PopulationTracker

Sri Lanka population

Current population of Sri Lanka

21,580,024

Live estimate, extrapolated from the latest official figures

Births today
125
Deaths today
96
Change today (UTC)
−90
World rank
63rd of 218
0.26% of world population
Population
21,756,000
2025 estimate
Annual growth
−0.73%
2025
Density
356 /km²
2023
Land area
61,860 km²
Urban population
20%
2025
Median age
33.3 yrs
2025 (UN WPP)
Fertility rate
1.95
births per woman, 2024
Life expectancy
77.7 yrs
2024
Net migration
−30,724
2025
Capital
Colombo
Region
South Asia

Population of Sri Lanka: overview

Sri Lanka has a population of 21,756,000 according to the latest official estimates (2025), the 63rd largest in the world. Sri Lanka is part of the South Asia region and its capital is Colombo.

The population is shrinking, declining at 0.73% per year — Sri Lanka belongs to the growing group of countries whose populations have begun to fall. That translates to a loss of roughly 160,000 people over the past year. Net emigration — about 30,724 people in 2025 — compounds the decline.

Population density is relatively high at about 356 people per km², spread across 61,860 km² of land. It is one of the least urbanized countries in the world — just 20% of people live in cities.

The median age is 33.3 years. Fertility, at 1.95 children per woman, hovers just below the 2.1 replacement level. Life expectancy at birth is 77.7 years (2024).

UN medium-variant projections point to continued growth, reaching 24.81 million by 2050 (14% above today's level). The 2030 projection is 23,767,952.

Sri Lanka population, 1960–2025 and projections

05M10M15M20M25M19601980200020202040projected2025: 21.76M1960: 9,661,3891961: 9,899,3721962: 10,143,7541963: 10,395,0401964: 10,653,3971965: 10,916,9651966: 11,183,9281967: 11,457,3281968: 11,736,0881969: 12,013,8581970: 12,287,1101971: 12,551,9101972: 12,809,2051973: 13,060,9161974: 13,305,6931975: 13,548,9841976: 13,796,7701977: 14,049,3711978: 14,310,1281979: 14,579,6141980: 14,847,9741981: 15,099,4141982: 15,286,5671983: 15,388,7941984: 15,441,8601985: 15,544,1541986: 15,731,2561987: 15,916,5761988: 16,078,6211989: 16,248,5571990: 16,352,4581991: 16,475,3541992: 16,739,2841993: 17,025,9181994: 17,275,7731995: 17,564,0681996: 17,905,0181997: 18,248,2001998: 18,596,0031999: 18,944,7312000: 19,293,0542001: 19,600,3622002: 19,805,7522003: 19,951,5212004: 20,087,6052005: 20,216,5242006: 20,352,4112007: 20,492,5452008: 20,629,3782009: 20,756,4352010: 20,879,0892011: 21,009,0482012: 21,169,4582013: 20,585,0002014: 20,778,0002015: 20,970,0002016: 21,209,0002017: 21,453,0002018: 21,670,0002019: 21,803,0002020: 21,919,0002021: 22,156,0002022: 22,181,0002023: 22,037,0002024: 21,916,0002025: 21,756,0002030: 23,767,9522050: 24,813,690
Population of Sri Lanka by year
YearPopulationGrowth rateAnnual change
202521,756,000−0.73%−160,000
202421,916,000−0.55%−121,000
202322,037,000−0.65%−144,000
202222,181,000+0.11%+25,000
202122,156,000+1.08%+237,000
202021,919,000+0.53%+116,000
201921,803,000+0.61%+133,000
201821,670,000+1.01%+217,000
201721,453,000+1.14%+244,000
201621,209,000+1.13%+239,000
201520,970,000+0.92%+192,000
201420,778,000+0.93%+193,000
201020,879,089+0.59%+122,654
200520,216,524+0.64%+128,919
200019,293,054+1.82%+348,323
199517,564,068+1.66%+288,295
199016,352,458+0.64%+103,901
198515,544,154+0.66%+102,294
198014,847,974+1.82%+268,360
197513,548,984+1.81%+243,291
197012,287,110+2.25%+273,252
196510,916,965+2.44%+263,568
19609,661,389––

Recent years annually, earlier years at five-year steps. Annual change compares against the immediately preceding year.

