Sri Lanka's population rises by 1.4 million in 12 years

The population of Sri Lanka increased by 1.4 million over the past 12 years, according to the latest Census of Population and Housing. The 2024 census report reveals this data, which also shows a slight decline in the number of men for every 100 women in the country.

The 15th Census of Population and Housing began on December 19, 2024, and was notably the first in history to use tablets and smartphones for data collection. Director General of the Department of Census and Statistics, K.M.D.S.D. Karunaratne handed the final report to President Anura Kumara Dissanayake.

Key findings from the census:

Total Population: 21,781,800 (compared to 20,359,439 in 2012)

Total Increase: 1,422,361 people

Gender Split: Women make up 51.7% (11,269,456), and men account for 48.3% (10,512,344)

Gender Gap: There are 757,112 more women than men

District rankings by population:

Gampaha: 2,436,142 (Highest)

Colombo: 2,375,415

Kurunegala: 1,768,156

Mullaitivu: 122,619 (Lowest)

The sex ratio, an important demographic indicator, stands at 93.3 men for every 100 women. This is a 0.5 decrease from the 93.8 recorded in 2012. The report notes that the ratio is below 100 in every district.

The migrant population, defined as those living in a district different from their place of birth or previous residence, stands at 3,167,263. Gampaha recorded the highest migrant population with 530,643 people.

Population breakdown by age:

Ages 15–59: 13,353,837 (Largest group)

Ages 65 and above: 2,737,814

Ages 14 and below: 4,506,839