Share of children, working-age adults, and older people in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Share of children, working-age adults, and older people was 5.14 million people in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
5.14 million people
Change on year
down 0.9%
World rank
71st
of 236 countries
All-time high
5.51 million people
in 1983
All-time low
3.04 million people
in 1950
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Share of children, working-age adults, and older people in Sri Lanka, 1950–2023
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in people.
Analysis
Sri Lanka recorded 5.14 million people for share of children, working-age adults, and older people in 2023.
That represents a change of down 0.9% on the previous year and down 3.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of children, working-age adults, and older people in Sri Lanka peaked at 5.51 million people in 1983 and was at its lowest, 3.04 million people, in 1950.
Sri Lanka ranks 71st of 236 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 74 years of available data.
Share of children, working-age adults, and older people in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 3.04 million people | — |
| 1951 | 3.12 million people | +2.6% |
| 1952 | 3.20 million people | +2.7% |
| 1953 | 3.29 million people | +2.7% |
| 1954 | 3.38 million people | +2.7% |
| 1955 | 3.47 million people | +2.7% |
| 1956 | 3.56 million people | +2.6% |
| 1957 | 3.65 million people | +2.6% |
| 1958 | 3.75 million people | +2.7% |
| 1959 | 3.86 million people | +2.7% |
| 1960 | 3.96 million people | +2.6% |
| 1961 | 4.05 million people | +2.4% |
| 1962 | 4.14 million people | +2.2% |
| 1963 | 4.23 million people | +2.1% |
| 1964 | 4.33 million people | +2.3% |
| 1965 | 4.43 million people | +2.3% |
| 1966 | 4.52 million people | +2.2% |
| 1967 | 4.62 million people | +2.1% |
| 1968 | 4.71 million people | +2.0% |
| 1969 | 4.80 million people | +1.9% |
| 1970 | 4.88 million people | +1.7% |
| 1971 | 4.95 million people | +1.5% |
| 1972 | 5.02 million people | +1.3% |
| 1973 | 5.07 million people | +1.0% |
| 1974 | 5.11 million people | +0.8% |
| 1975 | 5.15 million people | +0.7% |
| 1976 | 5.19 million people | +0.8% |
| 1977 | 5.23 million people | +0.9% |
| 1978 | 5.29 million people | +1.0% |
| 1979 | 5.35 million people | +1.2% |
| 1980 | 5.41 million people | +1.2% |
| 1981 | 5.47 million people | +1.1% |
| 1982 | 5.50 million people | +0.6% |
| 1983 | 5.51 million people | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 5.49 million people | -0.3% |
| 1985 | 5.47 million people | -0.4% |
| 1986 | 5.45 million people | -0.4% |
| 1987 | 5.42 million people | -0.5% |
| 1988 | 5.38 million people | -0.6% |
| 1989 | 5.36 million people | -0.5% |
| 1990 | 5.32 million people | -0.6% |
| 1991 | 5.28 million people | -0.7% |
| 1992 | 5.25 million people | -0.6% |
| 1993 | 5.21 million people | -0.7% |
| 1994 | 5.16 million people | -1.0% |
| 1995 | 5.13 million people | -0.6% |
| 1996 | 5.13 million people | -0.0% |
| 1997 | 5.14 million people | +0.2% |
| 1998 | 5.17 million people | +0.5% |
| 1999 | 5.19 million people | +0.5% |
| 2000 | 5.21 million people | +0.4% |
| 2001 | 5.22 million people | +0.2% |
| 2002 | 5.21 million people | -0.1% |
| 2003 | 5.21 million people | -0.1% |
| 2004 | 5.21 million people | +0.1% |
| 2005 | 5.22 million people | +0.2% |
| 2006 | 5.24 million people | +0.3% |
| 2007 | 5.26 million people | +0.4% |
| 2008 | 5.28 million people | +0.4% |
| 2009 | 5.29 million people | +0.3% |
| 2010 | 5.31 million people | +0.2% |
| 2011 | 5.32 million people | +0.2% |
| 2012 | 5.33 million people | +0.2% |
| 2013 | 5.35 million people | +0.3% |
| 2014 | 5.36 million people | +0.3% |
| 2015 | 5.37 million people | +0.1% |
| 2016 | 5.36 million people | -0.0% |
| 2017 | 5.35 million people | -0.2% |
| 2018 | 5.33 million people | -0.4% |
| 2019 | 5.30 million people | -0.5% |
| 2020 | 5.27 million people | -0.7% |
| 2021 | 5.22 million people | -0.8% |
| 2022 | 5.18 million people | -0.8% |
| 2023 | 5.14 million people | -0.9% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 5.14 million people is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 1.56 million people, 3.3× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Sri Lanka's 5.14 million people is below the median for South Asia, which is 6.83 million people, 75% of the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 3.43 million people | 3.04 million people | 3.86 million people | 10 |
| 1960s | 4.38 million people | 3.96 million people | 4.80 million people | 10 |
| 1970s | 5.12 million people | 4.88 million people | 5.35 million people | 10 |
| 1980s | 5.44 million people | 5.36 million people | 5.51 million people | 10 |
| 1990s | 5.20 million people | 5.13 million people | 5.32 million people | 10 |
| 2000s | 5.24 million people | 5.21 million people | 5.29 million people | 10 |
| 2010s | 5.34 million people | 5.30 million people | 5.37 million people | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.20 million people | 5.14 million people | 5.27 million people | 4 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
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 share of children, working-age adults, and older people in Sri Lanka?
- Share of children, working-age adults, and older people in Sri Lanka was 5.14 million people in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of children, working-age adults, and older people recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 5.51 million people in 1983.
- What is the lowest share of children, working-age adults, and older people recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.04 million people in 1950.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for share of children, working-age adults, and older people?
- Sri Lanka ranks 71st out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of children, working-age adults, and older people rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is down 3.9%. 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 Share of children, working-age adults, and older people. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Total population, measured on 1 July of the year shown. This only includes people aged 0-14.