Population Growth Slows but Continues; Population Surges by 1.43 Million

COLOMBO (News 1st); The Department of Census and Statistics has reported a significant increase in Sri Lanka's population, which has risen by 1.43 million compared to the 2012 census. The total population now stands at 21,763,170.

During the 2001-2012 inter-census period, the average annual population growth rate was 0.7 percent. For the 2012-2024 inter-census period, the average annual population growth rate is 0.5 percent.

This indicates that while the population growth rate in Sri Lanka has slowed, the population continues to increase.

When considering the population distribution by province, the Western Province accounts for the highest percentage, with 28.1% of the total population. In contrast, the Northern Province has the lowest population percentage, at 5.3%.

At the district level, Gampaha and Colombo districts report the highest population figures, each exceeding 2 million residents.

Gampaha District has reported the highest population, with 2,433,685 persons, and Colombo has a population of 2,374,461.

Conversely, the districts of Mullaitivu, Mannar, Kilinochchi, and Vavuniya have been identified as having the lowest population numbers.

The highest annual growth rate of 2.23 percent has been reported from Mullaitivu district. The lowest annual growth rate is recorded in Vavuniya District (0.01 percent).

As in previous censuses, the highest population density of 3,549 persons per square kilometer is reported in Colombo District, while the lowest population density is reported in Mullaitivu District, which has a population density of 50 persons per square kilometer.