National Identity
- Official name
- Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka
- Official name (in Sinhala)
- ශ්‍රී ලංකා ප්‍රජාතාන්ත්‍රික සමාජවාදී ජනරජය
- Official name (in Sinhala, Romanized)
- Sri Lanka Prajathanthrika Samajavadi Janarajaya
- Official name (in Tamil)
- இலங்கை ஜனநாயக சோசலிசக் குடியரசு
- Official name (in Tamil, Romanized)
- Ilankai Jananayaka Sosalisak Kudiyarasu
- Name etymology
the name is composed of the Sanskrit words shri (happiness or holiness) and lanka (island); the former name Serendib was an Arabic derivation of the Sanskrit word simhaladvipa, or "island of the place of lions;" the former name Ceylon came from the Sanskrit simha, or "lion"
Sources:- The Constitution of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka (As amended up to 31st October 2022) Revised Edition – 2023 ↗ - The Parliament of Sri Lanka
- The World Factbook: Sri Lanka - CIA
- National emblem
- National flag
- The lion in the flag represents the Sinhala race.
- The sword of the lion represents the sovereignty of the country. [...]
- The bo-leaves at the four corners of the flag represent Buddhism and it’s influence on the nation.
- Our earlier National Flag was the Royal Standard of the last King of Kandy. It had a lion in yellow holding a sword in its right forepaw, on a crimson back-ground. Four pinnacles or spires also in yellow are at the four corners with a border running right round.
As published by the Sri Lanka Standards Institution 3.1 The shape of the flag shall be rectangular.
3.2 The ratio of the width to the length of the flag shall be 1 : 2.
3.3 The design has a yellow border and two vertical stripes. The left most stripe shall be green and the other saffron. To the right of the saffron stripe, separated from it by a yellow strip, shall be the lion in yellow on a red background, bearing an upright sword in its right fore-paw, and facing the saffron stripe. In the four corners of the red background shall have four yellow bo-leaves.
As published in EnglishAs published by the Ministry of Public Administration, Provincial Councils and Local Government of Sri Lanka the National Flag is a symbol of our mother-land, our Independence and the unity of our people. It is a symbol of our hopes and aspirations for the Nation's future.
As published in EnglishAs published by the Ministry of Public Administration, Provincial Councils and Local Government of Sri Lanka Two vertical stripes of saffron and green of equal size represent the minorities.
As published in EnglishAs published by the Sri Lanka Embassy in Türkiye As published in EnglishAs published by the Ministry of Public Administration, Provincial Councils and Local Government of Sri Lanka As published in EnglishAs published by the Sri Lanka Standards Institution With the declaration of independence in 1948, it became necessary for Ceylon to design her own National Flag. Initially, the 1815 King’s Civil Standard was used. In 1948, a National Flag Committee (NFC) of the House of Representatives was constituted under the Chairmanship of the Honourable S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike, M.P, Minister of Health and Local Government by the Prime Minister, the Right Honourable D.S. Senanayake, P.C, M.P. The report of that Committee was tabled in the House of Representatives on 27 February, 1951. After having a two day parliament debate, (1st and 2nd of March 1951) the flag report was accepted on 2nd March 1951.
As published in EnglishAs published by the Sri Lanka Standards Institution The recommendations made by the NFC resulted in two vertical stripes of saffron and green being added to the 1815 King’s civil Standard.
As published in EnglishAs published by the Sri Lanka Standards Institution On 22nd May 1972, when Sri Lanka became a Republic, the four Bo-Leaves which were in the corners of the flag were made more prominent than in the National Flag design in 1951.
As published in EnglishAs published by the Ministry of Public Administration, Provincial Councils and Local Government of Sri Lanka Our present National Flag is a part of the Constitution of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, promulgated on 7th September, 1978.
