censuswall LKA · 2026 · ages 0–100
Topics

Country or area · Southern Asia · Asia · UN WPP 2024

Sri Lanka population

Sri Lanka population now

23,376,791

A projection read at this second, not a count: the UN's totals for 1 January 2026 and 2027, joined by a straight line. 95% range for 31 December 2026: 22.9–23.9 million.

Mid-2023, UN estimate: 22,971,617

Year
2026
projection · medium
Population, mid-2026
23.3483 million
95% range, 31 Dec: 22.9–23.9 million
Median age
34.6
Aged 65+
12.8%
2023 | 2024 peak 2051

male female projection · one cell = 5,000 people

How to read this: one row for each age, newborns at the bottom; men on the left, women on the right.

Verified 2026-09-30 · 73 canaries

LKA · 1950–2100 · in brief

Sri Lanka in numbers

Sri Lanka had 22,971,617 people in mid-2023, the 61st-largest population of the 236 countries and areas the UN reports, and 0.28% of the world's people. That is 2.9 times its 1950 population of 7.8 million.

The UN's medium projection has it peaking in 2051 at 24.8 million, then falling to 21.2 million by 2100. The projection is uncertain: on 1 January 2100 the UN's 95% range runs from 10.0 million to 40.8 million.

The medium projection has deaths passing births in 2058 and staying above them from then on.

The median age was 20.9 in 1950 and 33.8 in 2023; the projection has 51.0 in 2100. 11.7% of people were 65 or older in 2023, against 32.8% projected for 2100. The working-age population (15–64) is projected to peak in 2040 at 15.8 million.

Among countries it ranks 61st in 2023, 67th in 2050 and 74th in 2100. In the medium projection it overtakes Taiwan in 2025, North Korea in 2061 and Ukraine in 2072. It is overtaken by Malawi in 2028, Zambia in 2028 and Chad in 2030.

Population, mid-2023
22,971,617
Rank by population, 2023
61 of 236
Share of the world, 2023
0.28%
Change in a year, mid-2022 to mid-2023
+0.60% · +136,652 people
People per km² of land, 2023
371
Land area, 2023
61,860 km²
Births, 2023
324,102
Deaths, 2023
162,453
Net migration, 2023
−28,011
Children per woman, 2023
1.97
Median age, 2023
33.8 years
Life expectancy at birth, 2023
77.5 years
In a city, 2025
36 of every 100
Population, mid-1950
7,811,047
Projected, mid-2050
24,813,690
Projected, mid-2100
21,249,406

LKA · 1950–2100 · total population

Population, 1950–2100

peak 2051estimates | projections010 m20 m30 m40 m50 m1950197520002025205020752100

estimate   projection, up to the bottom of the 95% range   95% range   medium projection. One column is one year's population, read on 1 January; the paper rules divide it into equal cells.

