CENSUS: The total population of Sri Lanka is recorded as 21,781,800.

COLOMBO : The 15th Population and Housing Census of Sri Lanka was successfully completed in 2024 and published for public reference on 2026.03.20.
A summary of it is as follows:

1. The total population of Sri Lanka is recorded as 21,781,800.
2. The population density is 350 people per square kilometre.
3. 28.1% of the total population resides in the Western Province.
4. Nearly 2/3 of the country’s population lives in the Western (28.1%), Central (12.5%), Southern (12.0%), and North Western (11.9%) provinces.
5. The highest population is recorded in the Gampaha District (2,436,142).
6. The lowest population is recorded in the Mullaitivu District (122,619).
7. Data from the year 2024 shows a notable transition toward an aging society.
8. 18.0% of the total population belongs to the elderly population (aged 60 and above).
9. The child population (aged 0-14) has decreased to 20.7%.
10. The Aging Index (the number of elderly people for every 100 children) is recorded as 87.
11. The Sex Ratio is recorded as 93.3% (93.3 males for every 100 females).
12. The working-age population between the ages of 15 and 59 is 61.3%.
13. A Labour Force Participation Rate of 47.3% is indicated.
14. 52.7% of the population is economically inactive.
15. Ethnic Composition: Sinhalese 74.1%, Tamil 12.3%, Muslim 10.5%.
16. Sri Lanka consists of 6,111,315 households.
17. The number of single-person households has increased, accounting for 10.5% of total households. Out of these, 71.3% are single-person households of females over the age of 60.
18. 157 out of every 1,000 people reported having at least one physical or mental difficulty.
19. The disability rate is shown as 35 per 1,000 people.
20. It is revealed that 19.2% of the population (4.18 million) suffers from one or more Noncommunicable Diseases (NCDs).
21. 13% of the total population has been identified as lifetime migrants.
22. The districts recording the highest percentage of lifetime migrants are Vavuniya (29.2%), Kilinochchi (24.0%), and Mullaitivu (23.9%).
23. 6,030,541 housing units are recorded.
24. 98.0% of households are connected to the national electricity grid.
25. 92.2% of households have drinking water facilities within their housing unit or premises.
26. For 38.9% of households, the main source of drinking water is the National Water Supply and Drainage Board.
27. 55.4% of households still use firewood for cooking.
28. 99.6% of households use water-sealed toilets.