Census results since 1881

Every census since 1881: population, religion and ethnicity. Irregular, 1881–2024.

Published by the Department of Census and Statistics; read from CBSL Economic and Social Statistics.

Total population21,781.8'000 persons–
Religion - buddhist (%)69.8%–
Religion - hindu (%)12.6%–
Religion - islam (%)10.7%–
Religion - christian (%)6.9%–
Religion - other (%)0.0%–
Ethnicity - sinhalese (%)74.1%–
Ethnicity - Sri lankan tamil (%)12.3%–
Ethnicity - Sri lankan moor (%)10.5%–
Ethnicity - burgher (%)0.1%–
Ethnicity - malay (%)0.1%–
Ethnicity - other (%)0.1%–
Ethnicity - indian tamil (%)2.8%–

Total population

'000 persons, irregular. 1 Jan 2024: 21,781.8

Series page

Published by the Department of Census and Statistics; read from CBSL Economic and Social Statistics.

* Calculated by Macro Lab from the published values.