Annual change in population in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Annual change in population was 136,650 people in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
136,650 people
Change on year
up 1.5%
World rank
78th
of 236 countries
All-time high
348,728 people
in 1999
All-time low
53,063 people
in 1984
Years of data
73
1951–2023
Annual change in population in Sri Lanka, 1951–2023
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in people.
Analysis
In 2023, annual change in population in Sri Lanka stood at 136,650 people.
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 change in population in Sri Lanka peaked at 348,728 people in 1999 and was at its lowest, 53,063 people, 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 change in population in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1951 | 145,282 people | — |
| 1952 | 155,229 people | +6.8% |
| 1953 | 163,574 people | +5.4% |
| 1954 | 170,801 people | +4.4% |
| 1955 | 177,391 people | +3.9% |
| 1956 | 183,894 people | +3.7% |
| 1957 | 193,778 people | +5.4% |
| 1958 | 207,815 people | +7.2% |
| 1959 | 221,342 people | +6.5% |
| 1960 | 231,227 people | +4.5% |
| 1961 | 237,988 people | +2.9% |
| 1962 | 244,378 people | +2.7% |
| 1963 | 251,289 people | +2.8% |
| 1964 | 258,364 people | +2.8% |
| 1965 | 263,562 people | +2.0% |
| 1966 | 266,960 people | +1.3% |
| 1967 | 273,404 people | +2.4% |
| 1968 | 278,755 people | +2.0% |
| 1969 | 277,780 people | -0.3% |
| 1970 | 273,249 people | -1.6% |
| 1971 | 264,797 people | -3.1% |
| 1972 | 257,297 people | -2.8% |
| 1973 | 251,713 people | -2.2% |
| 1974 | 244,777 people | -2.8% |
| 1975 | 243,292 people | -0.6% |
| 1976 | 247,787 people | +1.8% |
| 1977 | 252,589 people | +1.9% |
| 1978 | 260,762 people | +3.2% |
| 1979 | 269,489 people | +3.3% |
| 1980 | 268,356 people | -0.4% |
| 1981 | 251,445 people | -6.3% |
| 1982 | 187,154 people | -25.6% |
| 1983 | 102,224 people | -45.4% |
| 1984 | 53,063 people | -48.1% |
| 1985 | 102,294 people | +92.8% |
| 1986 | 187,101 people | +82.9% |
| 1987 | 185,325 people | -0.9% |
| 1988 | 162,046 people | -12.6% |
| 1989 | 169,936 people | +4.9% |
| 1990 | 103,900 people | -38.9% |
| 1991 | 122,894 people | +18.3% |
| 1992 | 263,943 people | +114.8% |
| 1993 | 286,627 people | +8.6% |
| 1994 | 249,853 people | -12.8% |
| 1995 | 288,288 people | +15.4% |
| 1996 | 340,955 people | +18.3% |
| 1997 | 343,185 people | +0.7% |
| 1998 | 347,801 people | +1.3% |
| 1999 | 348,728 people | +0.3% |
| 2000 | 348,322 people | -0.1% |
| 2001 | 307,305 people | -11.8% |
| 2002 | 205,389 people | -33.2% |
| 2003 | 145,771 people | -29.0% |
| 2004 | 136,087 people | -6.6% |
| 2005 | 128,923 people | -5.3% |
| 2006 | 135,885 people | +5.4% |
| 2007 | 140,130 people | +3.1% |
| 2008 | 136,831 people | -2.4% |
| 2009 | 127,061 people | -7.1% |
| 2010 | 122,654 people | -3.5% |
| 2011 | 129,962 people | +6.0% |
| 2012 | 160,407 people | +23.4% |
| 2013 | 189,368 people | +18.1% |
| 2014 | 188,625 people | -0.4% |
| 2015 | 182,521 people | -3.2% |
| 2016 | 180,788 people | -0.9% |
| 2017 | 176,762 people | -2.2% |
| 2018 | 165,591 people | -6.3% |
| 2019 | 157,436 people | -4.9% |
| 2020 | 151,256 people | -3.9% |
| 2021 | 138,569 people | -8.4% |
| 2022 | 134,588 people | -2.9% |
| 2023 | 136,650 people | +1.5% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 136,650 people is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 28,200 people, 4.8× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Sri Lanka's 136,650 people is above the median for South Asia, which is 71,058 people, 1.9× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Annual change in population 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 people | 263,943 people |
| 1985 | +92.8% | 53,063 people | 102,294 people |
| 1986 | +82.9% | 102,294 people | 187,101 people |
| 1984 | -48.1% | 102,224 people | 53,063 people |
| 1983 | -45.4% | 187,154 people | 102,224 people |
| 1990 | -38.9% | 169,936 people | 103,900 people |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 179,901 people | 145,282 people | 221,342 people | 9 |
| 1960s | 258,371 people | 231,227 people | 278,755 people | 10 |
| 1970s | 256,575 people | 243,292 people | 273,249 people | 10 |
| 1980s | 166,894 people | 53,063 people | 268,356 people | 10 |
| 1990s | 269,617 people | 103,900 people | 348,728 people | 10 |
| 2000s | 181,170 people | 127,061 people | 348,322 people | 10 |
| 2010s | 165,411 people | 122,654 people | 189,368 people | 10 |
| 2020s | 140,266 people | 134,588 people | 151,256 people | 4 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
More population data for Sri Lanka
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate -1.29 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population long run 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 regions with projections, annual growth rate -0.5555 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population growth rate, by level of development -0.6% (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 901,396 people (2100)
- Population density 343.51 people per km² (2100)
- World population growth -0.6% (2100)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -0.6507 % change on previous year (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population 0.1332 Percent per annum (2030)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual change in population in Sri Lanka?
- Annual change in population in Sri Lanka was 136,650 people in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest annual change in population recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 348,728 people in 1999.
- What is the lowest annual change in population recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 53,063 people in 1984.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for annual change in population?
- Sri Lanka ranks 78th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is annual change in population 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 UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Annual change in population. 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).
About this data
Annual change in population, calculated as the difference between population on 1 July of consecutive years.