Birth rate in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Birth rate was 14.11 births per 1,000 people in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
14.11 births per 1,000 people
Change on year
down 1.2%
World rank
113th
of 236 countries
All-time high
36.85 births per 1,000 people
in 1959
All-time low
14.11 births per 1,000 people
in 2023
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Birth rate in Sri Lanka, 1950–2023
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in births per 1,000 people.
Analysis
Sri Lanka recorded 14.11 births per 1,000 people for birth rate in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 74 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.2% on the previous year and down 17.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, birth rate in Sri Lanka peaked at 36.85 births per 1,000 people in 1959 and was at its lowest, 14.11 births per 1,000 people, in 2023.
That places Sri Lanka 113th 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 74 years of available data.
Birth rate in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | births per 1,000 people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 35.93 births per 1,000 people | — |
| 1951 | 36.36 births per 1,000 people | +1.2% |
| 1952 | 36.5 births per 1,000 people | +0.4% |
| 1953 | 36.52 births per 1,000 people | +0.1% |
| 1954 | 36.38 births per 1,000 people | -0.4% |
| 1955 | 36.18 births per 1,000 people | -0.5% |
| 1956 | 35.91 births per 1,000 people | -0.7% |
| 1957 | 36.38 births per 1,000 people | +1.3% |
| 1958 | 36.82 births per 1,000 people | +1.2% |
| 1959 | 36.85 births per 1,000 people | +0.1% |
| 1960 | 36.33 births per 1,000 people | -1.4% |
| 1961 | 35.57 births per 1,000 people | -2.1% |
| 1962 | 35.1 births per 1,000 people | -1.3% |
| 1963 | 34.74 births per 1,000 people | -1.0% |
| 1964 | 34.47 births per 1,000 people | -0.8% |
| 1965 | 33.81 births per 1,000 people | -1.9% |
| 1966 | 33.22 births per 1,000 people | -1.7% |
| 1967 | 33.19 births per 1,000 people | -0.1% |
| 1968 | 32.56 births per 1,000 people | -1.9% |
| 1969 | 31.79 births per 1,000 people | -2.4% |
| 1970 | 31.16 births per 1,000 people | -2.0% |
| 1971 | 30.23 births per 1,000 people | -3.0% |
| 1972 | 29.71 births per 1,000 people | -1.7% |
| 1973 | 28.9 births per 1,000 people | -2.7% |
| 1974 | 28.19 births per 1,000 people | -2.5% |
| 1975 | 28.19 births per 1,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 28.33 births per 1,000 people | +0.5% |
| 1977 | 28.34 births per 1,000 people | +0.1% |
| 1978 | 29.03 births per 1,000 people | +2.4% |
| 1979 | 29.28 births per 1,000 people | +0.9% |
| 1980 | 28.6 births per 1,000 people | -2.3% |
| 1981 | 28.14 births per 1,000 people | -1.6% |
| 1982 | 25.95 births per 1,000 people | -7.8% |
| 1983 | 24.42 births per 1,000 people | -5.9% |
| 1984 | 23.49 births per 1,000 people | -3.8% |
| 1985 | 22.42 births per 1,000 people | -4.5% |
| 1986 | 21.39 births per 1,000 people | -4.6% |
| 1987 | 20.83 births per 1,000 people | -2.6% |
| 1988 | 20.34 births per 1,000 people | -2.4% |
| 1989 | 20.58 births per 1,000 people | +1.2% |
| 1990 | 20.54 births per 1,000 people | -0.2% |
| 1991 | 20.16 births per 1,000 people | -1.8% |
| 1992 | 20.06 births per 1,000 people | -0.5% |
| 1993 | 19.98 births per 1,000 people | -0.4% |
| 1994 | 19.96 births per 1,000 people | -0.1% |
| 1995 | 19.62 births per 1,000 people | -1.7% |
| 1996 | 19.04 births per 1,000 people | -3.0% |
| 1997 | 18.45 births per 1,000 people | -3.1% |
| 1998 | 17.82 births per 1,000 people | -3.4% |
| 1999 | 17.86 births per 1,000 people | +0.3% |
| 2000 | 18.4 births per 1,000 people | +3.0% |
| 2001 | 18.95 births per 1,000 people | +3.0% |
| 2002 | 19.17 births per 1,000 people | +1.2% |
| 2003 | 19.09 births per 1,000 people | -0.4% |
| 2004 | 18.83 births per 1,000 people | -1.4% |
| 2005 | 18.72 births per 1,000 people | -0.6% |
| 2006 | 18.85 births per 1,000 people | +0.7% |
| 2007 | 18.81 births per 1,000 people | -0.2% |
| 2008 | 18.2 births per 1,000 people | -3.2% |
| 2009 | 17.63 births per 1,000 people | -3.2% |
| 2010 | 17.15 births per 1,000 people | -2.7% |
| 2011 | 17.09 births per 1,000 people | -0.3% |
| 2012 | 17.15 births per 1,000 people | +0.3% |
| 2013 | 17.03 births per 1,000 people | -0.7% |
| 2014 | 16.52 births per 1,000 people | -3.0% |
| 2015 | 16.02 births per 1,000 people | -3.0% |
| 2016 | 15.65 births per 1,000 people | -2.3% |
| 2017 | 15.37 births per 1,000 people | -1.8% |
| 2018 | 15.15 births per 1,000 people | -1.4% |
| 2019 | 14.92 births per 1,000 people | -1.5% |
| 2020 | 14.68 births per 1,000 people | -1.6% |
| 2021 | 14.47 births per 1,000 people | -1.4% |
| 2022 | 14.28 births per 1,000 people | -1.3% |
| 2023 | 14.11 births per 1,000 people | -1.2% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 14.11 births per 1,000 people is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 13.97 births per 1,000 people, 1.0× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Sri Lanka's 14.11 births per 1,000 people is below the median for South Asia, which is 15.13 births per 1,000 people, 93% of the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 36.39 births per 1,000 people | 35.91 births per 1,000 people | 36.85 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1960s | 34.08 births per 1,000 people | 31.79 births per 1,000 people | 36.33 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1970s | 29.14 births per 1,000 people | 28.19 births per 1,000 people | 31.16 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1980s | 23.62 births per 1,000 people | 20.34 births per 1,000 people | 28.6 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1990s | 19.35 births per 1,000 people | 17.82 births per 1,000 people | 20.54 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2000s | 18.67 births per 1,000 people | 17.63 births per 1,000 people | 19.17 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2010s | 16.2 births per 1,000 people | 14.92 births per 1,000 people | 17.15 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2020s | 14.38 births per 1,000 people | 14.11 births per 1,000 people | 14.68 births per 1,000 people | 4 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
- 110 Ecuador 15.03 births per 1,000 people compare
- 111 New Caledonia 14.26 births per 1,000 people compare
- 112 Greenland 14.11 births per 1,000 people compare
- 114 Niue 13.87 births per 1,000 people compare
- 115 Vietnam 13.83 births per 1,000 people compare
- 116 Tunisia 13.75 births per 1,000 people compare
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)
- World population growth -0.6% (2100)
- Population density 343.51 people per km² (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 901,396 people (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is birth rate in Sri Lanka?
- Birth rate in Sri Lanka was 14.11 births per 1,000 people in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest birth rate recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 36.85 births per 1,000 people in 1959.
- What is the lowest birth rate recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 14.11 births per 1,000 people in 2023.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for birth rate?
- Sri Lanka ranks 113th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is birth rate rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is down 17.1%. 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 Birth rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 74 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Number of live births in a year per 1,000 people in the population.