Share of urban population who live in the largest city in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Share of urban population who live in the largest city was 26.0% in 2020. ▲ Rising
Share of urban population who live in the largest city in Sri Lanka, 1950–2020
Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2020, share of urban population who live in the largest city in Sri Lanka stood at 26.0%. That is the highest value across all 15 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 4.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of urban population who live in the largest city in Sri Lanka peaked at 26.0% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 21.2%, in 1975.
Sri Lanka ranks 87th of 179 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.
Share of urban population who live in the largest city in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 25.3% | — |
| 1955 | 25.4% | +0.7% |
| 1960 | 24.4% | -4.1% |
| 1965 | 23.2% | -5.0% |
| 1970 | 22.2% | -4.3% |
| 1975 | 21.2% | -4.5% |
| 1980 | 21.6% | +1.9% |
| 1985 | 21.6% | +0.3% |
| 1990 | 22.7% | +4.9% |
| 1995 | 23.8% | +5.0% |
| 2000 | 24.5% | +2.9% |
| 2005 | 24.8% | +1.0% |
| 2010 | 24.9% | +0.6% |
| 2015 | 25.5% | +2.3% |
| 2020 | 26.0% | +2.1% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 26.0% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 25.9%, 1.0× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Sri Lanka's 26.0% is above the median for South Asia, which is 23.0%, 1.1× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 25.4% | 25.3% | 25.4% | 2 |
| 1960s | 23.8% | 23.2% | 24.4% | 2 |
| 1970s | 21.7% | 21.2% | 22.2% | 2 |
| 1980s | 21.6% | 21.6% | 21.6% | 2 |
| 1990s | 23.3% | 22.7% | 23.8% | 2 |
| 2000s | 24.6% | 24.5% | 24.8% | 2 |
| 2010s | 25.2% | 24.9% | 25.5% | 2 |
| 2020s | 26.0% | 26.0% | 26.0% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
- 84 Burkina Faso 27.7% compare
- 85 North Macedonia 27.1% compare
- 86 Hungary 26.7% compare
- 88 Puerto Rico 25.9% compare
- 89 Moldova 25.9% compare
- 90 Bulgaria 25.9% compare
More population data for Sri Lanka
- 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)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population 0.1332 Percent per annum (2030)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of urban population who live in the largest city in Sri Lanka?
- Share of urban population who live in the largest city in Sri Lanka was 26.0% in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of urban population who live in the largest city recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 26.0% in 2020.
- What is the lowest share of urban population who live in the largest city recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 21.2% in 1975.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for share of urban population who live in the largest city?
- Sri Lanka ranks 87th out of 179 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of urban population who live in the largest city rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sri Lanka data come from?
- The figures come from European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of urban population who live in the largest city. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Percentage of the urban population living in the country's largest city (by population). City boundaries are defined using a consistent global approach based on satellite imagery and population data.