Show the numbers: Sri Lanka, 1950–2100
Sri Lanka: population on 1 January, births, deaths, fertility and life expectancy, 1950–2100
YearKindPopulation, 1 Jan95% rangeBirthsDeathsChildren per womanLife expectancy
1950estimate7,741,121280,651148,5865.4653.2
1951estimate7,880,973289,322141,8115.4654.0
1952estimate8,031,695296,067135,1695.4354.9
1953estimate8,191,426302,216129,4845.3955.6
1954estimate8,358,862307,274124,2855.3556.4
1955estimate8,533,009312,004119,6655.3157.2
1956estimate8,713,652316,297115,4335.2657.9
1957estimate8,900,785327,500112,2415.3458.5
1958estimate9,101,208339,094108,9675.4059.3
1959estimate9,316,427347,545106,0655.4160.0
1960estimate9,543,877350,999103,3675.3560.6
1961estimate9,778,901352,100101,0145.2461.2
1962estimate10,019,844356,06499,3455.1861.6
1963estimate10,267,663361,12198,2465.1262.0
1964estimate10,522,416367,21897,6435.0662.4
1965estimate10,784,377369,07196,6484.9362.8
1966estimate11,049,552371,56496,0104.8363.2
1967estimate11,318,305380,30095,5634.7963.6
1968estimate11,596,352382,15795,5204.6663.9
1969estimate11,875,824381,86695,6464.5064.1
1970estimate12,151,891382,89496,1684.3964.3
1971estimate12,422,329379,45498,2614.2764.2
1972estimate12,681,491380,51698,0174.1664.6
1973estimate12,936,919377,41198,8264.0064.8
1974estimate13,184,913375,06599,5363.8565.0
1975estimate13,426,473381,94799,4483.8265.4
1976estimate13,671,494390,80498,9923.7865.8
1977estimate13,922,045398,21398,1753.7466.4
1978estimate14,176,698415,36198,3173.8166.8
1979estimate14,443,558426,91697,1263.8267.5
1980estimate14,715,670424,70696,5593.7368.0
1981estimate14,980,278424,83096,7383.6568.4
1982estimate15,218,550396,73296,7043.3268.7
1983estimate15,354,585375,76697,9883.1168.7
1984estimate15,423,004362,74299,5723.0168.8
1985estimate15,460,715348,540100,7172.9068.9
1986estimate15,627,592336,476102,6882.7469.0
1987estimate15,834,921331,586105,1712.6469.0
1988estimate15,998,231327,043107,8512.5669.0
1989estimate16,159,011334,326121,9282.5867.3
1990estimate16,338,103335,791111,3442.5469.2
1991estimate16,366,812332,081113,9542.5169.1
1992estimate16,583,895335,740113,5082.4969.6
1993estimate16,894,672340,144113,8792.4470.0
1994estimate17,157,165344,907116,0102.4070.2
1995estimate17,394,382344,690122,7342.3569.8
1996estimate17,733,753340,970125,6772.2969.8
1997estimate18,076,283336,714128,5222.2169.9
1998estimate18,420,117331,320130,2732.1470.1
1999estimate18,771,889338,438131,5512.1470.4
2000estimate19,117,572355,040127,9692.2171.2
2001estimate19,468,535371,424127,0452.2871.8
2002estimate19,732,190379,721126,8812.3172.3
2003estimate19,879,314380,930128,9302.3072.4
2004estimate20,023,729378,170165,6382.2768.0
2005estimate20,151,481378,376129,6812.2673.1
2006estimate20,281,568383,691134,9702.2972.8
2007estimate20,423,254385,456137,1772.2973.0
2008estimate20,561,836375,547143,3122.2372.6
2009estimate20,696,920365,886165,7212.1870.3
2010estimate20,815,950358,011133,6802.1374.5
2011estimate20,942,228359,070134,5972.1474.7
2012estimate21,075,868363,017133,8792.1775.2
2013estimate21,263,048363,696134,3762.1875.5
2014estimate21,454,606356,005136,6382.1375.8
2015estimate21,640,306348,168139,0392.0976.0
2016estimate21,819,637342,918142,2692.0676.1
2017estimate22,001,908339,514145,9532.0476.2
2018estimate22,173,136337,145148,5742.0376.5
2019estimate22,333,100334,362151,0412.0276.7
2020estimate22,488,003331,170153,6842.0176.9
2021estimate22,635,611328,525169,4142.0076.3
2022estimate22,765,133326,112159,0111.9877.3
2023estimate22,904,797324,102162,4531.9777.5
2024estimate23,038,437320,429162,9341.9577.7
2025projection23,168,69223.0–23.3 million318,489166,2041.9477.8
2026projection23,290,24923.0–23.6 million316,459169,5661.9378.0
2027projection23,406,38122.9–23.9 million314,866173,1361.9178.2
2028projection23,516,74022.8–24.2 million313,284176,5841.9078.4
2029projection23,621,60922.8–24.5 million312,034180,1251.8978.5
2030projection23,719,66522.6–24.8 million311,150183,7261.8878.7
2031projection23,816,23922.5–25.1 million310,127187,2471.8778.9
2032projection23,907,02222.4–25.4 million309,526190,7131.8679.1
2033projection23,995,47922.3–25.7 million309,081194,4221.8579.2
2034projection24,079,75822.2–26.0 million308,281197,8421.8579.4
2035projection24,158,83122.1–26.3 million307,430201,2091.8479.6
2036projection24,234,11822.0–26.6 million306,432204,4831.8379.8
2037projection24,304,91621.8–26.8 million304,990207,5331.8379.9
2038projection24,375,07121.7–27.1 million303,173210,5821.8280.1
2039projection24,439,01521.5–27.4 million301,372213,5811.8180.3
2040projection24,499,78321.4–27.7 million299,294216,3381.8180.5
2041projection24,553,61521.3–28.0 million297,100218,8211.8080.6
2042projection24,603,67921.1–28.3 million294,478221,4461.8080.8
2043projection24,647,05121.0–28.6 million291,831224,0201.8081.0
2044projection24,686,26620.9–28.9 million288,819226,3091.7981.1
2045projection24,719,47120.7–29.1 million285,851228,4441.7981.3
2046projection24,753,40020.6–29.3 million282,800230,4971.7881.5
2047projection24,778,07420.4–29.5 million279,536232,6211.7881.6
2048projection24,795,34120.3–29.8 million276,455234,6081.7881.8
