Annual population growth in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Annual population growth was 136,650 in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
136,650
Change on year
up 1.5%
World rank
78th
of 236 countries
All-time high
348,728
in 1999
All-time low
53,063
in 1984
Years of data
73
1951–2023
Annual population growth in Sri Lanka, 1951–2023
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2023, annual population growth in Sri Lanka stood at 136,650.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.5% on the previous year and down 27.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual population growth in Sri Lanka peaked at 348,728 in 1999 and was at its lowest, 53,063, in 1984.
That places Sri Lanka 78th out of 236 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 73 years of available data.
Annual population growth in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1951 | 145,282 | — |
| 1952 | 155,229 | +6.8% |
| 1953 | 163,574 | +5.4% |
| 1954 | 170,801 | +4.4% |
| 1955 | 177,391 | +3.9% |
| 1956 | 183,894 | +3.7% |
| 1957 | 193,778 | +5.4% |
| 1958 | 207,815 | +7.2% |
| 1959 | 221,342 | +6.5% |
| 1960 | 231,227 | +4.5% |
| 1961 | 237,988 | +2.9% |
| 1962 | 244,378 | +2.7% |
| 1963 | 251,289 | +2.8% |
| 1964 | 258,364 | +2.8% |
| 1965 | 263,562 | +2.0% |
| 1966 | 266,960 | +1.3% |
| 1967 | 273,404 | +2.4% |
| 1968 | 278,755 | +2.0% |
| 1969 | 277,780 | -0.3% |
| 1970 | 273,249 | -1.6% |
| 1971 | 264,797 | -3.1% |
| 1972 | 257,297 | -2.8% |
| 1973 | 251,713 | -2.2% |
| 1974 | 244,777 | -2.8% |
| 1975 | 243,292 | -0.6% |
| 1976 | 247,787 | +1.8% |
| 1977 | 252,589 | +1.9% |
| 1978 | 260,762 | +3.2% |
| 1979 | 269,489 | +3.3% |
| 1980 | 268,356 | -0.4% |
| 1981 | 251,445 | -6.3% |
| 1982 | 187,154 | -25.6% |
| 1983 | 102,224 | -45.4% |
| 1984 | 53,063 | -48.1% |
| 1985 | 102,294 | +92.8% |
| 1986 | 187,101 | +82.9% |
| 1987 | 185,325 | -0.9% |
| 1988 | 162,046 | -12.6% |
| 1989 | 169,936 | +4.9% |
| 1990 | 103,900 | -38.9% |
| 1991 | 122,894 | +18.3% |
| 1992 | 263,943 | +114.8% |
| 1993 | 286,627 | +8.6% |
| 1994 | 249,853 | -12.8% |
| 1995 | 288,288 | +15.4% |
| 1996 | 340,955 | +18.3% |
| 1997 | 343,185 | +0.7% |
| 1998 | 347,801 | +1.3% |
| 1999 | 348,728 | +0.3% |
| 2000 | 348,322 | -0.1% |
| 2001 | 307,305 | -11.8% |
| 2002 | 205,389 | -33.2% |
| 2003 | 145,771 | -29.0% |
| 2004 | 136,087 | -6.6% |
| 2005 | 128,923 | -5.3% |
| 2006 | 135,885 | +5.4% |
| 2007 | 140,130 | +3.1% |
| 2008 | 136,831 | -2.4% |
| 2009 | 127,061 | -7.1% |
| 2010 | 122,654 | -3.5% |
| 2011 | 129,962 | +6.0% |
| 2012 | 160,407 | +23.4% |
| 2013 | 189,368 | +18.1% |
| 2014 | 188,625 | -0.4% |
| 2015 | 182,521 | -3.2% |
| 2016 | 180,788 | -0.9% |
| 2017 | 176,762 | -2.2% |
| 2018 | 165,591 | -6.3% |
| 2019 | 157,436 | -4.9% |
| 2020 | 151,256 | -3.9% |
| 2021 | 138,569 | -8.4% |
| 2022 | 134,588 | -2.9% |
| 2023 | 136,650 | +1.5% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 136,650 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 28,200, 4.8× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Sri Lanka's 136,650 is above the median for South Asia, which is 71,058, 1.9× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Annual population growth 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | +114.8% | 122,894 | 263,943 |
| 1985 | +92.8% | 53,063 | 102,294 |
| 1986 | +82.9% | 102,294 | 187,101 |
| 1984 | -48.1% | 102,224 | 53,063 |
| 1983 | -45.4% | 187,154 | 102,224 |
| 1990 | -38.9% | 169,936 | 103,900 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 179,901 | 145,282 | 221,342 | 9 |
| 1960s | 258,371 | 231,227 | 278,755 | 10 |
| 1970s | 256,575 | 243,292 | 273,249 | 10 |
| 1980s | 166,894 | 53,063 | 268,356 | 10 |
| 1990s | 269,617 | 103,900 | 348,728 | 10 |
| 2000s | 181,170 | 127,061 | 348,322 | 10 |
| 2010s | 165,411 | 122,654 | 189,368 | 10 |
| 2020s | 140,266 | 134,588 | 151,256 | 4 |
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 population growth in Sri Lanka?
- Annual population growth in Sri Lanka was 136,650 in 2023, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest annual population growth recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 348,728 in 1999.
- What is the lowest annual population growth recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 53,063 in 1984.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for annual population growth?
- Sri Lanka ranks 78th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is annual population growth rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is down 27.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sri Lanka data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Annual population growth. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 73 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).