Number of people living in urban and rural areas, per capita in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Number of people living in urban and rural areas, per capita was 0.2184 people per person in 2025. ▼ Falling
Number of people living in urban and rural areas, per capita in Sri Lanka, 1960–2025
Source: Statizoid (derived). Measured in people per person.
Analysis
In 2025, number of people living in urban and rural areas, per capita in Sri Lanka stood at 0.2184 people per person.
That represents a change of up 2.0% on the previous year and up 12.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of people living in urban and rural areas, per capita in Sri Lanka peaked at 0.2244 people per person in 1972 and was at its lowest, 0.1457 people per person, in 2001.
That places Sri Lanka 208th out of 215 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 66 years of available data.
Number of people living in urban and rural areas, per capita in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | people per person | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 0.1755 people per person | — |
| 1961 | 0.1802 people per person | +2.6% |
| 1962 | 0.1846 people per person | +2.5% |
| 1963 | 0.1887 people per person | +2.2% |
| 1964 | 0.1931 people per person | +2.3% |
| 1965 | 0.1984 people per person | +2.7% |
| 1966 | 0.2041 people per person | +2.9% |
| 1967 | 0.2098 people per person | +2.8% |
| 1968 | 0.2151 people per person | +2.5% |
| 1969 | 0.2196 people per person | +2.1% |
| 1970 | 0.2228 people per person | +1.5% |
| 1971 | 0.2243 people per person | +0.7% |
| 1972 | 0.2244 people per person | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 0.224 people per person | -0.2% |
| 1974 | 0.2233 people per person | -0.3% |
| 1975 | 0.2225 people per person | -0.4% |
| 1976 | 0.2214 people per person | -0.5% |
| 1977 | 0.2202 people per person | -0.5% |
| 1978 | 0.2189 people per person | -0.6% |
| 1979 | 0.2175 people per person | -0.6% |
| 1980 | 0.2161 people per person | -0.7% |
| 1981 | 0.2146 people per person | -0.7% |
| 1982 | 0.2126 people per person | -0.9% |
| 1983 | 0.21 people per person | -1.2% |
| 1984 | 0.2068 people per person | -1.5% |
| 1985 | 0.2032 people per person | -1.7% |
| 1986 | 0.1992 people per person | -2.0% |
| 1987 | 0.1949 people per person | -2.2% |
| 1988 | 0.1904 people per person | -2.3% |
| 1989 | 0.1857 people per person | -2.5% |
| 1990 | 0.1809 people per person | -2.6% |
| 1991 | 0.1761 people per person | -2.6% |
| 1992 | 0.1715 people per person | -2.7% |
| 1993 | 0.1669 people per person | -2.6% |
| 1994 | 0.1626 people per person | -2.6% |
| 1995 | 0.1587 people per person | -2.4% |
| 1996 | 0.1551 people per person | -2.3% |
| 1997 | 0.1519 people per person | -2.0% |
| 1998 | 0.1494 people per person | -1.7% |
| 1999 | 0.1474 people per person | -1.3% |
| 2000 | 0.1462 people per person | -0.8% |
| 2001 | 0.1457 people per person | -0.3% |
| 2002 | 0.1461 people per person | +0.3% |
| 2003 | 0.1473 people per person | +0.8% |
| 2004 | 0.1491 people per person | +1.3% |
| 2005 | 0.1517 people per person | +1.7% |
| 2006 | 0.1548 people per person | +2.1% |
| 2007 | 0.1585 people per person | +2.4% |
| 2008 | 0.1628 people per person | +2.7% |
| 2009 | 0.1674 people per person | +2.9% |
| 2010 | 0.1725 people per person | +3.0% |
| 2011 | 0.1779 people per person | +3.1% |
| 2012 | 0.1826 people per person | +2.7% |
| 2013 | 0.1913 people per person | +4.7% |
| 2014 | 0.193 people per person | +0.9% |
| 2015 | 0.1948 people per person | +0.9% |
| 2016 | 0.196 people per person | +0.6% |
| 2017 | 0.1972 people per person | +0.6% |
| 2018 | 0.1984 people per person | +0.6% |
| 2019 | 0.2004 people per person | +1.0% |
| 2020 | 0.2024 people per person | +1.0% |
| 2021 | 0.2031 people per person | +0.4% |
| 2022 | 0.2058 people per person | +1.3% |
| 2023 | 0.21 people per person | +2.1% |
| 2024 | 0.214 people per person | +1.9% |
| 2025 | 0.2184 people per person | +2.0% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 0.2184 people per person is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.6562 people per person, 33% of the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Sri Lanka's 0.2184 people per person is below the median for South Asia, which is 0.391 people per person, 56% of the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.1969 people per person | 0.1755 people per person | 0.2196 people per person | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.2219 people per person | 0.2175 people per person | 0.2244 people per person | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.2033 people per person | 0.1857 people per person | 0.2161 people per person | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.1621 people per person | 0.1474 people per person | 0.1809 people per person | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.153 people per person | 0.1457 people per person | 0.1674 people per person | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.1904 people per person | 0.1725 people per person | 0.2004 people per person | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.2089 people per person | 0.2024 people per person | 0.2184 people per person | 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)
- 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 number of people living in urban and rural areas, per capita in Sri Lanka?
- Number of people living in urban and rural areas, per capita in Sri Lanka was 0.2184 people per person in 2025, according to Statizoid (derived).
- What is the highest number of people living in urban and rural areas, per capita recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 0.2244 people per person in 1972.
- What is the lowest number of people living in urban and rural areas, per capita recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.1457 people per person in 2001.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for number of people living in urban and rural areas, per capita?
- Sri Lanka ranks 208th out of 215 countries with data for 2025.
- Is number of people living in urban and rural areas, per capita rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is up 12.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sri Lanka data come from?
- The figures come from Statizoid (derived), published as part of Number of people living in urban and rural areas, per capita. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 66 observations, free to reuse under Derived by Statizoid from the sources named on the page.
How this figure is calculated
Number of people living in urban and rural areas divided by Population, total, matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.
Number of people living in urban and rural areas ÷ Population, total
Computed from
- Number of people living in urban and rural areas United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
- Population, total World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN)
Statizoid computes this series; the underlying measurements belong to the publishers named above. The arithmetic is applied to every country and year where both inputs report, and nothing is estimated unless the page says so.
About this data
Number of people living in urban and rural areas divided by Population, total, matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.