Population aged 65 years or older in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Population aged 65 years or older was 2,847 thousands in 2025. β Volatile
Population aged 65 years or older in Sri Lanka, 1970β2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in thousands.
Analysis
Sri Lanka recorded 2,847 thousands for population aged 65 years or older in 2025. That is the highest value across all 56 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 3.7% on the previous year and up 49.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population aged 65 years or older in Sri Lanka peaked at 2,847 thousands in 2025 and was at its lowest, 463.02 thousands, in 1970.
Sri Lanka ranks 40th of 226 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 535.1 thousands | 463.02 thousands | 621.25 thousands | 10 |
| 1980s | 759.82 thousands | 645.32 thousands | 879.58 thousands | 10 |
| 1990s | 1,034 thousands | 906.38 thousands | 1,153 thousands | 10 |
| 2000s | 1,318 thousands | 1,181 thousands | 1,473 thousands | 10 |
| 2010s | 1,876 thousands | 1,522 thousands | 2,279 thousands | 10 |
| 2020s | 2,604 thousands | 2,371 thousands | 2,847 thousands | 6 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
More population data for Sri Lanka
- Population growth rate by level of development -0.558 (2100)
- Projected population under age 5 901,396 (2100)
- Population density 343.51 (2100)
- Population growth rate -0.558 (2100)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -0.6507 % change on previous year (2100)
- Fertility and wanted fertility 1.95 (2024)
- Refugee population by country or territory of asylum 232 (2024)
- Fertility vs unmet contraception 1.95 (2024)
- Fertility vs contraception 1.95 (2024)
- Natural population growth 0.7037 (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population aged 65 years or older in Sri Lanka?
- Population aged 65 years or older in Sri Lanka was 2,847 thousands in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest population aged 65 years or older recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 2,847 thousands in 2025.
- What is the lowest population aged 65 years or older recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 463.02 thousands in 1970.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for population aged 65 years or older?
- Sri Lanka ranks 40th out of 226 countries with data for 2025.
- Is population aged 65 years or older rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is up 49.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Sri Lanka data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Population aged 65 years or older (thousands). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV Β· JSON β 56 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release