Population growth in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Population growth was -0.7% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Population growth in Sri Lanka, 1961–2025
Source: World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), note: Derived from total population, publisher: UN Population Division. Measured in annual %.
Analysis
Sri Lanka recorded -0.7% for population growth in 2025.
The figure is down 33.1% on the previous year and down 179.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population growth in Sri Lanka peaked at 2.5% in 1964 and was at its lowest, -2.8%, in 2013.
Sri Lanka ranks 206th of 218 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Population growth in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | annual % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 2.4% | — |
| 1962 | 2.4% | +0.2% |
| 1963 | 2.4% | +0.3% |
| 1964 | 2.5% | +0.3% |
| 1965 | 2.4% | -0.5% |
| 1966 | 2.4% | -1.1% |
| 1967 | 2.4% | -0.0% |
| 1968 | 2.4% | -0.5% |
| 1969 | 2.3% | -2.7% |
| 1970 | 2.2% | -3.9% |
| 1971 | 2.1% | -5.2% |
| 1972 | 2.0% | -4.8% |
| 1973 | 1.9% | -4.1% |
| 1974 | 1.9% | -4.6% |
| 1975 | 1.8% | -2.4% |
| 1976 | 1.8% | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 1.8% | +0.1% |
| 1978 | 1.8% | +1.4% |
| 1979 | 1.9% | +1.5% |
| 1980 | 1.8% | -2.2% |
| 1981 | 1.7% | -7.9% |
| 1982 | 1.2% | -26.6% |
| 1983 | 0.7% | -45.9% |
| 1984 | 0.3% | -48.4% |
| 1985 | 0.7% | +91.8% |
| 1986 | 1.2% | +81.2% |
| 1987 | 1.2% | -2.1% |
| 1988 | 1.0% | -13.5% |
| 1989 | 1.1% | +3.8% |
| 1990 | 0.6% | -39.4% |
| 1991 | 0.7% | +17.5% |
| 1992 | 1.6% | +112.3% |
| 1993 | 1.7% | +6.8% |
| 1994 | 1.5% | -14.2% |
| 1995 | 1.7% | +13.6% |
| 1996 | 1.9% | +16.2% |
| 1997 | 1.9% | -1.3% |
| 1998 | 1.9% | -0.6% |
| 1999 | 1.9% | -1.6% |
| 2000 | 1.8% | -1.9% |
| 2001 | 1.6% | -13.3% |
| 2002 | 1.0% | -34.0% |
| 2003 | 0.7% | -29.7% |
| 2004 | 0.7% | -7.3% |
| 2005 | 0.6% | -5.9% |
| 2006 | 0.7% | +4.7% |
| 2007 | 0.7% | +2.4% |
| 2008 | 0.7% | -3.0% |
| 2009 | 0.6% | -7.7% |
| 2010 | 0.6% | -4.0% |
| 2011 | 0.6% | +5.3% |
| 2012 | 0.8% | +22.6% |
| 2013 | -2.8% | -468.1% |
| 2014 | 0.9% | -133.3% |
| 2015 | 0.9% | -1.4% |
| 2016 | 1.1% | +23.2% |
| 2017 | 1.1% | +0.9% |
| 2018 | 1.0% | -12.0% |
| 2019 | 0.6% | -39.2% |
| 2020 | 0.5% | -13.3% |
| 2021 | 1.1% | +102.7% |
| 2022 | 0.1% | -89.5% |
| 2023 | -0.7% | -677.6% |
| 2024 | -0.6% | -15.5% |
| 2025 | -0.7% | +33.1% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's -0.7% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.5%. (59 countries reporting)
- Sri Lanka's -0.7% is below the median for South Asia, which is 0.5%. (6 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Population growth in Sri Lanka changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | -677.6% | 0.1% | -0.7% |
| 2013 | -468.1% | 0.8% | -2.8% |
| 2014 | +133.3% | -2.8% | 0.9% |
| 1992 | +112.3% | 0.7% | 1.6% |
| 2021 | +102.7% | 0.5% | 1.1% |
| 1985 | +91.8% | 0.3% | 0.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 2.4% | 2.3% | 2.5% | 9 |
| 1970s | 1.9% | 1.8% | 2.2% | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.1% | 0.3% | 1.8% | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.5% | 0.6% | 1.9% | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.9% | 0.6% | 1.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.5% | -2.8% | 1.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | -0.0% | -0.7% | 1.1% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
More climate change data for Sri Lanka
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 327.09 million kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 3,418 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 618.46 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 2,800 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 2.33 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 100 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 4,168 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 2,071 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 2,097 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 7.82 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population growth in Sri Lanka?
- Population growth in Sri Lanka was -0.7% in 2025, according to World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), note: Derived from total population, publisher: UN Population Division.
- What is the highest population growth recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 2.5% in 1964.
- What is the lowest population growth recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was -2.8% in 2013.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for population growth?
- Sri Lanka ranks 206th out of 218 countries with data for 2025.
- Is population growth rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is down 179.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Sri Lanka data come from?
- The figures come from World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), note: Derived from total population, publisher: UN Population Division, published as part of Population growth (annual %). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 65 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Annual population growth rate for year t is the exponential rate of growth of midyear population from year t-1 to t, expressed as a percentage. Population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship.