Share of population living in the capital city in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Share of population living in the capital city was 22.0% in 2020. ▲ Rising
Share of population living in the capital 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
Sri Lanka recorded 22.0% 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 22.0% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 15.0%, 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
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 15.0% | — |
| 1955 | 15.7% | +4.5% |
| 1960 | 15.7% | -0.2% |
| 1965 | 15.5% | -1.0% |
| 1970 | 15.4% | -0.6% |
| 1975 | 15.2% | -1.7% |
| 1980 | 16.0% | +5.8% |
| 1985 | 16.3% | +1.7% |
| 1990 | 17.5% | +7.2% |
| 1995 | 18.7% | +7.1% |
| 2000 | 19.8% | +5.7% |
| 2005 | 20.2% | +2.0% |
| 2010 | 20.5% | +1.6% |
| 2015 | 21.2% | +3.5% |
| 2020 | 22.0% | +3.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 15.4% | 15.0% | 15.7% | 2 |
| 1960s | 15.6% | 15.5% | 15.7% | 2 |
| 1970s | 15.3% | 15.2% | 15.4% | 2 |
| 1980s | 16.2% | 16.0% | 16.3% | 2 |
| 1990s | 18.1% | 17.5% | 18.7% | 2 |
| 2000s | 20.0% | 19.8% | 20.2% | 2 |
| 2010s | 20.9% | 20.5% | 21.2% | 2 |
| 2020s | 22.0% | 22.0% | 22.0% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
- 51 Luxembourg 22.7% compare
- 52 Sierra Leone 22.4% compare
- 53 Austria 22.2% compare
- 55 Egypt 22.0% compare
- 56 Ireland 21.8% compare
- 57 Martinique 21.6% 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 share of population living in the capital city in Sri Lanka?
- Share of population living in the capital city in Sri Lanka was 22.0% 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 population living in the capital city recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 22.0% in 2020.
- What is the lowest share of population living in the capital city recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 15.0% 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 European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population living in the capital city. 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
Percentage of the total population living in the country's capital city. City boundaries are defined using a consistent global approach based on satellite imagery and population data.