Sri Lanka Demographics

Population of Sri Lanka (2025)

View live population, charts & trends: Population of Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka Population
23,229,470
see live
Yearly Change
+0.54%
Global Share
0.28%
Global Rank
60

Median Age

The median age in Sri Lanka is 33.3 years (2025).

Fertility in Sri Lanka

A Total Fertility Rate (TFR) of 2.1 represents the Replacement-Level Fertility: the average number of children per woman needed for each generation to exactly replace itself without needing international immigration. A value below 2.1 will cause the native population to decline


Total Fertility Rate (TFR)
1.9
(Live Births per Woman, 2025)

Life Expectancy in Sri Lanka

See also: Countries in the world ranked by Life Expectancy

Both Sexes
77.9
(life expectancy at birth, both sexes combined)
Females
80.9
(life expectancy at birth, females)
Males
74.7
(life expectancy at birth, males)


Infant Mortality Rate and Deaths of Children under 5 Years Old in Sri Lanka


Infant Mortality
4.8
(infant deaths per 1,000 live births)
Deaths under age 5
6.0
(per 1,000 live births)


Sri Lanka Urban Population

Currently, 18.1% of the population of Sri Lanka is urban (4,193,316 people in 2025)


Population Density

The 2025 population density in Sri Lanka is 370 people per Km2 (959 people per mi2), calculated on a total land area of 62,710 Km2 (24,212 sq. miles).

Largest Cities in Sri Lanka

# City Population
1 Colombo 648,034
2 Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia 219,827
3 Maharagama 195,355
4 Jaffna 169,102
5 Moratuwa 168,280
6 Negombo 137,223
7 Pita Kotte 118,179
8 Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte 115,826
9 Kandy 111,701
10 Trincomalee 108,420
11 Kalmunai 100,171
12 Galle 93,118
13 Point Pedro 89,810
14 Batticaloa 86,742
15 Katunayaka 84,643
16 Valvedditturai 78,205
17 Matara 76,254
18 Battaramulla South 75,633
19 Dambulla 66,716
20 Kolonnawa 64,887
21 Kotikawatta 64,565
22 Anuradhapura 60,943
23 Vavuniya 60,176
24 Hendala 56,978
25 Ambalangoda 56,783
26 Ratnapura 47,832
27 Badulla 47,587
28 Puttalam 45,661
29 Devinuwara 45,000
30 Ampara 43,720

See also

Sources

Definitions

Population Pyramid

A Population pyramid (also called "Age-Sex Pyramid") is a graphical representation of the age and sex of a population.

Types:

  • Expansive - pyramid with a wide base (larger percentage of people in younger age groups, indicating high birth rates and high fertility rates) and narrow top (high death rate and lower life expectancies). It suggests a growing population. Example: Nigeria Population Pyramid
  • Constrictive - pyramid with a narrow base (lower percentage of younger people, indicating declining birth rates with each succeeding age group getting smaller than the previous one). Example: United States
  • Stationary - with a somewhat equal proportion of the population in each age group. The population is stable, neither increasing nor decreasing.

Stages:

Population pyramid stages

Dependency Ratio

There are three types of age dependency ratio: Youth, Elderly, and Total. All three ratios are commonly multiplied by 100.

Youth Dependency Ratio

Definition: population ages 0-15 divided by the population ages 16-64.

Formula: ([Population ages 0-15] ÷ [Population ages 16-64]) × 100

Elderly dependency ratio

Definition: population ages 65-plus divided by the population ages 16-64.

Formula: ([Population ages 65-plus] ÷ [Population ages 16-64]) × 100

Total dependency ratio

Definition: sum of the youth and old-age ratios.

Formula: (([Population ages 0-15] + [Population ages 65-plus]) ÷ [Population ages 16-64]) × 100

NOTE: Dependency Ratio does not take into account labor force participation rates by age group. Some portion of the population counted as "working age" may actually be unemployed or not in the labor force whereas some portion of the "dependent" population may be employed and not necessarily economically dependent.