Total population in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Total population was 23,169 thousands in 2025. β² Rising
Total population in Sri Lanka, 1970β2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in thousands.
Analysis
The most recent figure for total population in Sri Lanka is 23,169 thousands, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 56 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.6% on the previous year and up 7.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, total population in Sri Lanka peaked at 23,169 thousands in 2025 and was at its lowest, 12,152 thousands, in 1970.
Sri Lanka ranks 59th of 230 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 56 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 13,302 thousands | 12,152 thousands | 14,444 thousands | 10 |
| 1980s | 15,477 thousands | 14,716 thousands | 16,159 thousands | 10 |
| 1990s | 17,374 thousands | 16,338 thousands | 18,772 thousands | 10 |
| 2000s | 20,034 thousands | 19,118 thousands | 20,697 thousands | 10 |
| 2010s | 21,552 thousands | 20,816 thousands | 22,333 thousands | 10 |
| 2020s | 22,833 thousands | 22,488 thousands | 23,169 thousands | 6 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
More population data for Sri Lanka
- Population growth rate by level of development -0.558 (2100)
- Projected population under age 5 901,396 (2100)
- Population density 343.51 (2100)
- Population growth rate -0.558 (2100)
- Fertility and wanted fertility 1.95 (2024)
- Refugee population by country or territory of asylum 232 (2024)
- Fertility vs unmet contraception 1.95 (2024)
- Fertility vs contraception 1.95 (2024)
- Natural population growth 0.7037 (2023)
- Fertility rate with projections 1.97 (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is total population in Sri Lanka?
- Total population in Sri Lanka was 23,169 thousands in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest total population recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 23,169 thousands in 2025.
- What is the lowest total population recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 12,152 thousands in 1970.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for total population?
- Sri Lanka ranks 59th out of 230 countries with data for 2025.
- Is total population rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is up 7.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sri Lanka data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Total population (thousands). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV Β· JSON β 56 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release