New internal displacements in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: New internal displacements was 563,857 in 2025. ◆ Volatile
New internal displacements in Sri Lanka, 2008–2025
Source: UNICEF.
Analysis
Sri Lanka recorded 563,857 for new internal displacements in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 575.2% on the previous year and up 760.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, new internal displacements in Sri Lanka peaked at 684,884 in 2011 and was at its lowest, 10,900, in 2022.
Sri Lanka ranks 21st of 170 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
New internal displacements in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 525,408 | — |
| 2009 | 642,885 | +22.4% |
| 2010 | 141,414 | -78.0% |
| 2011 | 684,884 | +384.3% |
| 2012 | 129,092 | -81.2% |
| 2013 | 324,236 | +151.2% |
| 2014 | 151,800 | -53.2% |
| 2015 | 65,562 | -56.8% |
| 2016 | 500,200 | +662.9% |
| 2017 | 135,038 | -73.0% |
| 2018 | 114,163 | -15.5% |
| 2019 | 88,706 | -22.3% |
| 2020 | 19,363 | -78.2% |
| 2021 | 121,119 | +525.5% |
| 2022 | 10,900 | -91.0% |
| 2023 | 16,551 | +51.8% |
| 2024 | 83,510 | +404.6% |
| 2025 | 563,857 | +575.2% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 563,857 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 2,895, 194.8× the median. (51 countries reporting)
- Sri Lanka's 563,857 is above the median for South Asia, which is 53,748, 10.5× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where New internal displacements 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | +662.9% | 65,562 | 500,200 |
| 2025 | +575.2% | 83,510 | 563,857 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 584,146 | 525,408 | 642,885 | 2 |
| 2010s | 233,510 | 65,562 | 684,884 | 10 |
| 2020s | 135,883 | 10,900 | 563,857 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
More population data for Sri Lanka
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 05 - Demographic estimates 21,815 Persons (2050)
- 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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is new internal displacements in Sri Lanka?
- New internal displacements in Sri Lanka was 563,857 in 2025, according to UNICEF.
- What is the highest new internal displacements recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 684,884 in 2011.
- What is the lowest new internal displacements recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 10,900 in 2022.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for new internal displacements?
- Sri Lanka ranks 21st out of 170 countries with data for 2025.
- Is new internal displacements rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is up 760.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Sri Lanka data come from?
- The figures come from UNICEF, published as part of New internal displacements. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 18 observations, free to reuse under UNICEF Terms of Use (attribution required).