Population in the largest city in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Population in the largest city was 14.6% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Population in the largest city in Sri Lanka, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects 2018, United Nations (UN). Measured in % of urban population.
Analysis
The most recent figure for population in the largest city in Sri Lanka is 14.6%, measured in 2025.
That represents a change of up 1.2% on the previous year and down 1.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population in the largest city in Sri Lanka peaked at 28.6% in 1960 and was at its lowest, 14.1%, in 2021.
That places Sri Lanka 136th out of 153 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 66 years of available data.
Population in the largest city in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | % of urban population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 28.6% | — |
| 1961 | 27.7% | -3.2% |
| 1962 | 26.8% | -3.1% |
| 1963 | 26.1% | -2.8% |
| 1964 | 25.2% | -3.5% |
| 1965 | 24.2% | -3.9% |
| 1966 | 23.2% | -4.0% |
| 1967 | 22.3% | -3.9% |
| 1968 | 21.5% | -3.7% |
| 1969 | 20.8% | -3.2% |
| 1970 | 20.2% | -2.5% |
| 1971 | 19.9% | -1.7% |
| 1972 | 19.6% | -1.4% |
| 1973 | 19.4% | -1.3% |
| 1974 | 19.2% | -1.1% |
| 1975 | 19.0% | -1.0% |
| 1976 | 18.8% | -0.9% |
| 1977 | 18.7% | -0.8% |
| 1978 | 18.5% | -0.8% |
| 1979 | 18.4% | -0.8% |
| 1980 | 18.3% | -0.7% |
| 1981 | 18.2% | -0.5% |
| 1982 | 18.2% | +0.2% |
| 1983 | 18.4% | +1.0% |
| 1984 | 18.7% | +1.7% |
| 1985 | 19.0% | +1.6% |
| 1986 | 19.2% | +1.3% |
| 1987 | 19.5% | +1.5% |
| 1988 | 19.9% | +1.8% |
| 1989 | 20.3% | +1.9% |
| 1990 | 20.8% | +2.5% |
| 1991 | 21.3% | +2.4% |
| 1992 | 21.6% | +1.6% |
| 1993 | 21.9% | +1.5% |
| 1994 | 22.3% | +1.6% |
| 1995 | 22.6% | +1.3% |
| 1996 | 22.8% | +0.8% |
| 1997 | 22.9% | +0.6% |
| 1998 | 23.0% | +0.3% |
| 1999 | 22.9% | -0.1% |
| 2000 | 22.8% | -0.5% |
| 2001 | 22.6% | -0.8% |
| 2002 | 22.1% | -2.5% |
| 2003 | 21.5% | -2.8% |
| 2004 | 20.8% | -3.2% |
| 2005 | 20.0% | -3.6% |
| 2006 | 19.2% | -4.0% |
| 2007 | 18.4% | -4.3% |
| 2008 | 17.6% | -4.5% |
| 2009 | 16.7% | -4.7% |
| 2010 | 15.9% | -4.8% |
| 2011 | 15.2% | -4.9% |
| 2012 | 14.6% | -4.0% |
| 2013 | 15.0% | +3.0% |
| 2014 | 14.9% | -0.9% |
| 2015 | 14.7% | -0.8% |
| 2016 | 14.6% | -1.0% |
| 2017 | 14.4% | -1.0% |
| 2018 | 14.3% | -0.8% |
| 2019 | 14.3% | -0.4% |
| 2020 | 14.2% | -0.3% |
| 2021 | 14.1% | -0.9% |
| 2022 | 14.1% | +0.1% |
| 2023 | 14.2% | +1.0% |
| 2024 | 14.4% | +0.9% |
| 2025 | 14.6% | +1.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 24.6% | 20.8% | 28.6% | 10 |
| 1970s | 19.2% | 18.4% | 20.2% | 10 |
| 1980s | 19.0% | 18.2% | 20.3% | 10 |
| 1990s | 22.2% | 20.8% | 23.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 20.2% | 16.7% | 22.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 14.8% | 14.3% | 15.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 14.3% | 14.1% | 14.6% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
- 133 Slovakia 15.4% compare
- 134 Syrian Arab Republic 15.2% compare
- 135 Mozambique 15.0% compare
- 137 Uzbekistan 14.1% compare
- 138 Iran, Islamic Republic of 13.6% compare
- 139 Brazil 12.3% compare
More urban development data for Sri Lanka
- Population density 356.24 people per sq. km of land area (2023)
- PM2.5 air pollution, mean annual exposure 22.68 micrograms per cubic meter (2023)
- Population in largest city 647,557 (2025)
- Crude steelmaking capacity 0.2 Tonnes (2025)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 23 - Ecological 87.19 Hectares (2020)
- PM2.5 air pollution, population exposed to levels exceeding WHO 45.5% (2017)
- Dollar value of all resources made available to strengthen 1.29 million (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population in the largest city in Sri Lanka?
- Population in the largest city in Sri Lanka was 14.6% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects 2018, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest population in the largest city recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 28.6% in 1960.
- What is the lowest population in the largest city recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 14.1% in 2021.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for population in the largest city?
- Sri Lanka ranks 136th out of 153 countries with data for 2025.
- Is population in the largest city rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sri Lanka data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects 2018, United Nations (UN), published as part of Population in the largest city (% of urban population). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 66 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Population in largest city is the percentage of a country's urban population living in that country's largest metropolitan area.