Sri Lanka

Urban population in Sri Lanka

Urban population in Sri Lanka: 15.3% in 1950 and 20.5% in 2025, by UN estimates.

Latest, 2025
20.5%
Since 1950
+5.1 percentage points
Rank, 2025
222 of 229
counting from the highest
Projected, 2050
22.6%
UN projection (World Urbanization Prospects 2025)
Watch it change on the map

% of people · UN

Urban population in Sri LankaUrban population in Sri Lanka: 15.3% in 1950 and 20.5% in 2025, by UN estimates. The UN projection (World Urbanization Prospects 2025) puts it at 22.6% in 2050.
Estimates, UNUN projection (World Urbanization Prospects 2025)

What the numbers say

  • The UN projection (World Urbanization Prospects 2025) puts it at 22.6% in 2050.
  • The highest was 22.4% in 1972, the lowest 14.6% in 2001.

Every year

% of people · UN

YearSri Lanka
202520.5
202420.3
202320.2
202220
202119.8
202019.7
201919.5
201819.3
201719.2
201619
201518.8
201418.6
201318.4
201218.3
201117.8
201017.3
200916.7
200816.3
200715.9
200615.5
200515.2
200414.9
200314.7
200214.6
200114.6
200014.6
199914.7
199814.9
199715.2
199615.5
199515.9
199416.3
199316.7
199217.2
199117.6
199018.1
198918.6
198819
198719.5
198619.9
198520.3
198420.7
198321
198221.3
198121.5
198021.6
197921.8
197821.9
197722
197622.1
197522.3
197422.3
197322.4
197222.4
197122.4
197022.3
196922
196821.5
196721
196620.4
196519.8
196419.3
196318.9
196218.5
196118
196017.6
195917.1
195816.7
195716.2
195615.9
195515.6
195415.4
195315.3
195215.3
195115.3
195015.3
UN projection (World Urbanization Prospects 2025) · 2026–2050
YearSri Lanka
202620.6
202720.7
202820.9
202921
203021.1
203121.3
203221.4
203321.5
203421.6
203521.7
203621.8
203721.9
203822
203922.1
204022.2
204122.2
204222.3
204322.4
204422.4
204522.4
204622.5
204722.5
204822.5
204922.6
205022.6

Good to know

  • The share of people living in places the country itself counts as urban.
  • Source: UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025.
  • The dashed line is the UN projection (World Urbanization Prospects 2025), a scenario rather than a forecast.
  • Ranks count the 229 countries with a value in 2025, highest first.

How the layers work, where their data comes from and what they can’t tell you: Countries through time

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