As published in EnglishSources:- slsi.lk ↗ - the Sri Lanka Standards Institution
- moha.gov.lk ↗ - the Ministry of Public Administration, Provincial Councils and Local Government of Sri Lanka
- srilanka.org.tr ↗ - the Sri Lanka Embassy in Türkiye
- National anthem
- Sri Lanka Matha (ශ්‍රී ලංකා මාතා)2:53
- Title (in Sinhala)
- ශ්‍රී ලංකා මාතා
- Title (in Sinhala, Romanized)
- Sri Lanka Matha
- Title (in Tamil)
- சிறீ லங்கா தாயே
- Title (in Tamil, Romanized)
- Sri Lanka Thaayé
- Title (in English, translated from Sinhala and Tamil)
- Mother Sri Lanka
- Lyrics
ශ්‍රී ලංකා මාතා
Chorusඅප ශ්‍රී ලංකා නමෝ නමෝ නමෝ නමෝ මාතා
1සුන්දර සිරි බරිනි සුරැදි අති ශෝබමාන ලංකා ධාන්‍ය ධනය නෙක මල් පලතුරු පිරි ජය භූමිය රම්‍යා අපහට සැප සිරි සෙත සදනා ජීවනයේ මාතා පිලිගනු මැන අප භක්‌තී පූජා නමෝ නමෝ මාතා
අප ශ්‍රී ලංකාඅප ශ්‍රී ලංකා2ඔබ වේ අප විද්‍යා, ඔබමය අප සත්‍යා ඔබ වේ අප ශක්‌තී , අප හද තුල භක්‌තී ඔබ අප ආලෝකේ, අපගේ අනුප්‍රාණෙ ඔබ අප ජීවන වේ, අප මුක්‌තිය ඔබ වේ නව ජීවන ෙදමිේන නිතින අප පුබුදු කරන් මාතා
3ඥාන වීර්ය වඩවමින් රැගෙන යනු මැන ජය භූමි කරා එක මවකෙග දරු කැල බැවිනා යමු යමු වී ෙනාපමා ප්‍රේම වඩා සැම භීද දුරැර දා නමෝ නමෝ මාතාඅ
අප ශ්‍රී ලංකාඅප ශ්‍රී ලංකාSource: - Citizens
- Sri Lankans
- Official name:The Constitution of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka (As amended up to 31st October 2022) Revised Edition – 2023 ↗ - The Parliament of Sri Lanka
- Official name, Citizens:The World Factbook: Sri Lanka - CIA
- National flag:slsi.lk ↗ - the Sri Lanka Standards Institution
- National flag:moha.gov.lk ↗ - the Ministry of Public Administration, Provincial Councils and Local Government of Sri Lanka
- National flag:srilanka.org.tr ↗ - the Sri Lanka Embassy in Türkiye
- National anthem:nationalanthems.info ↗
Geography
- Location
- Southern Asia, island in the Indian Ocean, south of India
- Total area
- 65,610 km²
- Land area
- 64,630 km²
- Water area
- 980 km²
- Land borders
- None
- Coastline
- 1,340 km
- Terrain
Mostly low, flat to rolling plain; mountains in south-central interior - Mean elevation
- 228 m
- Highest point
- 2,524 mPidurutalagala
- Lowest point
- 0 mIndian Ocean
- Climate
Tropical monsoon northeast monsoon (December to March); southwest monsoon (June to October) - Avg. temperature
- 26.6 °C
- Avg. daily range
- 23.6 to 30.4 °C
- Annual precipitation
- 1,739 mm
Temperature °CMeanDaily rangePrecipitation mmMonthly climate normals Month Avg. high, °C Mean, °C Avg. low, °C Precipitation, mm January 28.2 24.7 21.6 114 February 29.5 25.4 21.8 81 March 31.4 26.8 22.8 81 April 31.8 27.4 24 153 May 31.7 28 25.1 132 June 31.4 27.9 25.1 92 July 31.3 27.6 24.9 90 August 31.3 27.5 24.7 96 September 31.2 27.3 24.3 123 October 30.1 26.3 23.6 252 November 28.8 25.4 22.8 303 December 28 24.8 22.2 223 Country-wide averages over 1991–2020.
