Annual growth rate of urban population share in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Annual growth rate of urban population share was 0.7262 in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
0.7262
Change on year
down 3.2%
World rank
61st
of 236 countries
All-time high
3.28
in 2011
All-time low
-2.69
in 1992
Years of data
76
1950–2025
Annual growth rate of urban population share in Sri Lanka, 1950–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
Sri Lanka recorded 0.7262 for annual growth rate of urban population share in 2025.
That represents a change of down 3.2% on the previous year and down 24.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual growth rate of urban population share in Sri Lanka peaked at 3.28 in 2011 and was at its lowest, -2.69, in 1992.
Sri Lanka ranks 61st of 236 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Annual growth rate of urban population share in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | -0.0901 | — |
| 1951 | -0.0701 | -22.2% |
| 1952 | -0.0338 | -51.8% |
| 1953 | 0.2844 | -941.4% |
| 1954 | 0.8948 | +214.6% |
| 1955 | 1.58 | +76.6% |
| 1956 | 2.03 | +28.7% |
| 1957 | 2.37 | +16.4% |
| 1958 | 2.57 | +8.7% |
| 1959 | 2.66 | +3.5% |
| 1960 | 2.64 | -0.7% |
| 1961 | 2.53 | -4.3% |
| 1962 | 2.3 | -9.1% |
| 1963 | 2.22 | -3.7% |
| 1964 | 2.49 | +12.5% |
| 1965 | 2.79 | +11.7% |
| 1966 | 2.82 | +1.2% |
| 1967 | 2.65 | -6.0% |
| 1968 | 2.3 | -13.2% |
| 1969 | 1.8 | -21.8% |
| 1970 | 1.03 | -42.9% |
| 1971 | 0.3253 | -68.4% |
| 1972 | -0.0986 | -130.3% |
| 1973 | -0.2268 | +130.0% |
| 1974 | -0.3379 | +49.0% |
| 1975 | -0.4326 | +28.0% |
| 1976 | -0.512 | +18.4% |
| 1977 | -0.5758 | +12.5% |
| 1978 | -0.6239 | +8.4% |
| 1979 | -0.6558 | +5.1% |
| 1980 | -0.6627 | +1.1% |
| 1981 | -0.8028 | +21.1% |
| 1982 | -1.06 | +32.3% |
| 1983 | -1.38 | +29.8% |
| 1984 | -1.64 | +19.0% |
| 1985 | -1.88 | +14.6% |
| 1986 | -2.09 | +11.3% |
| 1987 | -2.28 | +8.8% |
| 1988 | -2.43 | +6.8% |
| 1989 | -2.55 | +5.1% |
| 1990 | -2.64 | +3.4% |
| 1991 | -2.69 | +1.8% |
| 1992 | -2.69 | +0.1% |
| 1993 | -2.65 | -1.7% |
| 1994 | -2.55 | -3.8% |
| 1995 | -2.39 | -6.2% |
| 1996 | -2.17 | -9.3% |
| 1997 | -1.88 | -13.4% |
| 1998 | -1.52 | -19.2% |
| 1999 | -1.09 | -28.0% |
| 2000 | -0.5565 | -49.1% |
| 2001 | -0.0346 | -93.8% |
| 2002 | 0.501 | -1548.0% |
| 2003 | 1.04 | +106.6% |
| 2004 | 1.49 | +43.5% |
| 2005 | 1.88 | +26.7% |
| 2006 | 2.22 | +18.0% |
| 2007 | 2.51 | +12.7% |
| 2008 | 2.73 | +9.1% |
| 2009 | 2.91 | +6.4% |
| 2010 | 3.03 | +4.4% |
| 2011 | 3.28 | +8.2% |
| 2012 | 1.34 | -59.1% |
| 2013 | 0.9779 | -27.2% |
| 2014 | 0.9777 | -0.0% |
| 2015 | 0.9561 | -2.2% |
| 2016 | 0.9343 | -2.3% |
| 2017 | 0.9122 | -2.4% |
| 2018 | 0.8898 | -2.5% |
| 2019 | 0.8672 | -2.5% |
| 2020 | 0.8444 | -2.6% |
| 2021 | 0.8212 | -2.7% |
| 2022 | 0.7979 | -2.8% |
| 2023 | 0.7743 | -3.0% |
| 2024 | 0.7504 | -3.1% |
| 2025 | 0.7262 | -3.2% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 0.7262 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.3526, 2.1× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Sri Lanka's 0.7262 is below the median for South Asia, which is 1.04, 70% of the median. (6 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Annual growth rate of urban population share in Sri Lanka changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | +1548.0% | -0.0346 | 0.501 |
| 1953 | +941.4% | -0.0338 | 0.2844 |
| 1954 | +214.6% | 0.2844 | 0.8948 |
| 1972 | -130.3% | 0.3253 | -0.0986 |
| 1973 | -130.0% | -0.0986 | -0.2268 |
| 2003 | +106.6% | 0.501 | 1.04 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 1.22 | -0.0901 | 2.66 | 10 |
| 1960s | 2.45 | 1.8 | 2.82 | 10 |
| 1970s | -0.211 | -0.6558 | 1.03 | 10 |
| 1980s | -1.68 | -2.55 | -0.6627 | 10 |
| 1990s | -2.23 | -2.69 | -1.09 | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.47 | -0.5565 | 2.91 | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.42 | 0.8672 | 3.28 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.7857 | 0.7262 | 0.8444 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
More population data for Sri Lanka
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate -0.5555 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate 0.0083 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate -0.5555 % change on previous year (2100)
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate -1.29 % change on previous year (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 05 - Demographic estimates 21,815 Persons (2050)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population 0.1332 Percent per annum (2030)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -0.6507 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population growth rate -0.558 (2100)
- Population density 343.51 (2100)
- Projected population under age 5 901,396 (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual growth rate of urban population share in Sri Lanka?
- Annual growth rate of urban population share in Sri Lanka was 0.7262 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest annual growth rate of urban population share recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 3.28 in 2011.
- What is the lowest annual growth rate of urban population share recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was -2.69 in 1992.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for annual growth rate of urban population share?
- Sri Lanka ranks 61st out of 236 countries with data for 2025.
- Is annual growth rate of urban population share rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is down 24.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Sri Lanka data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Annual growth rate of urban population share. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 76 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).