Share of population living in the capital city in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka: Share of population living in the capital city was 22 in 2020. ▲ Rising

Latest (2020)
22
World rank
54th
of 170 countries
All-time high
22
in 2020
All-time low
15.02
in 1950
Years of data
15
1950–2020

Share of population living in the capital city in Sri Lanka, 1950–2020

051015201950198520201950: 151955: 15.71960: 15.71965: 15.51970: 15.41975: 15.21980: 161985: 16.31990: 17.51995: 18.72000: 19.82005: 20.22010: 20.52015: 21.22020: 22

Source: Our World in Data.

Analysis

Sri Lanka recorded 22 for share of population living in the capital city in 2020. That is the highest value across all 15 years on record.

The figure is up 7.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of population living in the capital city in Sri Lanka peaked at 22 in 2020 and was at its lowest, 15.02, in 1950.

Sri Lanka ranks 54th of 170 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 population living in the capital city in Sri Lanka, year by year

Annual values for Share of population living in the capital city in Sri Lanka, 1950 to 2020.
Year Value Change
1950 15.02 —
1955 15.7 +4.5%
1960 15.67 -0.2%
1965 15.51 -1.0%
1970 15.41 -0.6%
1975 15.15 -1.7%
1980 16.03 +5.8%
1985 16.3 +1.7%
1990 17.48 +7.2%
1995 18.73 +7.1%
2000 19.79 +5.7%
2005 20.18 +2.0%
2010 20.51 +1.6%
2015 21.23 +3.5%
2020 22 +3.6%

Sri Lanka compared with similar countries

  • Sri Lanka's 22 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 19.62, 1.1× the median. (45 countries reporting)
  • Sri Lanka's 22 is above the median for South Asia, which is 15.13, 1.5× the median. (6 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1950s 15.36 15.02 15.7 2
1960s 15.59 15.51 15.67 2
1970s 15.28 15.15 15.41 2
1980s 16.16 16.03 16.3 2
1990s 18.11 17.48 18.73 2
2000s 19.99 19.79 20.18 2
2010s 20.87 20.51 21.23 2
2020s 22 22 22 1

Countries ranked near Sri Lanka

  1. 51 Luxembourg 22.73 compare
  2. 52 Sierra Leone 22.35 compare
  3. 53 Austria 22.16 compare
  4. 55 Egypt 21.96 compare
  5. 56 Ireland 21.77 compare
  6. 57 Martinique 21.56 compare

See the full ranking of 170 places →

More population data for Sri Lanka

All data for Sri Lanka →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of population living in the capital city in Sri Lanka?
Share of population living in the capital city in Sri Lanka was 22 in 2020, according to Our World in Data.
What is the highest share of population living in the capital city recorded in Sri Lanka?
The highest recorded value was 22 in 2020.
What is the lowest share of population living in the capital city recorded in Sri Lanka?
The lowest recorded value was 15.02 in 1950.
How does Sri Lanka rank for share of population living in the capital city?
Sri Lanka ranks 54th out of 170 countries with data for 2020.
Is share of population living in the capital city rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
Over the last ten years it is up 7.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Sri Lanka data come from?
The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population living in the capital city. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Share of population living in the capital city in Sri Lanka. Statizoid, drawing on Our World in Data. Retrieved 12 November 2026, from https://population.statizoid.com/stat/share-of-population-living-in-the-capital-city/sri-lanka/

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About this data

Indicator
Share of population living in the capital city
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
170 places, 2,330 data points, 1950–2020
Last refreshed