Sri Lanka population forecast

United Nations World Population Prospects 2024, medium variant.

Projected population of Sri Lanka
YearProjected populationvs today
203023,767,952+9.2%
205024,813,690+14.1%

Sri Lanka population pyramid (2025)

Age and sex structure from UN World Population Prospects 2024: 21.7% of Sri Lanka's population is under 15, 65.8% is of working age (15–64), and 12.5% is 65 or older. Hover any bar for the group's size.

MaleFemale
0%1%1%2%2%3%3%4%4%0-4 male: 820,485 (3.5%)0-4 female: 786,918 (3.4%)0-45-9 male: 850,855 (3.7%)5-9 female: 816,629 (3.5%)10-14 male: 898,971 (3.9%)10-14 female: 867,128 (3.7%)10-1415-19 male: 913,077 (3.9%)15-19 female: 892,927 (3.8%)20-24 male: 872,890 (3.8%)20-24 female: 852,253 (3.7%)20-2425-29 male: 826,197 (3.6%)25-29 female: 809,130 (3.5%)30-34 male: 796,552 (3.4%)30-34 female: 815,932 (3.5%)30-3435-39 male: 738,760 (3.2%)35-39 female: 797,893 (3.4%)40-44 male: 775,351 (3.3%)40-44 female: 836,566 (3.6%)40-4445-49 male: 753,351 (3.2%)45-49 female: 808,523 (3.5%)50-54 male: 640,933 (2.8%)50-54 female: 696,605 (3.0%)50-5455-59 male: 608,471 (2.6%)55-59 female: 678,226 (2.9%)60-64 male: 540,663 (2.3%)60-64 female: 636,378 (2.7%)60-6465-69 male: 457,741 (2.0%)65-69 female: 571,694 (2.5%)70-74 male: 345,926 (1.5%)70-74 female: 469,996 (2.0%)70-7475-79 male: 228,308 (1.0%)75-79 female: 345,903 (1.5%)80-84 male: 110,268 (0.5%)80-84 female: 189,835 (0.8%)80-8485-89 male: 43,258 (0.2%)85-89 female: 84,070 (0.4%)90-94 male: 12,576 (0.1%)90-94 female: 30,083 (0.1%)90-9495-99 male: 2,054 (0.0%)95-99 female: 5,466 (0.0%)100+ male: 149 (0.0%)100+ female: 482 (0.0%)100+

Sri Lanka population FAQ

What is the population of Sri Lanka in 2026?

Sri Lanka's population is estimated at about 21.58 million in 2026, extrapolated from the latest official figure of 21,756,000 (2025). Sri Lanka ranks 63rd in the world by population.

Is the population of Sri Lanka growing or shrinking?

Sri Lanka's population is shrinking by about 0.73% per year — a loss of roughly 160,000 people over the past year.

How densely populated is Sri Lanka?

Sri Lanka has about 356 people per square kilometre across a land area of 61,860 km².

What share of the world's population lives in Sri Lanka?

Sri Lanka is home to about 0.26% of the world's population.

What is Sri Lanka's projected population in 2050?

United Nations medium-variant projections put Sri Lanka's population at 24,813,690 in 2050, passing through 23,767,952 in 2030.

What is the median age in Sri Lanka?

The median age in Sri Lanka is 33.3 years (2025 estimate) — half the population is younger and half older than that.

Sources: World Bank Open Data (CC BY-4.0); median age and projections from UN World Population Prospects 2024. Live figures are estimates extrapolated from the latest official data — see methodology.