Number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas was 3.46 million people in 2020. ▲ Rising
Number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas in Sri Lanka, 1950–2020
Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in people.
Analysis
The most recent figure for number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas in Sri Lanka is 3.46 million people, measured in 2020.
The figure is down 6.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas in Sri Lanka peaked at 3.86 million people in 1975 and was at its lowest, 3.17 million people, in 1950.
Sri Lanka ranks 78th of 236 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.
Number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 3.17 million people | — |
| 1955 | 3.30 million people | +4.3% |
| 1960 | 3.45 million people | +4.6% |
| 1965 | 3.61 million people | +4.5% |
| 1970 | 3.75 million people | +3.9% |
| 1975 | 3.86 million people | +2.9% |
| 1980 | 3.82 million people | -1.0% |
| 1985 | 3.84 million people | +0.4% |
| 1990 | 3.76 million people | -2.0% |
| 1995 | 3.76 million people | +0.1% |
| 2000 | 3.72 million people | -1.2% |
| 2005 | 3.73 million people | +0.4% |
| 2010 | 3.67 million people | -1.5% |
| 2015 | 3.61 million people | -1.9% |
| 2020 | 3.46 million people | -4.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 3.23 million people | 3.17 million people | 3.30 million people | 2 |
| 1960s | 3.53 million people | 3.45 million people | 3.61 million people | 2 |
| 1970s | 3.80 million people | 3.75 million people | 3.86 million people | 2 |
| 1980s | 3.83 million people | 3.82 million people | 3.84 million people | 2 |
| 1990s | 3.76 million people | 3.76 million people | 3.76 million people | 2 |
| 2000s | 3.72 million people | 3.72 million people | 3.73 million people | 2 |
| 2010s | 3.64 million people | 3.61 million people | 3.67 million people | 2 |
| 2020s | 3.46 million people | 3.46 million people | 3.46 million people | 1 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
- 75 Chile 3.53 million people compare
- 76 Greece 3.51 million people compare
- 77 North Korea 3.51 million people compare
- 79 Tunisia 3.44 million people compare
- 80 Bolivia, Plurinational State of 3.40 million people compare
- 81 Bangladesh 3.40 million people 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 cities, towns and rural areas in Sri Lanka?
- Number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas in Sri Lanka was 3.46 million people in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 3.86 million people in 1975.
- What is the lowest number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.17 million people in 1950.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas?
- Sri Lanka ranks 78th out of 236 countries with data for 2020.
- Is number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is down 6.0%. 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 major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 15 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Estimated number of people living in rural areas. Rural areas are identified using satellite imagery and population data, applying the same definitions across countries.