Sources:- The World Factbook: Sri Lanka - CIA
- Climate Change Knowledge Portal (ERA5 reanalysis) ↗ - World Bank
- Weather
- Loading
- Land use2023
- Arable22.2%Perm. crops19.3%Pasture7.1%Forest34.4%Other16.7%
- Arable land
- 1,372,000 hectares (22.2%)
- Permanent crops
- 1,194,900 hectares (19.3%)
- Permanent meadows & pastures
- 440,000 hectares (7.1%)
- Forest
- 2,130,578 hectares (34.4%)
- Other land
- 1,031,522 hectares (16.7%)
Source: - Natural hazards2026
- Tsunamis8.0Very high#15/191Epidemics5.0High#93/191Coastal floods3.3Low#98/191Drought3.2Low#94/191Tropical cyclones2.2Very low#46/191River floods1.9Very low#143/191Earthquakes0.1Very low#127/191
Scores out of 10, ranks out of 191 countries.
Source:- INFORM Risk Index ↗ - European Commission Joint Research Centre
- Location, Land borders, Coastline, Terrain, Mean elevation, Highest point, Lowest point, Climate:The World Factbook: Sri Lanka - CIA
- Climate:Climate Change Knowledge Portal (ERA5 reanalysis) ↗ - World Bank
- Land use:FAOSTAT Land Use domain ↗ - FAO
- Natural hazards:INFORM Risk Index ↗ - European Commission Joint Research Centre
Demographics
- Population change2026
- +0.51% per year+118,845 people/yearWorld Rank140thof 237
- Birth rate
- 13.6 per 1,000 population
- Death rate
- 7.3 per 1,000 population
- Net migration rate
- −1.3 per 1,000 population
- 2026
- 33.6 yearsWorld Rank115thof 237
- Age structure2026
- 0-14 years21.4%15-64 years65.8%65 years +12.8%
- Share aged 65 and over
- 12.8%
- Share aged under 18
- 26.0%
- Total dependency ratio
- 52
- Youth dependency ratio
- 33
- Elderly dependency ratio
- 20
- Sex ratio
- 0.94 male / female
MaleAgeFemalePopulation by age group, % of total population Age Male Female 80+ 0.8% 1.4% 70-79 2.5% 3.6% 60-69 4.3% 5.2% 50-59 5.4% 5.9% 40-49 6.6% 7.1% 30-39 6.6% 6.9% 20-29 7.3% 7.2% 10-19 7.7% 7.5% 0-9 7.1% 6.8% - 2026
- 0.18 below the replacement level for Sri Lanka ()1.93 births per womanreplacement 2.10123World Rank116thof 237
- 0.93 daughters per woman0.07 below replacement, long-run each generation smaller than the lastreplacement 1.000.511.5
- 2026
- +6.3 per 1,000 populationfor every 1,000 people, 6.3 more births than deaths a year
- 2026
- −1.3 per 1,000 population
- Urbanization2026
- 20.6% live in 4,808,980 urban residents
- Largest cities2024
- Colombo, Kaduwela, Kesbewa, MaharagamaRankCityPopulation (2024 census)1Colombo509,2072Kaduwela277,9183Kesbewa204,3014Maharagama196,5005Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia181,8786Moratuwa160,1997Negombo137,9528Kalmunai114,2279Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte96,18910Batticaloa95,107Source:
- Department of Census and Statistics, Sri Lanka (2024 census), via City Population by Thomas Brinkhoff ↗
- Population distribution
- The population is primarily concentrated within a broad wet zone in the southwest, urban centers along the eastern coast, and on the Jaffna Peninsula in the north.
- Ethnic groups2012
- Sinhalese74.9%Sri Lankan Tamil11.2%Sri Lankan Moors9.2%Indian Tamil4.2%Other0.5%
- Religions2012
- Buddhist70.2%Hindu12.6%Muslim9.7%Roman Catholic6.1%Other Christian1.3%Other0.1%
Buddhism is the official religion.
Source:- The World Factbook: Sri Lanka - CIA
- Languages
- Sinhala (සිංහල), Tamil (தமிழ்)
- Population, Population change, Median age, Age structure, Total fertility rate, Net reproduction rate, Natural change, Net migration rate:UN World Population Prospects ↗
- Urbanization:UN World Urbanization Prospects ↗
- Largest cities:Department of Census and Statistics, Sri Lanka (2024 census), via City Population by Thomas Brinkhoff ↗
- Population distribution, Ethnic groups, Religions:The World Factbook: Sri Lanka - CIA
Government & Administration
- Form of state
- RepublicThe President is Head of the State, of the Executive and of the Government, elected by the People for five years; the state is "the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka" (Arts. 1, 30).
