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Sri Lanka Demographics

Population of Sri Lanka (2026)

View live population, charts & trends: Population of Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka Population
23,348,315
see live
Yearly Change
+0.51%
Global Share
0.28%
Global Rank
60

Median Age

The median age in Sri Lanka is 33.6 years (2026).

Fertility in Sri Lanka

A Total Fertility Rate (TFR) of 2.1 represents the Replacement-Level Fertility: the average number of children per woman needed for each generation to exactly replace itself without needing international immigration. A value below 2.1 will cause the native population to decline


Total Fertility Rate (TFR)
1.9
(Live Births per Woman, 2026)

Life Expectancy in Sri Lanka

See also: Countries in the world ranked by Life Expectancy

Both Sexes
78.0
(life expectancy at birth, both sexes combined)
Females
81.0
(life expectancy at birth, females)
Males
74.9
(life expectancy at birth, males)


Infant Mortality Rate and Deaths of Children under 5 Years Old in Sri Lanka


Infant Mortality
4.7
(infant deaths per 1,000 live births)
Deaths under age 5
5.8
(per 1,000 live births)


Sri Lanka Urban Population

Currently, 18.2% of the population of Sri Lanka is urban (4,252,913 people in 2026)


Population Density

The 2026 population density in Sri Lanka is 372 people per Km2 (964 people per mi2), calculated on a total land area of 62,710 Km2 (24,212 sq. miles).

Largest cities by Population in Sri Lanka

(includes boroughs, districts, urban agglomerations, etc.)

Rank Urban Area Population Estimate (2025)
1 Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte - Colombo 5,223,838
2 Kandy 785,519
3 Galle 346,263
4 Matara 292,019
5 Jaffna 200,544
6 Kalmunai 156,093
7 Batticaloa 147,618
8 Wennappuwa 106,641
9 Matale 102,855
10 Akkaraipattu 101,464
11 Ambalangoda 96,788
12 Trincomalee 87,732
13 Badulla 77,273
14 Ratnapura 74,671
15 Kurunegala 71,795
16 Gampola 69,756
17 Sammanturai 62,909
18 Puttalam 59,876
19 Valaichchenai 59,292
20 Tamaraivillu 57,773
21 Mawanella 57,474
22 Diyatalawa 56,941
23 Chenkaladhi EP 55,232
24 Anuradhapura 53,715
More info

See also

Sources

Definitions

Population Pyramid

A Population pyramid (also called "Age-Sex Pyramid") is a graphical representation of the age and sex of a population.

Types:

  • Expansive - pyramid with a wide base (larger percentage of people in younger age groups, indicating high birth rates and high fertility rates) and narrow top (high death rate and lower life expectancies). It suggests a growing population. Example: Nigeria Population Pyramid
  • Constrictive - pyramid with a narrow base (lower percentage of younger people, indicating declining birth rates with each succeeding age group getting smaller than the previous one). Example: United States
  • Stationary - with a somewhat equal proportion of the population in each age group. The population is stable, neither increasing nor decreasing.

Stages:

Population pyramid stages

Dependency Ratio

There are three types of age dependency ratio: Youth, Elderly, and Total. All three ratios are commonly multiplied by 100.

Youth Dependency Ratio

Definition: population ages 0-15 divided by the population ages 16-64.

Formula: ([Population ages 0-15] ÷ [Population ages 16-64]) × 100

Elderly dependency ratio

Definition: population ages 65-plus divided by the population ages 16-64.

Formula: ([Population ages 65-plus] ÷ [Population ages 16-64]) × 100

Total dependency ratio

Definition: sum of the youth and old-age ratios.

Formula: (([Population ages 0-15] + [Population ages 65-plus]) ÷ [Population ages 16-64]) × 100

NOTE: Dependency Ratio does not take into account labor force participation rates by age group. Some portion of the population counted as "working age" may actually be unemployed or not in the labor force whereas some portion of the "dependent" population may be employed and not necessarily economically dependent.