Population and Demographics of Sri Lanka
Population changed +0.57% in 2024 · median age 33 years
The UN medium outlook puts Sri Lanka at 24.81 million people in 2050, and the current annual rate is +0.57% rather than a static population. Age composition is uneven, with 22.03% below age 15 versus 12.10% at 65 and above; the working-age group accounts for 65.87%.
Population Over Time in Sri Lanka
Since 2000, Sri Lanka's population has grown from 19.293M to 23.104M, a net shift of about 3.81 million. The central 2050 projection is 24.814M, implying a +7.4% change from 2024 if that path is realized. The chart connects dated reference points only and should not be read as an annual interpolated series.
Age Structure and Sex Balance
Sri Lanka has a mixed demographic profile in the 2024 broad age data. Children under 15 make up 22.03% of the population, compared with 12.10% aged 65 or older, and 65.87% are 15 to 64. The age balance is weighted toward younger residents.
Population by broad age group
Sri Lanka's 2024 population is 51.6% female and 48.4% male in the World Bank series. Females exceed males by 3.2 percentage points.
Female and male population share
Females made up 51.6% of the population in the World Bank's 2024 series, compared with 48.4% males.
What Is Shaping Population Change
Population is moving +0.57% annually in Sri Lanka, where fertility is estimated at 2.0, while 22.03% of residents are under 15 and 12.10% are 65 or older.
The historical series puts Sri Lanka's 2000-to-2024 population change at +19.8%, and the medium outlook then points +7.4% from 2024 to 2050; explaining that movement requires component data beyond these headline indicators.
2024 estimate for Sri Lanka. The world comparison value is 2.25 children per woman.
Sri Lanka vs. World
In 2024, Sri Lanka's annual population change, fertility and median age do not all sit on the same side of the world benchmarks: they are respectively lower than, below and older than the global benchmarks.
| Indicator | Sri Lanka | World | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual population change | +0.57% | +0.87% | 2024 |
| Total fertility rate | 2 | 2.25 | 2024 |
| Median age | 33 | 30.6 | 2024 |
The table deliberately uses one 2024 source context for Sri Lanka and the world. This avoids combining national figures from one year with global figures from another.
Key Takeaways
The 2024 total is 23,103,565 people. Annual change in the same harmonized table is +0.57%.
Age structure is a key feature of the profile: 22.03% are under 15 and 12.10% are 65 or older.
The 2024 female and male shares are 51.6% and 48.4% respectively.
The 2050 medium projection is 24.814M, 7.4% above the 2024 estimate.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the population of Sri Lanka?
The 2024 harmonized population estimate for Sri Lanka is 23,103,565 people.
Is the population of Sri Lanka growing or declining?
In the 2024 estimate, Sri Lanka's population is growing, with annual change of +0.57%.
What percentage of the population of Sri Lanka is aged 65 or older?
People aged 65 or older account for 12.10% of Sri Lanka's 2024 population in the UN WPP-based broad age data.
What is the projected population of Sri Lanka in 2050?
The UN World Population Prospects 2024 medium projection puts Sri Lanka's 2050 population at 24,813,690.
What is the fertility rate in Sri Lanka?
The 2024 harmonized fertility estimate for Sri Lanka is 2 children per woman.
Sources & methodology
This profile uses United Nations World Population Prospects 2024 as the primary framework for globally comparable population, age, fertility and projection data. The World Bank is the primary source for the female population share. Some country values were accessed through secondary retrieval interfaces that republish or organize UN data; those interfaces are identified below as secondary and are not treated as the original statistical publishers.
View sources used for this page
Primary global framework for the population estimates and projections.
Harmonized 2024 country table based on UN World Population Prospects 2024.
Harmonized broad age shares based on UN World Population Prospects 2024.
Harmonized reference for the 2000 population point.
Harmonized 2050 country projection based on UN World Population Prospects 2024.
Used for the 2024 female share; the male share is calculated as the remainder to 100%.