- System of government
- Semi-presidentialThe directly elected President appoints as Prime Minister the member most likely to command Parliament's confidence; the Cabinet is collectively answerable to Parliament and stands dissolved if Parliament passes a vote of no confidence in the Government (Arts. 42, 48).
- Territorial organisation
- Unitary
- Official websites
- Capital
- ColomboDe facto509,207 people(2012)Sri Jayawardenepura KotteDe jure96,189 people(2012)
- National holidays
- 25 days in 2026
- SatJan 3Duruthu Full Moon Poya Day
- ThuJan 15Tamil Thai Pongal Day
- SunFeb 1Nawam Full Moon Poya Day
- WedFeb 4Independence Day
- SunFeb 15Maha Sivarathri Day
- MonMar 2Medin Full Moon Poya Day
- SatMar 21Eid al-Fitr
- WedApr 1Bak Full Moon Poya Day
- FriApr 3Good Friday
- MonApr 13Day Before Sinhala and Tamil New Year
- TueApr 14Sinhala and Tamil New Year
- FriMay 1International Workers' DayVesak Full Moon Poya Day
- SatMay 2Day Following Vesak Full Moon Poya Day
- ThuMay 28Eid al-Adha
- SatMay 30Adhi Poson Full Moon Poya Day
- MonJun 29Poson Full Moon Poya Day
- WedJul 29Esala Full Moon Poya Day
- WedAug 26Prophet's Birthday
- ThuAug 27Nikini Full Moon Poya Day
- SatSep 26Binara Full Moon Poya Day
- SunOct 25Vap Full Moon Poya Day
- SunNov 8Diwali
- TueNov 24Il Full Moon Poya Day
- WedDec 23Unduvap Full Moon Poya Day
- FriDec 25Christmas Day
Nationwide public holidays only, excluding regional, bank and government-only days.
- Time
- ISTIndia Standard TimeUTC+5:30
- Currency
- Sri Lankan Rupee (LKR)
- Entry requirements
- Official visa and entry information
- Calling code
- +94
- Internet TLD
- .lk
- ISO 3166-1 codes
- LK, LKA
- Infrastructure
- Railways1,562 km
- Passengers carried
- 3,866,001 by the country's airlines(2023)
- Heliports
- 1
- Aircraft departures
- 24,228 by the country's airlines(2023)
- Air freight
- 278.5 million tonne-km(2023)
- Aircraft registration prefix
- 4R
Sources:- The World Factbook: Sri Lanka - CIA
- World Development Indicators ↗ - World Bank
- Flag carrier
- SriLankan AirlinesState-owned
- Passenger rail
- Sri Lanka Railways
- 2025
- 35 / 100World Rank107thof 182
Significant declinerDown 5 points since 2012, when it scored 40.
