Urban population, per square kilometre in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Urban population, per square kilometre was 71.77 units per square kilometre in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
71.77 units per square kilometre
Change on year
up 0.1%
World rank
90th
of 216 countries
All-time high
71.77 units per square kilometre
in 2023
All-time low
28.44 units per square kilometre
in 1961
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Urban population, per square kilometre in Sri Lanka, 1961–2023
Source: Statizoid (derived). Measured in units per square kilometre.
Analysis
Sri Lanka recorded 71.77 units per square kilometre for urban population, per square kilometre in 2023. That is the highest value across all 63 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.1% on the previous year and up 18.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, urban population, per square kilometre in Sri Lanka peaked at 71.77 units per square kilometre in 2023 and was at its lowest, 28.44 units per square kilometre, in 1961.
Sri Lanka ranks 90th of 216 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 63 years of available data.
Urban population, per square kilometre in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | units per square kilometre | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 28.44 units per square kilometre | — |
| 1962 | 29.86 units per square kilometre | +5.0% |
| 1963 | 31.28 units per square kilometre | +4.8% |
| 1964 | 32.81 units per square kilometre | +4.9% |
| 1965 | 34.53 units per square kilometre | +5.3% |
| 1966 | 36.39 units per square kilometre | +5.4% |
| 1967 | 38.33 units per square kilometre | +5.3% |
| 1968 | 40.25 units per square kilometre | +5.0% |
| 1969 | 42.06 units per square kilometre | +4.5% |
| 1970 | 43.65 units per square kilometre | +3.8% |
| 1971 | 44.9 units per square kilometre | +2.9% |
| 1972 | 45.83 units per square kilometre | +2.1% |
| 1973 | 46.65 units per square kilometre | +1.8% |
| 1974 | 47.39 units per square kilometre | +1.6% |
| 1975 | 48.07 units per square kilometre | +1.4% |
| 1976 | 48.72 units per square kilometre | +1.3% |
| 1977 | 49.34 units per square kilometre | +1.3% |
| 1978 | 49.95 units per square kilometre | +1.2% |
| 1979 | 50.57 units per square kilometre | +1.2% |
| 1980 | 51.16 units per square kilometre | +1.2% |
| 1981 | 51.66 units per square kilometre | +1.0% |
| 1982 | 51.82 units per square kilometre | +0.3% |
| 1983 | 51.53 units per square kilometre | -0.6% |
| 1984 | 50.93 units per square kilometre | -1.2% |
| 1985 | 50.38 units per square kilometre | -1.1% |
| 1986 | 49.98 units per square kilometre | -0.8% |
| 1987 | 49.47 units per square kilometre | -1.0% |
| 1988 | 48.81 units per square kilometre | -1.3% |
| 1989 | 48.11 units per square kilometre | -1.4% |
| 1990 | 47.17 units per square kilometre | -1.9% |
| 1991 | 46.28 units per square kilometre | -1.9% |
| 1992 | 45.77 units per square kilometre | -1.1% |
| 1993 | 45.32 units per square kilometre | -1.0% |
| 1994 | 44.8 units per square kilometre | -1.1% |
| 1995 | 44.44 units per square kilometre | -0.8% |
| 1996 | 44.27 units per square kilometre | -0.4% |
| 1997 | 44.22 units per square kilometre | -0.1% |
| 1998 | 44.3 units per square kilometre | +0.2% |
| 1999 | 44.54 units per square kilometre | +0.6% |
| 2000 | 44.98 units per square kilometre | +1.0% |
| 2001 | 45.55 units per square kilometre | +1.3% |
| 2002 | 46.15 units per square kilometre | +1.3% |
| 2003 | 46.85 units per square kilometre | +1.5% |
| 2004 | 47.77 units per square kilometre | +2.0% |
| 2005 | 48.9 units per square kilometre | +2.4% |
| 2006 | 50.25 units per square kilometre | +2.8% |
| 2007 | 51.81 units per square kilometre | +3.1% |
| 2008 | 53.54 units per square kilometre | +3.3% |
| 2009 | 55.42 units per square kilometre | +3.5% |
| 2010 | 57.43 units per square kilometre | +3.6% |
| 2011 | 59.59 units per square kilometre | +3.8% |
| 2012 | 61.65 units per square kilometre | +3.4% |
| 2013 | 60.51 units per square kilometre | -1.9% |
| 2014 | 61.68 units per square kilometre | +1.9% |
| 2015 | 63.68 units per square kilometre | +3.3% |
| 2016 | 65.02 units per square kilometre | +2.1% |
| 2017 | 66.38 units per square kilometre | +2.1% |
| 2018 | 67.69 units per square kilometre | +2.0% |
| 2019 | 68.71 units per square kilometre | +1.5% |
| 2020 | 69.67 units per square kilometre | +1.4% |
| 2021 | 71.01 units per square kilometre | +1.9% |
| 2022 | 71.67 units per square kilometre | +0.9% |
| 2023 | 71.77 units per square kilometre | +0.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 34.88 units per square kilometre | 28.44 units per square kilometre | 42.06 units per square kilometre | 9 |
| 1970s | 47.51 units per square kilometre | 43.65 units per square kilometre | 50.57 units per square kilometre | 10 |
| 1980s | 50.39 units per square kilometre | 48.11 units per square kilometre | 51.82 units per square kilometre | 10 |
| 1990s | 45.11 units per square kilometre | 44.22 units per square kilometre | 47.17 units per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2000s | 49.12 units per square kilometre | 44.98 units per square kilometre | 55.42 units per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2010s | 63.23 units per square kilometre | 57.43 units per square kilometre | 68.71 units per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2020s | 71.03 units per square kilometre | 69.67 units per square kilometre | 71.77 units per square kilometre | 4 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
- 87 Hungary 73.88 units per square kilometre compare
- 88 Iraq 72.54 units per square kilometre compare
- 89 Azerbaijan 71.88 units per square kilometre compare
- 91 Poland 71.74 units per square kilometre compare
- 92 Portugal 70.68 units per square kilometre compare
- 93 Armenia 69.06 units per square kilometre compare
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 urban population, per square kilometre in Sri Lanka?
- Urban population, per square kilometre in Sri Lanka was 71.77 units per square kilometre in 2023, according to Statizoid (derived).
- What is the highest urban population, per square kilometre recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 71.77 units per square kilometre in 2023.
- What is the lowest urban population, per square kilometre recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 28.44 units per square kilometre in 1961.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for urban population, per square kilometre?
- Sri Lanka ranks 90th out of 216 countries with data for 2023.
- Is urban population, per square kilometre rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is up 18.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sri Lanka data come from?
- The figures come from Statizoid (derived), published as part of Urban population, per square kilometre. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 63 observations, free to reuse under Derived by Statizoid from the sources named on the page.
How this figure is calculated
Urban population divided by Land area (sq. km), matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.
Urban population ÷ Land area (sq. km)
Computed from
- Urban population World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN)
- Land area FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
Statizoid computes this series; the underlying measurements belong to the publishers named above. The arithmetic is applied to every country and year where both inputs report, and nothing is estimated unless the page says so.
About this data
Urban population divided by Land area (sq. km), matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.