How many people live in Sri Lanka right now?
Right now, according to UN estimates
23,384,138
| Today | In 2026 | |
|---|---|---|
| Births | · | · |
| Deaths | · | · |
| Net migration | · | · |
| Growth | · | · |
2026 figures
- Rank by population
- 60 of 237
- Share of world population
- 0.28%
- Median age
- 33.6 years
- Children per woman
- 1.93
- Life expectancy
- 78.0 years
- People per km²
- 372
According to UN estimates, about 23.4 million people live in Sri Lanka right now. It ranks 60th out of 237 countries and territories by population, between Burkina Faso and Taiwan, and it is home to one in every 356 people on the planet.
Every day, about 870 people are born there and about 460 die. More people leave than arrive: net migration reduces the population by about 30,800 people a year. Overall, the population grows by about 320 people a day (0.50% a year).
In 1950, about 7.8 million people lived there. Today there are 3.0 times as many. The UN expects it to peak around 2051, at about 24.8 million, and then begin to fall. By 2050 it is projected to have about 24.8 million people (6% more than today), and by 2100 about 21.2 million.
Half of its people are younger than 34 (worldwide, 31). Women have an average of 1.93 children each, below the 2.1 needed for each generation to replace the one before, and life expectancy at birth is 78 years (worldwide, 74). There are 372 people per square kilometer.
UN estimates up to today and projections (medium variant) from today onward.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the population of Sri Lanka in 2026?
- Sri Lanka has about 23.4 million people right now, according to the UN's World Population Prospects 2024. On July 1, 2026, there were 23,348,315.
- How many people are born each day in Sri Lanka?
- About 870 a day (316,000 a year). About 460 people die each day (170,000 a year).
- Is the population of Sri Lanka growing?
- Yes: it grows by 0.50% a year, or about 116,000 people.
- What will the population of Sri Lanka be in 2050?
- According to the UN projection (medium variant), about 24.8 million, with a peak around 2051 at about 24.8 million.
- Why doesn't this figure match the country's official statistics?
- The UN estimates the population of every country with the same method, based on censuses, surveys and registers, and projects it year by year. Each national statistics office uses its own censuses and registers, which may be more up to date or count foreign residents differently. That is why the figures can differ slightly.
Countries with a similar population
- Syria 26,720,008
- Mali 26,166,644
- Burkina Faso 24,768,168
- Taiwan 22,978,620
- Malawi 22,967,941
- Zambia 22,715,555
More countries in Asia
- India 1,480,587,232
- China 1,411,888,348
- Indonesia 288,550,453
- Pakistan 260,628,328
- Bangladesh 178,484,594
- Japan 122,206,962
- Philippines 118,018,971
- Vietnam 102,351,373
- Iran 93,380,320
- Turkey 88,012,293
- Thailand 71,536,964
- Myanmar 55,285,276
All countries and territories →
Where these figures come from
The figures are estimates from the United Nations Population Division, published in World Population Prospects 2024 (medium variant): the reference used by international organizations and by most population counters. The UN estimates how many people there are on July 1 of each year and how many are born, die and migrate; between one date and the next, this counter spreads the change continuously, second by second.
It is not a real-time headcount: nobody can count every person in a country at once. It is the best available estimate, and it may differ slightly from the figures of each country's statistics office, which use their own censuses and population registers.