1964. Under the pact, India granted citizenship to the remainder, some 200,000 of whom now live in India. Another 75,000 Indian Tamils, who themselves or whose parents once applied for Indian citizenship, now wish to remain in Sri Lanka. The government has stated these Tamils will not be forced to return to India, although they are not technically citizens of Sri Lanka. By the 1990s most Indian Tamils had received Sri Lankan citizenship, and some even were not granted Sri Lankan citizenship until 2003.
Smaller minorities include the Veddas, the indigenous people of Sri Lanka; Malays, who descend from colonial-era settlers; the Burghers, who are descendants of European colonists, principally from Portugal, the Netherlands and the UK; the ethnic Chinese migrants who came to the island in the 18th and 19th centuries; and the Kaffirs, a small population who are descended from Africans.