Sri Lanka
Country in Asia
CountryScope
In brief
Population: 21.8M (2025). World rank 62 of 216; in Asia, 23 of 49. Area: 65,610 km². World rank 124 of 249; in Asia, 35 of 50. GDP per person: $5,002 (2025). World rank 140 of 210 (1 = best); in Asia, 29 of 47. From 2015 to 2025: population 21M → 21.8M, GDP $85.1B → $108.8B, and GDP per person $4,058 → $5,002. Better than all its neighbours (India): life expectancy and GDP per person.
State
- Official name
- Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka
- Local name
- ශ්රී ලංකාව
- Capital
- Colombo
- Region
- Asia
- Form of government
- Presidential republic
- UN member
- Yes
- Head of state
- Anura Kurankan Dissanayake
- Head of government
- Harini Amarasuriya
- Independence
- February 4, 1948
- Women in parliament
- 9.8% 2025
Key figures
- Population
- 21,756,000 2025
- Area
- 65,610 km²
- GDP
- $108.8B 2025
- GDP per person
- $5,002 2025
- Life expectancy
- 77.7 years 2024
Practical information
- Languages
- Sinhala, Tamil
- Currency
- Sri Lankan Rupee (LKR)
- Time zones
- UTC+5:30
- Calling code
- +94
- Emergency numbers
- 110, 119
- Driving side
- Left
- Plug types
- D, G
- Mains voltage
- 230 V
Territory
- Sea access
- Has a coastline
- Coastline, km
- 1,340
- Neighbours
- India
- Agricultural land
- 48.8% 2024
Elevation
- Highest point
- Pidurutalagala, 2,524 m
- Lowest point
- Indian Ocean, 0 m
- Mean elevation, m
- 228
Climate
- Average temperature in the capital, °C
- 26
- Warmest month in the capital
- April, 28°C
- Coldest month in the capital
- January, 25°C
- Precipitation, mm per year
- 1,712 2022
Population and migration
- Population density
- 331.6 per km² 2025
- Population growth per year
- -0.7% 2025
- Living in cities
- 20.5% 2025
- Net migration per year
- -30.7K 2025
- Born in another country
- 0.2% 2024
Age and life expectancy
- Aged 0–14
- 21.7% 2025
- Aged 15–64
- 65.8% 2025
- Aged 65 and over
- 12.5% 2025
- Life expectancy, women
- 80.8 years 2024
- Life expectancy, men
- 74.5 years 2024
Births and deaths
- Children per woman
- 2 2024
- Births per 1,000 people
- 10.1 2024
- Deaths per 1,000 people
- 7.8 2024
Society
- Religions
- Buddhist 70.2%, Hindu 12.6%, Muslim 9.7%, Catholic 6.1%, and other Christian 1.3% (2012)
Quality of governance (100 = best)
- Rule of law, score 0–100
- 55.2 2025
- Control of corruption, score 0–100
- 42.3 2025
- Government effectiveness, score 0–100
- 49.7 2025
- Regulatory quality, score 0–100
- 50.3 2025
- Voice and accountability, score 0–100
- 57.9 2025
Size and growth
- GDP per person at purchasing power parity
- $17,065 2025
- GDP growth per year
- +5% 2025
Income and prices
- Income level (World Bank)
- Upper-middle income
- Gross national income per person
- $4,670 2025
- Inflation
- -4.8% 2025
- Price level, USA = 100
- 29 2025
Structure and jobs
- Agriculture, share of GDP
- 8.4% 2025
- Industry, share of GDP
- 25.4% 2025
- Services, share of GDP
- 54.6% 2025
- Unemployment
- 4% 2025
- Youth unemployment, ages 15–24
- 18.6% 2025
- Women in work or seeking work
- 31% 2025
Trade and finance
- Exports, share of GDP
- 19% 2025
- Imports, share of GDP
- 22.8% 2025
- Current account balance, share of GDP
- +1.6% 2025
- Foreign direct investment, share of GDP
- +1% 2025
- Remittances received, share of GDP
- 7.6% 2025
- Tax revenue, share of GDP
- 9.9% 2023
Poverty and inequality
- Gini index (0 = full equality)
- 37.7 2019
- Living on under $3 a day
- 2.7% 2019
Education
- Adult literacy
- 92.7% 2024
- Primary school enrolment
- 91.5% 2023
- Secondary school enrolment
- 88% 2023
- Higher education enrolment
- 20.7% 2023
- Public spending on education, share of GDP
- 1.8% 2023
Healthcare
- Health spending, share of GDP
- 3.7% 2023
- Health spending per person
- $134 2023
- Out-of-pocket health spending, share of total
- 54.8% 2023
- Doctors per 1,000 people
- 1.1 2023
- Nurses and midwives per 1,000 people
- 2.3 2023
- Hospital beds per 1,000 people
- 3.9 2023
- Children vaccinated against measles
- 99% 2024
Public health
- Infant deaths per 1,000 births
- 5.2 2024
- Deaths under age 5 per 1,000 births
- 5.9 2024
- Maternal deaths per 100,000 births
- 18 2023
- HIV prevalence, ages 15–49
- 0.1% 2024
- Diabetes prevalence, ages 20–79
- 10.2% 2024
- Overweight adults
- 38.8% 2022
- Adults who use tobacco
- 20.7% 2024
Living conditions
- Access to safe drinking water
- 90.2% 2024
- Access to basic sanitation
- 95.3% 2024
- Access to clean cooking fuels
- 31% 2024
Safety
- Homicides per 100,000 people
- 3.3 2019
- Road deaths per 100,000 people
- 19.7 2019
- Suicides per 100,000 people
- 14.7 2021
- Political stability and absence of violence, score 0–100
- 64.9 2025
- Natural hazards
- tropical cyclones and tornadoes
Air and emissions
- Air pollution PM2.5, µg/m³
- 22.7 2023
- CO₂ emissions, tonnes per person
- 1.1 2024
- All greenhouse gases, tonnes CO₂e per person
- 1.7 2024
Nature and water
- Forest cover
- 34.4% 2024
- Protected areas
- 3.7% 2025
- Renewable fresh water, m³ per person
- 2,380 2022
- Water stress, share of fresh water withdrawn
- 90.8% 2022
Internet and communications
- Using the internet
- 54.6% 2024
- Mobile subscriptions per 100 people
- 133 2024
- Home broadband per 100 people
- 8.5 2024
- Internet domain
- .lk .இலங்கை .ලංකා
Energy
- Access to electricity
- 100% 2024
- Electricity use, kWh per person
- 695 2024
- Renewable share of energy use
- 48.8% 2021
- Electricity from renewables
- 49.2% 2021
- Electricity from fossil fuels
- 46.6% 2024
Transport
- Air passengers per year
- 3,866,001 2023
- Airports
- 18 2025
- Railways, km
- 1,562 2016
Science and innovation
- Research spending, share of GDP
- 0.1% 2022
- Researchers per million people
- 94 2022
- Scientific articles per year
- 2,322 2023
- Patent applications by residents
- 253 2024
- High-tech share of manufactured exports
- 1.5% 2024