Sierra Leone vs Sri Lanka: Share of population living in the capital city
Sierra Leone
22.4%
in 2020
Sri Lanka
22.0%
in 2020
Sierra Leone rank
52nd
Sri Lanka rank
54th
Share of population living in the capital city over time
- Sierra Leone
- Sri Lanka
How they compare
Sierra Leone currently reports 22.4% against 22.0% in Sri Lanka, a difference of 0.4%.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 15 shared years of data; in 1950 it was Sri Lanka ahead.
Sierra Leone ranks 52nd and Sri Lanka ranks 54th of 170 countries.
Across the 8 decades both report, Sierra Leone averaged higher in 1 and Sri Lanka in 7.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Sierra Leone | Sri Lanka | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 6.2% | 15.4% | 9.2% | Sri Lanka |
| 1960s | 7.1% | 15.6% | 8.5% | Sri Lanka |
| 1970s | 9.7% | 15.3% | 5.6% | Sri Lanka |
| 1980s | 13.0% | 16.2% | 3.2% | Sri Lanka |
| 1990s | 15.2% | 18.1% | 2.9% | Sri Lanka |
| 2000s | 17.6% | 20.0% | 2.4% | Sri Lanka |
| 2010s | 18.9% | 20.9% | 1.9% | Sri Lanka |
| 2020s | 22.4% | 22.0% | 0.4% | Sierra Leone |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of population living in the capital city, Sierra Leone or Sri Lanka?
- Sierra Leone, at 22.4% against 22.0% in Sri Lanka as of 2020.
- What is the difference in share of population living in the capital city between Sierra Leone and Sri Lanka?
- 0.4%, with Sierra Leone ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Sierra Leone and Sri Lanka?
- 15 years are reported by both, from 1950 to 2020.
- How do Sierra Leone and Sri Lanka rank globally for share of population living in the capital city?
- Sierra Leone ranks 52nd 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.