2049projection24,806,16620.2–30.0 million273,006236,3261.7781.9
2050projection24,812,18520.0–30.2 million269,537238,4271.7782.1
2051projection24,815,19519.8–30.5 million266,674240,2231.7682.2
2052projection24,814,32019.8–30.8 million263,534241,7611.7682.4
2053projection24,810,12519.7–31.0 million260,711243,4551.7582.5
2054projection24,799,65919.5–31.1 million258,287245,0231.7582.7
2055projection24,790,21719.4–31.3 million256,258246,6511.7582.8
2056projection24,778,11819.2–31.6 million254,302248,1631.7583.0
2057projection24,756,73319.0–31.8 million252,368249,6301.7583.2
2058projection24,733,07718.9–32.1 million250,839251,2391.7483.3
2059projection24,705,80418.7–32.3 million249,083252,6431.7483.5
2060projection24,676,26518.6–32.7 million247,498254,4081.7483.6
2061projection24,642,48018.4–32.9 million246,179255,9021.7483.7
2062projection24,608,45118.1–33.2 million244,970257,5491.7483.9
2063projection24,569,20118.0–33.5 million243,593259,2951.7384.0
2064projection24,526,31717.8–33.6 million242,252260,9661.7384.2
2065projection24,478,49917.7–33.9 million240,841262,5401.7384.3
2066projection24,424,38017.5–34.0 million239,274263,9891.7384.4
2067projection24,372,00517.3–34.3 million237,760265,6911.7384.6
2068projection24,314,13117.1–34.5 million236,160266,9431.7384.7
2069projection24,258,17316.9–34.8 million234,434268,2861.7384.8
2070projection24,201,62316.7–34.9 million232,614269,5761.7285.0
2071projection24,141,02216.6–35.1 million230,885270,5431.7285.1
2072projection24,078,83316.4–35.3 million228,945271,5011.7285.3
2073projection24,014,70416.3–35.3 million227,131272,1851.7285.4
2074projection23,945,09916.0–35.5 million225,141272,9961.7285.5
2075projection23,870,06715.7–35.8 million222,847273,6571.7285.7
2076projection23,796,85115.5–36.1 million220,395274,2031.7285.8
2077projection23,720,70615.2–36.2 million218,348274,4261.7285.9
2078projection23,641,59615.0–36.4 million215,908274,9191.7186.0
2079projection23,559,25014.7–36.8 million213,626275,0721.7186.2
2080projection23,470,01914.4–37.1 million211,224275,2551.7186.3
2081projection23,379,90814.2–37.2 million208,846275,5241.7186.4
2082projection23,286,25614.0–37.3 million206,738275,9911.7186.5
2083projection23,192,75713.7–37.7 million204,500276,4691.7186.7
2084projection23,095,55613.5–37.8 million202,538276,9061.7186.8
2085projection22,996,87713.3–38.0 million200,690277,3491.7186.9
2086projection22,892,76013.0–38.5 million198,658277,8931.7187.0
2087projection22,787,73312.7–38.8 million196,784278,3781.7187.2
2088projection22,682,26212.5–39.2 million195,297278,8721.7187.3
2089projection22,575,29912.3–39.3 million193,462279,5231.7087.4
2090projection22,465,80212.2–39.3 million191,935280,1891.7087.5
2091projection22,353,00412.0–39.5 million190,272280,8081.7087.6
2092projection22,242,49211.8–39.6 million188,862281,1711.7087.8
2093projection22,130,32511.5–40.1 million187,571281,3531.7087.9
2094projection22,016,45511.3–40.2 million186,224281,7601.7088.0
2095projection21,901,68411.0–40.0 million184,868281,9401.7088.1
2096projection21,784,92610.8–40.0 million183,709281,7461.7088.2
2097projection21,666,73110.7–40.3 million182,511281,8471.7088.4
2098projection21,548,41010.5–40.4 million181,207281,7771.6988.5
2099projection21,427,62810.3–40.7 million179,961281,2941.7088.6
2100projection21,308,65810.0–40.8 million178,724281,0791.7088.7
Show the numbers: Sri Lanka, mid-2026, by single year of age
Sri Lanka: population by single year of age, mid-2026
AgeMaleFemale
0161,026154,390
1161,529154,890
2162,636155,966
3163,856157,154
4164,788158,050
5165,886159,124
6167,202160,410
7168,569161,746
8169,742162,904
9171,100164,260
10173,161166,288
11176,282169,310
12179,983172,895
13181,498174,394
14180,226174,287
15180,143175,468
16181,608177,212
17182,470178,322
18182,724178,786
19182,364178,594
20181,324177,646
21179,572175,887
22177,147173,348
23174,090170,071
24170,618166,328
25167,438162,966
26165,264160,818
27164,396160,223
28164,210160,588
29164,582161,782
30165,051163,374
31164,418164,226
32162,586164,234
33159,591163,408
34155,782161,964
35152,068160,469
36149,194159,389
37147,334158,847
38146,420158,788
39146,424159,236
40147,280160,256
41148,913161,891
42151,334164,175
43154,493167,062
44157,864170,072
45160,052171,918
46159,849171,463
47157,004168,452
48151,602162,961
49144,282155,606
50136,980148,298
51131,360142,696
52127,698139,096
53125,927137,452
54125,649137,400
55125,667137,810
56124,976137,714
57123,400136,934
58120,968135,488
59117,878133,531
60114,604131,432
61111,532129,503
62108,752127,812
63106,239126,330
64103,829124,889
65101,138123,084
6697,864120,584
6793,984117,344
6889,546113,396
6984,688108,888
7079,754104,238
7175,03899,811
7270,58295,692
7366,35891,852
7462,24088,110
7557,89484,001
7653,19879,008
7748,21873,089
7842,96666,726
7937,51460,070
8032,23053,312
8127,42046,778
8223,14840,575
8319,40234,758
8416,15129,409
8513,33624,666
8610,90220,600
878,81617,168
887,04614,286
895,55411,835
904,3169,697
913,2967,788
922,4566,068
931,7834,565
941,2613,308
958672,310
965781,562
973711,020
98229642
99136389
100+162526