Confidence intervalCorruption index score by year Year Score Lower bound Upper bound 2012 40 38 42 2013 37 34 40 2014 38 34 42 2015 37 34 40 2016 36 34 39 2017 38 35 41 2018 38 35 41 2019 38 34.5 41.5 2020 38 36.1 39.9 2021 37 35.4 38.6 2022 36 34.7 37.3 2023 34 33 35 2024 32 29.3 34.7 2025 35 33 37 Source:- Corruption Perceptions Index 2025 ↗ - Transparency International, CC BY 4.0
- Form of state, System of government, Territorial organisation:The Constitution of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, as amended up to 31 October 2022, Revised Edition 2023 ↗ - Parliament Secretariat of Sri Lanka
- National holidays:Open World Holidays Framework (vacanza/holidays) ↗
- Infrastructure:The World Factbook: Sri Lanka - CIA
- Infrastructure:World Development Indicators ↗ - World Bank
- Corruption Perceptions Index:Corruption Perceptions Index 2025 ↗ - Transparency International, CC BY 4.0
Economy
- Upper middle income
- GDP growth (real)2026
- +4% per yearWorld Rank62ndof 195
- GDP per capita (PPP)2026
- GDP per capita (nominal)
- $5,062 (127th in the world)
Source:- 2025
- Services54.6% of GDPIndustry25.4% of GDPAgriculture8.4% of GDPManufacturing17.1%part of industry
- Households
- +67.5%
- Government
- +6.7%
- Investment
- +29.6%
- Exports
- +19%
- Imports
- −22.8%
The shape of the economyGDP by end useSource:- World Development Indicators ↗ - World Bank
- Inflation2026
- 5.3%up 5.8 percentage points5.8pp from 2025
- Labor force2024
- 8.8 million (38% of population)World Rank62ndof 187
- Labor force participation2024
- 48.6% of people aged 15+
- Unemployment2024
- 4.2%
- Youth unemployment2024
- 19.1% ages 15 to 24
- Labor productivity2024
- $17.5 per hour worked at PPP
- Budget balance2026
- 4.2% of GDP deficit
- Current account
- 0.5% of GDP, $580 million deficit
Source: - Debt
- Central government debt202499.4% of GDPHousehold debt201912% of GDPCompany debt201944% of GDPInterest on debt20247.8% of GDP
- Trade2024
- Goods$12.8 billion64.9%
- Services$6.9 billion35.1%
- Total exports
- $19.7 billion
- Change from 2023
- up 13.6 percent on the previous year13.6%
Sources:- World Development Indicators ↗ - World Bank
- The World Factbook: Sri Lanka - CIA
- 2024
- −0.01World Rank83rdof 145
- Projected GDP growth
- +4.4% a year over the next 10 years
Source:- Atlas of Economic Complexity ↗ - Harvard Growth Lab
- Agricultural products2024
- Coir (raw), Tea leaves, Coconuts (in shell), and 7 more
- 1Coir (raw)78.5×
- 2Tea leaves39.2×
- 3Coconuts (in shell)23.4×
- 4Plantains and cooking bananas14.1×
- 5Rice4.8×
- 6Squash and gourds (including pumpkins)4×
- 7Mangoes and guavas and mangosteens2.4×
- 8Meat of chickens (fresh or chilled)1.7×
- 9Cassava (fresh)0.8×
- 10Raw milk of cattle0.5×
ProductSource:- FAOSTAT ↗ - Food and Agriculture Organization
- Gold reserves2024
- 0.47 tonnesWorth $39.4 million, 0.7% of total official reserves by value
- Industries
- processing of rubber, tea, coconuts, tobacco and other agricultural commodities
- tourism
- clothing and textiles
- mining
Source:- The World Factbook: Sri Lanka - CIA
- Income level, GDP by sector, Trade, Gold reserves:World Development Indicators ↗ - World Bank
- GDP (nominal), GDP growth (real), GDP per capita (PPP), Inflation, Budget balance:IMF World Economic Outlook ↗
- Labor force, Labor force participation, Unemployment, Youth unemployment, Labor productivity:ILOSTAT ↗ - International Labour Organization
- Debt:IMF Global Debt Database ↗
- Debt:IMF Public Finances in Modern History ↗
- Trade, Industries:The World Factbook: Sri Lanka - CIA
- Economic Complexity Index:Atlas of Economic Complexity ↗ - Harvard Growth Lab
- Agricultural products:FAOSTAT ↗ - Food and Agriculture Organization
Cost of Living
- Cost of living index
- Loading
- Monthly costs (excluding rent)
- Loading
- Rent
- Loading
- Buying an apartment
- Loading
- Average gross salary2024
- LKR 48,843 per month$162 (USD), $558 (PPP)
- Median
- LKR 41,152 per month($136)
- Men
- LKR 51,091 per month($169)
- Women
- LKR 44,585 per month($148)
Source:- ILOSTAT ↗ - International Labour Organization
- 2024
- LKR 17,500 per month, gross$58 (USD), $200 (PPP)
- Share of the average gross salary
- 36%
Source:- ILOSTAT ↗ - International Labour Organization
- Average gross salary, Minimum wage:ILOSTAT ↗ - International Labour Organization
