LKA · LK · United Nations WPP 2024 · 2026
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka had a population of 23,348,315 people in 2026, ranking 60 of 237 countries and areas. Explore its age pyramid, trends and demographic indicators.
Source: United Nations World Population Prospects 2024, medium variant.
- Total population
- 23,348,315 people 2026 · Projection
- Rank
- #60/ 237 Asia #23 / 51
- Share of world population
- 0.28% 2026
- Density
- 372.4 people/km² 2026
- Median age
- 33.6 years
- Life expectancy
- 78.03 years
Country or area overview
Sri Lanka is in Asia. In 2026, its population was 23,348,315 people, about 0.28% of the world total. It ranks #60 of 237 countries and areas worldwide. The population was 7,811,047 people in 1950 and is projected to reach 21,249,406 people in 2100. The annual population growth rate in 2026 is 0.50%. The median age is 33.6. 21.4% of the population is under 15 and 12.8% is 65 or older. Life expectancy is 78.03 and the total fertility rate is 1.93. Within Asia, it ranks #23 of 51 by population and #14 of 51 by population density. Data note This page uses the UN World Population Prospects 2024 medium variant. Data for 1950–2023 are estimates; 2024 onward, including 2026, are projections. Values for 2100 are long-range projections.
Sri Lanka map
Country outline and its location in the world.
World location
Boundaries: Natural Earth 1:50m.
Population history and projection
Population from 1950 to 2100. The dashed section shows the UN medium-variant projection from 2024 onward.
Age group · 2026
Population age pyramid
Male and female population by five-year age group. Move the year slider to compare 1950, today and the 2100 projection.
Age-group data
| Age group | Male | Female | Total | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–4 | 813,836 | 780,451 | 1,594,287 | 6.83% |
| 5–9 | 842,498 | 808,442 | 1,650,940 | 7.07% |
| 10–14 | 891,149 | 857,174 | 1,748,323 | 7.49% |
| 15–19 | 909,309 | 888,383 | 1,797,692 | 7.70% |
| 20–24 | 882,750 | 863,279 | 1,746,029 | 7.48% |
| 25–29 | 825,890 | 806,375 | 1,632,265 | 6.99% |
| 30–34 | 807,429 | 817,207 | 1,624,636 | 6.96% |
| 35–39 | 741,439 | 796,729 | 1,538,168 | 6.59% |
| 40–44 | 759,884 | 823,456 | 1,583,340 | 6.78% |
| 45–49 | 772,789 | 830,399 | 1,603,188 | 6.87% |
| 50–54 | 647,614 | 704,942 | 1,352,556 | 5.79% |
| 55–59 | 612,890 | 681,477 | 1,294,367 | 5.54% |
| 60–64 | 544,956 | 639,966 | 1,184,922 | 5.07% |
| 65–69 | 467,221 | 583,295 | 1,050,516 | 4.50% |
| 70–74 | 353,973 | 479,703 | 833,676 | 3.57% |
| 75–79 | 239,792 | 362,894 | 602,686 | 2.58% |
| 80–84 | 118,352 | 204,833 | 323,185 | 1.38% |
| 85–89 | 45,654 | 88,555 | 134,209 | 0.57% |
| 90–94 | 13,113 | 31,427 | 44,540 | 0.19% |
| 95–99 | 2,182 | 5,923 | 8,105 | 0.03% |
| 100+ | 162 | 526 | 688 | 0.00% |
Demographic indicators
UN WPP 2024 indicators for 2026.
| Indicator | 2026 | Projection for 2100 | Unit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total population | 23,348,315 people | 21,249,406 people | people |
| Male population | 11,292,879 people | 10,577,668 people | people |
| Female population | 12,055,436 people | 10,671,737 people | people |
| Population density | 372.4 people/km² | 338.9 people/km² | people/km² |
| Sex ratio | 93.7 | 99.1 | males per 100 females |
| Median age | 33.6 | 50.0 | years |
| Natural change | 146,893 | -102,355 | people |
| Natural change rate | 6.29 ‰ | -4.82 ‰ | ‰ |
| Population change | 116,132 | -118,505 | people |
| Population growth rate | 0.50% | -0.56% | % |
| Population doubling time | — | — | years |
| Births | 316,459 people | 178,724 people | people |
| Births to women aged 15–19 | 12,531 | 2,838 | people |
| Birth rate | 13.55 ‰ | 8.41 ‰ | ‰ |
| Total fertility rate | 1.93 | 1.70 | children per woman |
| Net reproduction rate | 0.931 | 0.826 | |
| Mean age at childbearing | 29.68 | 30.88 | years |
| Sex ratio at birth | 104.4 | 104.4 | males per 100 females |
| Deaths | 169,566 people | 281,079 people | people |
| Male deaths | 91,304 | 140,926 | people |
| Female deaths | 78,262 | 140,153 | people |
| Death rate | 7.26 ‰ | 13.23 ‰ | ‰ |
| Life expectancy at birth | 78.03 | 88.71 | years |
| Male life expectancy at birth | 74.85 | 87.06 | years |
| Female life expectancy at birth | 81.04 | 90.39 | years |
| Life expectancy at age 15 | 63.58 | 73.92 | years |
| Life expectancy at age 65 | 17.61 | 25.19 | years |
| Life expectancy at age 80 | 7.88 | 12.55 | years |
| Infant deaths | 1,484 | 304 | people |
| Infant mortality rate | 4.69 ‰ | 1.70 ‰ | ‰ |
| Survivors to age 1 | 315,183 | 178,465 | people |
| Deaths under age 5 | 1,854 | 360 | people |
| Under-5 mortality rate | 5.84 ‰ | 2.01 ‰ | ‰ |
| Net migration | -30,760 | -16,149 | people |
| Net migration rate | -1.32 ‰ | -0.76 ‰ | ‰ |
Frequently asked questions
- What is the population of Sri Lanka?
- In 2026, Sri Lanka had a population of 23,348,315 people. It ranks #60 of 237 countries and areas worldwide.
- How has the population of Sri Lanka changed?
- The population was 7,811,047 people in 1950 and is projected to reach 21,249,406 people in 2100.
- What is the age structure of Sri Lanka?
- The median age is 33.6. 21.4% of the population is under 15 and 12.8% is 65 or older.
- How does Sri Lanka compare within Asia?
- By total population, Sri Lanka ranks #23 of 51 in Asia and #60 of 237 worldwide.
Estimates cover 1950–2023; 2024 and later are UN medium-variant projections. Rankings use the latest available value for the selected year. The world total is the sum of all countries and areas in the dataset.