Rank #176 by World Population
🇱🇰Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka has a population of 22,037,000, ranking #176 in the world. The capital is Colombo. Located in South Asia.
World Bank: Lower middle income
22,037,000
Population
#176
World Rank
77.5
Life Expectancy
$3,799
GDP Per Capita
Sri Lanka, #176 by world population
Sri Lanka Population History (1960-2024)
The country of Sri Lanka had a population of 9,661,389 in 1960 and 21,916,000 in 2024, a 2.3× growth over 64 years. The peak was 22,181,000 in 2022. Average annual growth rate: 1.29%.
21,916,000
Population (2024)
9,661,389
Population (1960)
22,181,000
Peak (2022)
1.29%
Avg Annual Growth
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 1960 | 9,661,389 |
| 1961 | 9,899,372 |
| 1962 | 10,143,754 |
| 1963 | 10,395,040 |
| 1964 | 10,653,397 |
| 1965 | 10,916,965 |
| 1966 | 11,183,928 |
| 1967 | 11,457,328 |
| 1968 | 11,736,088 |
| 1969 | 12,013,858 |
| 1970 | 12,287,110 |
| 1971 | 12,551,910 |
| 1972 | 12,809,205 |
| 1973 | 13,060,916 |
| 1974 | 13,305,693 |
| 1975 | 13,548,984 |
| 1976 | 13,796,770 |
| 1977 | 14,049,371 |
| 1978 | 14,310,128 |
| 1979 | 14,579,614 |
| 1980 | 14,847,974 |
| 1981 | 15,099,414 |
| 1982 | 15,286,567 |
| 1983 | 15,388,794 |
| 1984 | 15,441,860 |
| 1985 | 15,544,154 |
| 1986 | 15,731,256 |
| 1987 | 15,916,576 |
| 1988 | 16,078,621 |
| 1989 | 16,248,557 |
| 1990 | 16,352,458 |
| 1991 | 16,475,354 |
| 1992 | 16,739,284 |
| 1993 | 17,025,918 |
| 1994 | 17,275,773 |
| 1995 | 17,564,068 |
| 1996 | 17,905,018 |
| 1997 | 18,248,200 |
| 1998 | 18,596,003 |
| 1999 | 18,944,731 |
| 2000 | 19,293,054 |
| 2001 | 19,600,362 |
| 2002 | 19,805,752 |
| 2003 | 19,951,521 |
| 2004 | 20,087,605 |
| 2005 | 20,216,524 |
| 2006 | 20,352,411 |
| 2007 | 20,492,545 |
| 2008 | 20,629,378 |
| 2009 | 20,756,435 |
| 2010 | 20,879,089 |
| 2011 | 21,009,048 |
| 2012 | 21,169,458 |
| 2013 | 20,585,000 |
| 2014 | 20,778,000 |
| 2015 | 20,970,000 |
| 2016 | 21,209,000 |
| 2017 | 21,453,000 |
| 2018 | 21,670,000 |
| 2019 | 21,803,000 |
| 2020 | 21,919,000 |
| 2021 | 22,156,000 |
| 2022 | 22,181,000 |
| 2023 | 22,037,000 |
| 2024 | 21,916,000 |
Demographics
| Population | 22,037,000 |
| Population Growth Rate | -0.65% |
| Urban Population | 20.1% |
| Fertility Rate | 1.97 births/woman |
| Life Expectancy | 77.5 years |
| Infant Mortality Rate | 5.3 per 1,000 |
| Literacy Rate | 92.7% |
Economy & Trade
$3,799
GDP Per Capita
4.5%
Unemployment Rate
Lower middle income
Income Level
37.7
Gini Index (inequality)
43.5%
Trade (% of GDP)
540,000
Tourism Arrivals
Health & Education
3.7%
Health Expenditure (% GDP)
1.14
Physicians per 1,000
1.8%
Education Expenditure (% GDP)
92.7%
Literacy Rate
5.3
Infant Mortality (per 1,000)
Development & Connectivity
100.0%
Electricity Access
48.3%
Internet Users
136
Mobile Subs per 100
356.2
People per km2
-28,011
Net Migration
Environment
34.0%
Forest Area
Other Countries in South Asia
Compare Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka in global context
Sri Lanka is one of 212 countries tracked. See how it ranks globally, regional shares of world population, and projections to 2050 / 2100.
World Population 2026: Top 10 Countries, Regions & Trends →Other related entities
Country rankings
Frequently Asked Questions
Sri Lanka has a population of 22,037,000, ranking #176 in the world. The annual population growth rate is -0.65%.
Life expectancy in Sri Lanka is 77.5 years. The infant mortality rate is 5.3 per 1,000 live births.
Sri Lanka's GDP per capita is $3,799. It is classified as a lower middle income country by the World Bank.
20.1% of Sri Lanka's population lives in urban areas. The overall population density is 356.2 people per square kilometer.
The adult literacy rate in Sri Lanka is 92.7%. The country spends 1.8% of GDP on education.
International data from the World Bank Open Data API. Population figures are latest available estimates. GDP per capita in current US dollars.
The this entity record above pulls directly from the U.S. Census Bureau ACS and decennial files. What follows is the per-entity context — how this entity sits in the broader U.S. population demographics distribution and which underlying factors drive the headline numbers.
The methodology behind every numeric value on this page is publicly documented on the the U.S. Census Bureau ACS and decennial files portal and described in detail on this site’s methodology page. Refresh cadence varies by underlying series; the page surfaces the as-of date for each number so readers can trace any figure back to the source release.
For readers using this page as a decision input, the related-entity pages elsewhere on the site provide the comparison set. The most useful comparison for this entity is typically a peer within U.S. states, metros, cities, and ZIPs with similar size, similar exposure, or similar geography — not the national-level summary alone.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS, 2026.