Society
- 2023
- 0.776HighWorld Rank89thof 193Sri LankaWorld
Human Development Index by year Year Sri Lanka World 1990 0.638 0.608 1991 0.642 0.611 1992 0.650 0.614 1993 0.658 0.617 1994 0.664 0.620 1995 0.667 0.625 1996 0.672 0.631 1997 0.679 0.636 1998 0.685 0.641 1999 0.692 0.646 2000 0.702 0.651 2001 0.704 0.657 2002 0.709 0.662 2003 0.713 0.669 2004 0.695 0.675 2005 0.721 0.681 2006 0.724 0.688 2007 0.729 0.694 2008 0.730 0.698 2009 0.723 0.701 2010 0.748 0.707 2011 0.753 0.713 2012 0.759 0.717 2013 0.764 0.721 2014 0.767 0.726 2015 0.769 0.731 2016 0.772 0.735 2017 0.777 0.739 2018 0.782 0.741 2019 0.781 0.745 2020 0.780 0.742 2021 0.777 0.742 2022 0.777 0.752 2023 0.776 0.756 Source:- Human Development Report ↗ - United Nations Development Programme
- 2019
- 37.7
- Mean years of schooling2023
- 10.8 years
- Expected for a child today
- 13.1 years
Source:- Human Development Report ↗ - United Nations Development Programme
- Literacy2024
- 92.7% of adults
- Education expenditure2023
- 1.8% of GDP
- Share of government spending
- 8.7%
Source:- World Development Indicators ↗ - World Bank
- Internet users2024
- 54.6% of the population
- Households with Internet access
- 76.7%
Source:- ITU DataHub ↗ - International Telecommunication Union
- Mobile subscriptions2024
- 30.6 million
- Fixed telephone lines
- 1,581,619
- Fixed broadband
- 8.5 subscriptions per 100 people
Counts subscriptions, not people.
Source:- ITU DataHub ↗ - International Telecommunication Union
- Credit-card ownership2024
- 8% of adults
- Debit-card ownership
- 42%
- Account at a bank or mobile-money provider
- 82%
- Mobile-money account
- 3%
- Made or received a digital payment
- 47%
Source:- Global Findex Database ↗ - World Bank
- Refugees hosted2025
- 224 people
- Asylum seekers
- 269
- Stateless persons
- 229
- Internally displaced persons
- 182,8004,800 due to conflicts, 178,000 due to disasters
- Refugees from Sri Lanka abroad
- 146,942
Sources:- Refugee Data Finder ↗ - UN Refugee Agency
- Global Internal Displacement Database ↗ - Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre
- Inbound tourists2022
- Official tourism site720,000 arrivalsdown 62% against 201962% below 2019World Rank95thof 139
- Per resident
- 3.2 arrivals per 100 residents
- Same-day visitors
- 38,800 arrivals
- $2.4 billion(2023)
- Share of GDP
- 3.3% tourism direct GDP(2018, latest available)
- Residents' trips abroad
- 1.1 million overnight trips
- $396.1 million(2023)
- Hotel beds
- 91,424
Overnight arrivals by year2010 to 2022A tourist stays at least one night. Arrivals count trips, not people.
Source:- UN Tourism Data Dashboard ↗ - UN Tourism
- UNESCO World Heritage Sites
- 8 sites6 cultural2 natural
Site Type Ancient City of Polonnaruwa Cultural Ancient City of Sigiriya Cultural Sacred City of Anuradhapura Cultural Old Town of Galle and its Fortifications Cultural Sacred City of Kandy Cultural Sinharaja Forest Reserve Natural Rangiri Dambulla Cave Temple Cultural Central Highlands of Sri Lanka Natural Source:- The World Factbook: Sri Lanka - CIA
- Human Development Index, Mean years of schooling:Human Development Report ↗ - United Nations Development Programme
- Income inequality (Gini), Education expenditure:World Development Indicators ↗ - World Bank
- Literacy:UIS Data Browser ↗ - UNESCO Institute for Statistics
- Internet users, Mobile subscriptions:ITU DataHub ↗ - International Telecommunication Union
- Credit-card ownership:Global Findex Database ↗ - World Bank
- Refugees hosted:Refugee Data Finder ↗ - UN Refugee Agency
- Refugees hosted:Global Internal Displacement Database ↗ - Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre
- Inbound tourists:UN Tourism Data Dashboard ↗ - UN Tourism
- UNESCO World Heritage Sites:The World Factbook: Sri Lanka - CIA
Crime & Safety
- Travel advisory (US)
- Loading
- Active humanitarian crisisAug 2026
- None - no active crisis
- Homicide rate2022
- Low by global standards2.5 per 100,000 peopleWorld Rank52ndof 115
- Crime rates
- 7 offence categories
Offence Per 100,000 Count Year Homicide (victims) 2.5 573 2022 Serious assault 12.3 2,751 2019 Sexual violence 11.3 2,523 2019 Kidnapping 0.9 212 2019 Burglary 36.3 8,085 2018 Theft 26.9 5,996 2018 Vehicle theft 2.6 577 2018 A low figure can also mean weak recording.