LKA · 1950–2100 · every age, every year

Sri Lanka, every age in every year

Each column is a year and each row an age; the denser the ink in a cell, the more people. Everyone born in the same year climbs one 45° diagonal, so famines, baby booms and migration show up as streaks. Select a cell to follow its generation.

LKA · ages 15–64

Who does the work in Sri Lanka

On the UN's projection, Sri Lanka will have the most working-age people it ever has in 2040: 15,828,300 people aged 15–64. In 2023 it had 15,138,300.

100 aged 15–64
34 children
18 aged 65+

aged 15–64   children under 15   aged 65 and over

How to read this: the orange squares are 100 people aged 15–64 in 2023, and the rows below are how many children (teal) and how many people aged 65 or older (violet) lived alongside them.

Fewer than 50 dependants live alongside every 100 people aged 15–64 in 14 years: 2000–2013.

fewer than 50 dependants per 100   the same, projected   50 or more

How to read this: one stripe a year from 1950 to 2100. A stripe takes colour in a year when fewer than 50 dependants live alongside every 100 people of working age, and stays grey otherwise; hatching means the year is projected.

How every country compares

LKA · arrivals minus departures

Who arrives in Sri Lanka, and who leaves

In 2020–2025 Sri Lanka loses 28,516 people a year: everyone who arrives, minus everyone who leaves. The age at which that happens most is 20–24, at 5,902 a year more leaving than arriving.

one square = 1,000 people a year
020406080+

more arrive than leave   more leave than arrive

How to read this: left to right is age, from babies to 100. Blue squares above the line are ages at which more people arrive than leave; orange squares below it, ages at which more leave than arrive. These are the UN's projection for 2020–2025. There is no record of migration by age before 2020.

Across the counted years, 1950 to 2023, its biggest single-year gain was 150,724 (1998); its biggest loss, 225,450 (1984).

In 2024, 40,698 people living in Sri Lanka had been born in another country, fewer than 1 of every 100 people there, against fewer than 1 in 1990.

How migration works everywhere

LKA · births by the mother's age · 1950–2100

Who has the babies in Sri Lanka

Of every 100 babies born in Sri Lanka in 2023, 4 had a mother under 20, 78 a mother aged 20 to 34 and 18 a mother aged 35 or older. In 1950 it was 9 under 20 and 13 aged 35 or older.

1950
9 · 78 · 13
2023
4 · 78 · 18
2050 · projected
3 · 77 · 20

The mother's age: under 20 20 to 34 35 or older projected

How to read this: each block is 100 babies born in that year, one square each, coloured by how old the mother was. The numbers under a block are the three groups, youngest mothers first.

