Number of people living in urban and rural areas, per square kilometre in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Number of people living in urban and rural areas, per square kilometre was 74.81 people per square kilometre in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
74.81 people per square kilometre
Change on year
up 1.4%
World rank
86th
of 215 countries
All-time high
74.81 people per square kilometre
in 2023
All-time low
28.44 people per square kilometre
in 1961
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Number of people living in urban and rural areas, per square kilometre in Sri Lanka, 1961–2023
Source: Statizoid (derived). Measured in people per square kilometre.
Analysis
Sri Lanka recorded 74.81 people per square kilometre for number of people living in urban and rural areas, per square kilometre in 2023. That is the highest value across all 63 years on record.
That represents a change of up 1.4% on the previous year and up 19.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of people living in urban and rural areas, per square kilometre in Sri Lanka peaked at 74.81 people per square kilometre in 2023 and was at its lowest, 28.44 people per square kilometre, in 1961.
Sri Lanka ranks 86th of 215 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 63 years of available data.
Number of people living in urban and rural areas, per square kilometre in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | people per square kilometre | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 28.44 people per square kilometre | — |
| 1962 | 29.86 people per square kilometre | +5.0% |
| 1963 | 31.28 people per square kilometre | +4.8% |
| 1964 | 32.81 people per square kilometre | +4.9% |
| 1965 | 34.53 people per square kilometre | +5.3% |
| 1966 | 36.4 people per square kilometre | +5.4% |
| 1967 | 38.33 people per square kilometre | +5.3% |
| 1968 | 40.25 people per square kilometre | +5.0% |
| 1969 | 42.06 people per square kilometre | +4.5% |
| 1970 | 43.65 people per square kilometre | +3.8% |
| 1971 | 44.9 people per square kilometre | +2.9% |
| 1972 | 45.83 people per square kilometre | +2.1% |
| 1973 | 46.65 people per square kilometre | +1.8% |
| 1974 | 47.39 people per square kilometre | +1.6% |
| 1975 | 48.07 people per square kilometre | +1.4% |
| 1976 | 48.72 people per square kilometre | +1.3% |
| 1977 | 49.34 people per square kilometre | +1.3% |
| 1978 | 49.95 people per square kilometre | +1.2% |
| 1979 | 50.57 people per square kilometre | +1.2% |
| 1980 | 51.16 people per square kilometre | +1.2% |
| 1981 | 51.66 people per square kilometre | +1.0% |
| 1982 | 51.82 people per square kilometre | +0.3% |
| 1983 | 51.53 people per square kilometre | -0.6% |
| 1984 | 50.93 people per square kilometre | -1.2% |
| 1985 | 50.38 people per square kilometre | -1.1% |
| 1986 | 49.98 people per square kilometre | -0.8% |
| 1987 | 49.47 people per square kilometre | -1.0% |
| 1988 | 48.81 people per square kilometre | -1.3% |
| 1989 | 48.11 people per square kilometre | -1.4% |
| 1990 | 47.17 people per square kilometre | -1.9% |
| 1991 | 46.28 people per square kilometre | -1.9% |
| 1992 | 45.77 people per square kilometre | -1.1% |
| 1993 | 45.32 people per square kilometre | -1.0% |
| 1994 | 44.8 people per square kilometre | -1.1% |
| 1995 | 44.44 people per square kilometre | -0.8% |
| 1996 | 44.27 people per square kilometre | -0.4% |
| 1997 | 44.22 people per square kilometre | -0.1% |
| 1998 | 44.3 people per square kilometre | +0.2% |
| 1999 | 44.54 people per square kilometre | +0.6% |
| 2000 | 44.98 people per square kilometre | +1.0% |
| 2001 | 45.55 people per square kilometre | +1.3% |
| 2002 | 46.15 people per square kilometre | +1.3% |
| 2003 | 46.85 people per square kilometre | +1.5% |
| 2004 | 47.77 people per square kilometre | +2.0% |
| 2005 | 48.9 people per square kilometre | +2.4% |
| 2006 | 50.25 people per square kilometre | +2.8% |
| 2007 | 51.81 people per square kilometre | +3.1% |
| 2008 | 53.54 people per square kilometre | +3.3% |
| 2009 | 55.42 people per square kilometre | +3.5% |
| 2010 | 57.43 people per square kilometre | +3.6% |
| 2011 | 59.59 people per square kilometre | +3.8% |
| 2012 | 61.65 people per square kilometre | +3.4% |
| 2013 | 62.78 people per square kilometre | +1.8% |
| 2014 | 63.96 people per square kilometre | +1.9% |
| 2015 | 65.99 people per square kilometre | +3.2% |
| 2016 | 67.17 people per square kilometre | +1.8% |
| 2017 | 68.34 people per square kilometre | +1.7% |
| 2018 | 69.51 people per square kilometre | +1.7% |
| 2019 | 70.62 people per square kilometre | +1.6% |
| 2020 | 71.71 people per square kilometre | +1.5% |
| 2021 | 72.76 people per square kilometre | +1.5% |
| 2022 | 73.78 people per square kilometre | +1.4% |
| 2023 | 74.81 people per square kilometre | +1.4% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 74.81 people per square kilometre is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 48.45 people per square kilometre, 1.5× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Sri Lanka's 74.81 people per square kilometre is below the median for South Asia, which is 153.73 people per square kilometre, 49% of the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 34.88 people per square kilometre | 28.44 people per square kilometre | 42.06 people per square kilometre | 9 |
| 1970s | 47.51 people per square kilometre | 43.65 people per square kilometre | 50.57 people per square kilometre | 10 |
| 1980s | 50.39 people per square kilometre | 48.11 people per square kilometre | 51.82 people per square kilometre | 10 |
| 1990s | 45.11 people per square kilometre | 44.22 people per square kilometre | 47.17 people per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2000s | 49.12 people per square kilometre | 44.98 people per square kilometre | 55.42 people per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2010s | 64.71 people per square kilometre | 57.43 people per square kilometre | 70.62 people per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2020s | 73.27 people per square kilometre | 71.71 people per square kilometre | 74.81 people per square kilometre | 4 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
- 83 Spain 76.83 people per square kilometre compare
- 84 Austria 76.6 people per square kilometre compare
- 85 Poland 75.79 people per square kilometre compare
- 87 Hungary 74.61 people per square kilometre compare
- 88 Uganda 74.27 people per square kilometre compare
- 89 Togo 73.99 people per square kilometre 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 number of people living in urban and rural areas, per square kilometre in Sri Lanka?
- Number of people living in urban and rural areas, per square kilometre in Sri Lanka was 74.81 people per square kilometre in 2023, according to Statizoid (derived).
- What is the highest number of people living in urban and rural areas, per square kilometre recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 74.81 people per square kilometre in 2023.
- What is the lowest number of people living in urban and rural areas, per square kilometre recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 28.44 people per square kilometre in 1961.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for number of people living in urban and rural areas, per square kilometre?
- Sri Lanka ranks 86th out of 215 countries with data for 2023.
- Is number of people living in urban and rural areas, per square kilometre rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is up 19.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- 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 square kilometre. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 63 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 Land area (sq. km), 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 ÷ Land area (sq. km)
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
- Land area FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
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 Land area (sq. km), matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.