Source:- UNODC Data Portal ↗ - UN Office on Drugs and Crime
- Prison population2022
- 96.3 per 100,000 people
- Persons held
- 21,979
Source:- UNODC Data Portal ↗ - UN Office on Drugs and Crime
- Active humanitarian crisis:INFORM Severity Index ↗ - European Commission Joint Research Centre
- Homicide rate, Crime rates, Prison population:UNODC Data Portal ↗ - UN Office on Drugs and Crime
Health
- Life expectancy2026
- 78.0 years
- Health expenditure2023
- 3.7% of GDP$134 per person
- Physicians2023
- 1.14 per 1,000 population
- Hospital beds2023
- 3.9 per 1,000 population
- Infant mortality2026
- 4.7 per 1,000 live births
- Maternal mortality2023
- 18 per 100,000 live births
- Alcohol consumption2022
- 2.7 litres of pure alcohol per adult per year
- Tobacco use2020
- 21.7% of adults
- Men
- 40.3%
- Women
- 3%
Source:- Global Health Observatory ↗ - World Health Organization
- Alcohol and Tobacco Spending2023
- 3.4% of household spendingWorld Rank46thof 105
- World median
- 3.1%
Source:- The World Factbook: Sri Lanka - CIA
- Road traffic deaths2019
- 19.7 per 100,000 population
- Life expectancy, Infant mortality:UN World Population Prospects ↗
- Health expenditure, Physicians, Hospital beds, Road traffic deaths:World Development Indicators ↗ - World Bank
- Maternal mortality:Maternal mortality estimates ↗ - UN Maternal Mortality Estimation Inter-agency Group
- Alcohol consumption, Tobacco use:Global Health Observatory ↗ - World Health Organization
- Alcohol and Tobacco Spending:The World Factbook: Sri Lanka - CIA
Environment
- CO₂ emissions2024
- 23.3 Mt per yearup 8.1 percent on the previous year8.1% from 2023
- CO₂ per capita
- 1.1 t per personWorld Rank149thof 207
- Share of global CO₂
- 0.06%
- Methane (CH₄)
- 11.1 Mt CO₂-eq
- Nitrous oxide (N₂O)
- 2.16 Mt CO₂-eq
- Fluorinated gases
- 0.55 Mt CO₂-eq
- All greenhouse gases
- 37.2 Mt CO₂-eq
Source:- Emissions Database for Global Atmospheric Research (EDGAR) ↗ - European Commission, Joint Research Centre
- 2024
- 17.3 µg/m³ of PM2.51.2 years of life expectancy lost against the WHO guidelineMost polluted77thof 236
- WHO guideline
- 5 µg/m³
- National standard
- 25 µg/m³
Source:- Air Quality Life Index ↗ - Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago
- Environmental issues
- deforestation
- soil erosion
- poaching
- effects of urbanization
- coastal degradation from mining activities and pollution
- coral reef destruction
- freshwater resources polluted by industrial wastes and sewage runoff
- waste disposal
- air pollution in Colombo
Source:- The World Factbook: Sri Lanka - CIA
- International agreements
- 19 of 20 landmark treaties in forceParty to 63 multilateral environmental agreements
Treaty Standing Joined Climate Paris Agreement in force 2016 UN Framework Convention on Climate Change in force 1994 Kyoto Protocol in force 2005 Ozone layer Montreal Protocol in force 1990 Vienna Convention (Ozone Layer) in force 1990 Biodiversity Convention on Biological Diversity in force 1994 CITES in force 1979 Convention on Migratory Species (Bonn) in force 1990 Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety in force 2004 Nagoya Protocol not a party Land and heritage Ramsar Convention on Wetlands in force 1990 World Heritage Convention in force 1980 UN Convention to Combat Desertification in force 1999 Chemicals and waste Basel Convention in force 1992 Rotterdam Convention (PIC) in force 2006 Stockholm Convention (POPs) in force 2006 Minamata Convention on Mercury in force 2017 Oceans UN Convention on the Law of the Sea in force 1994 High Seas Treaty (BBNJ) in force 2026 MARPOL 73/78 in force 1997 Source:- International Environmental Agreements Database ↗ - Université Laval
