Population in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Population was 21.92 million in 2024. β² Rising
Population in Sri Lanka, 1960β2024
Source: International Monetary Fund.
Analysis
In 2024, population in Sri Lanka stood at 21.92 million.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.5% on the previous year and up 5.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population in Sri Lanka peaked at 22.18 million in 2022 and was at its lowest, 9.66 million, in 1960.
That places Sri Lanka 59th out of 186 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 65 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 10.81 million | 9.66 million | 12.01 million | 10 |
| 1970s | 13.43 million | 12.29 million | 14.58 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 15.56 million | 14.85 million | 16.25 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 17.51 million | 16.35 million | 18.94 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 20.12 million | 19.29 million | 20.76 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 21.15 million | 20.59 million | 21.80 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 22.04 million | 21.92 million | 22.18 million | 5 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
- 56 Syrian Arab Republic 24.67 million compare
- 57 Mali 24.48 million compare
- 58 Burkina Faso 23.55 million compare
- 60 Malawi 21.66 million compare
- 61 Zambia 21.32 million compare
- 62 Kazakhstan, Republic of 20.59 million compare
More gender data for Sri Lanka
- Age population, age 00, female, interpolated 155,366 (2025)
- Age population, age 00, male, interpolated 162,031 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, female, interpolated 156,342 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, male, interpolated 163,015 (2025)
- Age population, age 02, female, interpolated 157,484 (2025)
- Age population, age 02, male, interpolated 164,192 (2025)
- Age population, age 03, female, interpolated 158,342 (2025)
- Age population, age 03, male, interpolated 165,089 (2025)
- Age population, age 04, female, interpolated 159,386 (2025)
- Age population, age 04, male, interpolated 166,159 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population in Sri Lanka?
- Population in Sri Lanka was 21.92 million in 2024, according to International Monetary Fund.
- What is the highest population recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 22.18 million in 2022.
- What is the lowest population recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 9.66 million in 1960.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for population?
- Sri Lanka ranks 59th out of 186 countries with data for 2024.
- Is population rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sri Lanka data come from?
- The figures come from International Monetary Fund, published as part of Population. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV Β· JSON β 65 observations, free to reuse under IMF Terms and Conditions (attribution required).
About this data
Data on Gender-disaggregated on selected population characteristics.