Urban population share in Sri Lanka
20.5% of people in Sri Lanka lived in urban areas in 2025. The value for 2025 is the highest since 1984.
Sri Lanka, 2025
20.5%
Change from 2024
+0.2percentage points
World, 2025
57.8%
Position in 2025
212th of 217
Urban population share in Sri Lanka over time
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Sri Lanka
World
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The chart loads when you scroll to it. The table below shows the same data.
The chart shows a calculation from the published values. The table below keeps the published values.
% of total population. Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators. Gaps mean no published value; points are not joined across missing years.
| Period | Sri Lanka | World |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 20.5% | 57.8% |
| 2024 | 20.3% | 57.6% |
| 2023 | 20.1% | 57.3% |
| 2022 | 20.0% | 57.1% |
| 2021 | 19.8% | 56.8% |
| 2020 | 19.7% | 56.4% |
| 2019 | 19.5% | 56.1% |
| 2018 | 19.3% | 55.8% |
| 2017 | 19.2% | 55.3% |
| 2016 | 19.0% | 54.9% |
| 2015 | 18.8% | 54.4% |
| 2014 | 18.6% | 53.9% |
| 2013 | 18.4% | 53.4% |
| 2012 | 18.3% | 52.9% |
| 2011 | 17.8% | 52.5% |
| 2010 | 17.2% | 51.8% |
| 2009 | 16.7% | 51.4% |
| 2008 | 16.3% | 50.9% |
| 2007 | 15.9% | 50.4% |
| 2006 | 15.5% | 49.9% |
| 2005 | 15.2% | 49.4% |
| 2004 | 14.9% | 48.9% |
| 2003 | 14.7% | 48.4% |
| 2002 | 14.6% | 47.8% |
| 2001 | 14.6% | 47.3% |
A dash means no value was published for that period.
In short
- That is a change of +0.2 percentage points from 20.3% in 2024.
- Since 2015, when it was 18.8%, the figure has changed by +1.7 percentage points.
- Among the 217 countries with data for 2025, Sri Lanka has the 212th highest value.
- The figure for the world in 2025 was 57.8%.
More for Sri Lanka
All statistics for Sri Lanka
Population estimates and projections
22,971,617 people
2023 · UN Population Division
Median age estimates and projections
32.8 years
2023 · UN Population Division
Fertility rate estimates and projections
1.97 births per woman
2023 · UN Population Division
Population growth estimates and projections
0.58%
2023 · UN Population Division
Population
21,756,000 people
2025 · World Bank
Population growth
-0.73%
2025 · World Bank