Sri Lanka Demographics

Population of Sri Lanka (2026)

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

Sri Lanka Population
23,348,315
see live
Yearly Change
+0.51%
Global Share
0.28%
Global Rank
60

Median Age

The median age in Sri Lanka is 33.6 years (2026).

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)
1.93
(Live Births per Woman, 2026)

Life Expectancy in Sri Lanka

See also: Countries in the world ranked by Life Expectancy

Both Sexes
78.0
(life expectancy at birth, both sexes combined)
Females
81.0
(life expectancy at birth, females)
Males
74.9
(life expectancy at birth, males)


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


Infant Mortality
4.7
(infant deaths per 1,000 live births)
Deaths under age 5
5.8
(per 1,000 live births)


Sri Lanka Urban Population

Currently, 20.6% of the population of Sri Lanka is urban (4,808,980 people in 2026)


Population Density

The 2026 population density in Sri Lanka is 361 people per km² (936 people per mi2), calculated on a total land area of 64,630 km² (24,954 sq. miles).

Largest Cities in Sri Lanka

The 30 largest of 68 cities, ranked by population at the census of December 19, 2024 (by Department of Census and Statistics, Sri Lanka).

RankCityPopulation
1Colombo509,207
2KaduwelaBattaramulla277,918
3Kesbewa204,301
4Maharagama196,500
5Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia181,878
6Moratuwa160,199
7Negombo137,952
8Kalmunaiincl. Sainthamarathu114,227
9Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte96,189
10Batticaloa95,107
11Kandy94,482
12Galle89,242
13Jaffna79,177
14Matara76,193
15Kalutara69,214
16Gampaha63,609
17Kolonnawa59,425
18Boralesgamuwa59,240
19Katunayake-Seeduwa57,881
20Anuradhapura52,737
21Trincomalee51,774
22Puttalam51,321
23Ratnapura47,179
24Badulla45,210
25Kattankudy44,794
26Beruwala43,916
27Kinniya43,825
28Embilipitiya43,098
29Gampola41,916
30Polonnaruwa37,320
See all 68 cities in Sri Lanka

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.