Babies born, 2023
324,102
Average age when women have a baby
29.6 years
28.8 in 1950
Babies a year per 1,000 girls aged 15–19
15
72 in 1950
Babies by the mother's age, 1950–2100
Babies born in Sri Lanka by the mother's age
Mother's age19501975200020232050 projected2100 projected
10–144811041373684
15–1925,39825,97328,23713,4876,5072,836
20–2482,815103,35686,68259,77939,14020,041
25–2982,501120,393102,282102,41083,10253,023
30–3454,51980,98382,62990,72586,15562,909
35–3927,89838,87743,11645,12543,61632,024
40–446,10110,26911,09311,6419,6936,898
45–499011,8938498741,224924
50–54379915259265
All babies280,651381,947355,040324,102269,537178,724

The UN's births for each year, split by the mother's age in the UN's own proportions.

LKA · healthy years · 2021

Years in good health in Sri Lanka

In Sri Lanka, WHO puts the healthy years a newborn could expect in 2021 at 66.7 (95% range 65.8–68.1), out of 77.2 in all. The years in less than full health come to 10.5, above the world's 9.5.

Women

68.3 in full health, 11.8 not: 80.1 years

Men

65.1 in full health, 9.1 not: 74.2 years

a year in full health   a year in less than full health

How to read this: each square is a year of life, each row ten years; filled squares are years in full health, rounded to whole years.

Women: 68.3 healthy years of 80.1. Men: 65.1 of 74.2.

LKA · forced from home · end of 2025

Displacement in Sri Lanka

At the end of 2025, 4,099 people were displaced inside Sri Lanka, about 0.2 of every 1,000 people living there.

  1. hosted from abroad484
  2. displaced inside it4,099
  3. Sri Lanka nationals abroad181,933

stayed inside their own country   crossed a border

How to read this: one square stands for 5,000 people, so the rows can be compared with one another. The last row is people from Sri Lanka living in another country, wherever they are. An outlined square means fewer people than one square stands for.

In 2025, 18 people asked for asylum in Sri Lanka for the first time; 16,413 people from Sri Lanka asked for asylum in another country. Of every 100 people from Sri Lanka whose claims were decided that year, 19 were given protection. Who asks for asylum, and who is given it

How the world's displacement is counted

LKA · of every 100 people

How people live in Sri Lanka

Of every 100 people in Sri Lanka in 2025, 36 lived in a city, 49 in a town or suburb and 15 in the countryside.

cities towns and suburbs rural areas

Nearly everyone has electricity at home (2024). 45.4 of every 100 do not use the internet (2024).

How to read this: 100 squares, one for every 100th person, coloured by where they live, as the key says. The same rule is used in every country.

How the world's people live

LKA · adults 25 and over · 2020

How far people in Sri Lanka went in school

Of every 100 adults in Sri Lanka in 2020, 14 never went to school and 51 finished upper secondary or went further.

14 never went to school 3 some primary 11 finished primary 21 finished lower secondary 28 finished upper secondary 23 studied after school

Compare two generations. Aged 60–64, 22.4 of every 100 women and 21.4 of every 100 men never went to school; aged 25–29, 2.7 and 3.7.

Its people aged 15 to 64 are projected to be most numerous in 2035; the ones who finished upper secondary are most numerous later, in 2060.

How to read this: 100 squares, one for every hundredth adult aged 25 or over, from least schooling on the left to most on the right. Counted by the Wittgenstein Centre for 2020.

How far the world's people went in school

LKA · cities · 2025

Cities in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka had 24 cities in 2025, home to 8.4 million people. The largest, Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte - Colombo, holds 22 of every 100 people in Sri Lanka.

  1. Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte - Colombo5,223,838
  2. Kandy785,519
  3. Galle346,263
  4. Matara292,019
  5. Jaffna200,544
  6. Kalmunai156,093
  7. Batticaloa147,618
  8. Wennappuwa106,641
  9. Matale102,855
  10. Akkaraipattu101,464

How to read this: the 10 biggest cities here in 2025, drawn on a single scale so the bars can be compared. Each is a built-up area on the UN's rule rather than a city government's patch.

All the world's cities

Apparatus

Sources and method

Every figure on this page comes from the UN's World Population Prospects 2024: the annual country tables (estimates to 2023, projections with 95% intervals from 2024), and the population by single year of age and sex for the pyramid.

The censuses, surveys and registers behind the UN's estimates for Sri Lanka are listed, source by source, on the UN's own data sources page.

Sources: UN WPP 2024 · World Bank · UNHCR · country code lists · UN WUP 2025 · Wittgenstein Centre · WHO GHO · flag-icons · Natural Earth. Every source, its licence and how to cite it →

Checked before it was drawn

Verified 2026-09-30 · 73 canaries The pyramid for every year was checked against the published total. What that stamp counts, and what every page here has to pass before it can be built: how this site checks its figures.