- CO₂ emissions:Emissions Database for Global Atmospheric Research (EDGAR) ↗ - European Commission, Joint Research Centre
- Air pollution:Air Quality Life Index ↗ - Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago
- Environmental issues:The World Factbook: Sri Lanka - CIA
- International agreements:International Environmental Agreements Database ↗ - Université Laval
Food & Water
- No access to safe drinking water2022
- 4.4% of the population
- Renewable water2022
- 53 billion m³ per year
- Per person
- 2,312 m³ per year
- Dependency ratio
- 0% originates outside the country
- Annual water withdrawal
- 13 billion m³ per year
- Withdrawn for agriculture
- 87%
- Water stress
- 91% of available freshwater withdrawn
Source:- AQUASTAT ↗ - Food and Agriculture Organization
- Undernourishment2022
- 3.8% of the population800,000 people
- Obesity2024
- 11.2% of adults
- Men
- 7.1%
- Women
- 15%
Source:- Global Health Observatory ↗ - World Health Organization
- Underweight children2024
- 17.1% of children under five
- No access to safe drinking water, Renewable water:AQUASTAT ↗ - Food and Agriculture Organization
- Undernourishment:Food security indicators (FAOSTAT) ↗ - Food and Agriculture Organization
- Obesity:Global Health Observatory ↗ - World Health Organization
- Underweight children:World Development Indicators ↗ - World Bank
Energy
- Energy consumption2024
- Per capita
- 10.8 GJ per person
- Share of world total
- 0.04%
- Supply
- Deficitproduces 13% of what it consumes, 2024
Source:- International Energy Statistics ↗ - U.S. Energy Information Administration
- Electricity2024
- No electricity trade17 TWh generated per year
- Generation
- 17 TWh per year
- Consumption
- 15 TWh per year
Source:- International Energy Statistics ↗ - U.S. Energy Information Administration
- Oil, gas & coal
- No domestic productionconsumes 91,962 b/d in 2024Consumption202491,962 b/dImports201835,260 b/d
Oil imports and exports count crude oil only.
- Energy consumption, Electricity, Oil, gas & coal:International Energy Statistics ↗ - U.S. Energy Information Administration
Defense
- Military expenditure2024
- 1.4% of GDP$1.3 billion
- Military personnel2025
- estimated 210,000active Armed Forces
- Army
- 140,000
- Air Force
- 25,000
- Navy
- 45,000
The Sri Lankan military has been downsizing for several years; in 2025, the Sri Lankan Government announced its intent to decrease the size of the Army to 100,000, the Air Force to 18,000, and the Navy to 40,000 by 2030.
Source:- The World Factbook: Sri Lanka - CIA
- Military service2026
- Voluntaryno conscription; generally men and women 18–24, although upper age limits may vary by branch of service, roles, specialties
- Nuclear weapons2026
- None - no nuclear arsenal
- Military expenditure:SIPRI Military Expenditure Database ↗ - Stockholm International Peace Research Institute
- Military expenditure:World Development Indicators ↗ - World Bank
- Military personnel, Military service:The World Factbook: Sri Lanka - CIA
- Nuclear weapons:Status of World Nuclear Forces ↗ - Federation of American Scientists
