Ireland vs Sri Lanka: Share of population living in the capital city
Ireland
21.8%
in 2020
Sri Lanka
22.0%
in 2020
Ireland rank
56th
Sri Lanka rank
54th
Share of population living in the capital city over time
- Ireland
- Sri Lanka
How they compare
Sri Lanka currently reports 22.0% against 21.8% in Ireland, a difference of 0.2%.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 15 shared years of data; in 1950 it was Ireland ahead.
Ireland ranks 56th and Sri Lanka ranks 54th of 170 countries.
Across the 8 decades both report, Ireland averaged higher in 7 and Sri Lanka in 1.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Ireland | Sri Lanka | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 23.9% | 15.4% | 8.5% | Ireland |
| 1960s | 24.5% | 15.6% | 8.9% | Ireland |
| 1970s | 25.3% | 15.3% | 10.1% | Ireland |
| 1980s | 24.7% | 16.2% | 8.5% | Ireland |
| 1990s | 24.0% | 18.1% | 5.9% | Ireland |
| 2000s | 22.9% | 20.0% | 2.9% | Ireland |
| 2010s | 21.7% | 20.9% | 0.8% | Ireland |
| 2020s | 21.8% | 22.0% | 0.2% | Sri Lanka |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of population living in the capital city, Ireland or Sri Lanka?
- Sri Lanka, at 22.0% against 21.8% in Ireland as of 2020.
- What is the difference in share of population living in the capital city between Ireland and Sri Lanka?
- 0.2%, with Sri Lanka ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Ireland and Sri Lanka?
- 15 years are reported by both, from 1950 to 2020.
- How do Ireland and Sri Lanka rank globally for share of population living in the capital city?
- Ireland ranks 56th and Sri Lanka ranks 54th of 170 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Share of population living in the capital city. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Percentage of the total population living in the country's capital city. City boundaries are defined using a consistent global approach based on satellite imagery and population data.