Population in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Population was 22.97 million people in 2023. ▲ Rising
Population in Sri Lanka, 1950–2023
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in people.
Analysis
The most recent figure for population in Sri Lanka is 22.97 million people, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 74 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.6% on the previous year and up 7.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population in Sri Lanka peaked at 22.97 million people in 2023 and was at its lowest, 7.81 million people, in 1950.
That places Sri Lanka 61st out of 236 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 74 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 8.57 million people | 7.81 million people | 9.43 million people | 10 |
| 1960s | 10.81 million people | 9.66 million people | 12.01 million people | 10 |
| 1970s | 13.43 million people | 12.29 million people | 14.58 million people | 10 |
| 1980s | 15.56 million people | 14.85 million people | 16.25 million people | 10 |
| 1990s | 17.51 million people | 16.35 million people | 18.94 million people | 10 |
| 2000s | 20.12 million people | 19.29 million people | 20.76 million people | 10 |
| 2010s | 21.64 million people | 20.88 million people | 22.41 million people | 10 |
| 2020s | 22.77 million people | 22.56 million people | 22.97 million people | 4 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
More population data for Sri Lanka
- 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)
- Total fertility rate vs. wanted fertility rate 1.95 births per woman (2024)
- Refugees by country of asylum 232 people (2024)
- Fertility rate vs. unmet need for contraception 1.95 births per woman (2024)
- Total fertility rate vs. contraceptive prevalence 1.95 births per woman (2024)
- Natural population growth rate 0.7% (2023)
- Fertility rate: births per woman 1.97 live births per woman (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population in Sri Lanka?
- Population in Sri Lanka was 22.97 million people in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest population recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 22.97 million people in 2023.
- What is the lowest population recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.81 million people in 1950.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for population?
- Sri Lanka ranks 61st out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is population rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is up 7.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sri Lanka data come from?
- The figures come from UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Population. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 74 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
The total population, measured on 1 July of the year shown.