Average annual surface temperature in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Average annual surface temperature was 26.93 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
26.93
Change on year
down 1.2%
World rank
25th
of 193 countries
All-time high
27.27
in 2024
All-time low
24.98
in 1942
Years of data
86
1940–2025
Average annual surface temperature in Sri Lanka, 1940–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
Sri Lanka recorded 26.93 for average annual surface temperature in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.2% on the previous year and up 1.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, average annual surface temperature in Sri Lanka peaked at 27.27 in 2024 and was at its lowest, 24.98, in 1942.
That places Sri Lanka 25th out of 193 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 86 years of available data.
Average annual surface temperature in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1940 | 25.29 | — |
| 1941 | 25.59 | +1.2% |
| 1942 | 24.98 | -2.4% |
| 1943 | 25.07 | +0.4% |
| 1944 | 25.39 | +1.3% |
| 1945 | 25.62 | +0.9% |
| 1946 | 25.64 | +0.1% |
| 1947 | 25.56 | -0.3% |
| 1948 | 25.79 | +0.9% |
| 1949 | 25.76 | -0.1% |
| 1950 | 26.16 | +1.6% |
| 1951 | 26.13 | -0.1% |
| 1952 | 26.45 | +1.2% |
| 1953 | 26.36 | -0.3% |
| 1954 | 25.41 | -3.6% |
| 1955 | 25.2 | -0.8% |
| 1956 | 25.39 | +0.8% |
| 1957 | 25.9 | +2.0% |
| 1958 | 25.97 | +0.3% |
| 1959 | 26.15 | +0.7% |
| 1960 | 25.67 | -1.8% |
| 1961 | 25.64 | -0.1% |
| 1962 | 25.69 | +0.2% |
| 1963 | 25.7 | +0.1% |
| 1964 | 25.76 | +0.2% |
| 1965 | 25.53 | -0.9% |
| 1966 | 25.92 | +1.5% |
| 1967 | 25.72 | -0.8% |
| 1968 | 25.78 | +0.3% |
| 1969 | 26.2 | +1.6% |
| 1970 | 26.04 | -0.6% |
| 1971 | 25.79 | -1.0% |
| 1972 | 26.23 | +1.7% |
| 1973 | 26.45 | +0.8% |
| 1974 | 26.01 | -1.6% |
| 1975 | 25.9 | -0.4% |
| 1976 | 26.23 | +1.3% |
| 1977 | 26.09 | -0.5% |
| 1978 | 26.16 | +0.3% |
| 1979 | 26.69 | +2.0% |
| 1980 | 26.61 | -0.3% |
| 1981 | 26.27 | -1.3% |
| 1982 | 26.46 | +0.7% |
| 1983 | 26.96 | +1.9% |
| 1984 | 25.96 | -3.7% |
| 1985 | 26.24 | +1.1% |
| 1986 | 26.43 | +0.7% |
| 1987 | 26.71 | +1.1% |
| 1988 | 26.47 | -0.9% |
| 1989 | 26.24 | -0.9% |
| 1990 | 26.59 | +1.3% |
| 1991 | 26.56 | -0.1% |
| 1992 | 26.32 | -0.9% |
| 1993 | 26.4 | +0.3% |
| 1994 | 26.2 | -0.8% |
| 1995 | 26.49 | +1.1% |
| 1996 | 26.32 | -0.6% |
| 1997 | 26.59 | +1.0% |
| 1998 | 27.13 | +2.0% |
| 1999 | 26.15 | -3.6% |
| 2000 | 26.12 | -0.1% |
| 2001 | 26.48 | +1.4% |
| 2002 | 26.55 | +0.3% |
| 2003 | 26.59 | +0.1% |
| 2004 | 26.56 | -0.1% |
| 2005 | 26.79 | +0.9% |
| 2006 | 26.55 | -0.9% |
| 2007 | 26.47 | -0.3% |
| 2008 | 26.39 | -0.3% |
| 2009 | 26.75 | +1.3% |
| 2010 | 26.7 | -0.2% |
| 2011 | 26.48 | -0.8% |
| 2012 | 26.71 | +0.9% |
| 2013 | 26.55 | -0.6% |
| 2014 | 26.6 | +0.2% |
| 2015 | 26.66 | +0.2% |
| 2016 | 27.21 | +2.1% |
| 2017 | 26.74 | -1.7% |
| 2018 | 26.36 | -1.4% |
| 2019 | 26.9 | +2.0% |
| 2020 | 26.99 | +0.3% |
| 2021 | 26.6 | -1.4% |
| 2022 | 26.44 | -0.6% |
| 2023 | 26.88 | +1.6% |
| 2024 | 27.27 | +1.5% |
| 2025 | 26.93 | -1.2% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 26.93 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 23.03, 1.2× the median. (50 countries reporting)
- Sri Lanka's 26.93 is above the median for South Asia, which is 24.23, 1.1× the median. (5 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1940s | 25.47 | 24.98 | 25.79 | 10 |
| 1950s | 25.91 | 25.2 | 26.45 | 10 |
| 1960s | 25.76 | 25.53 | 26.2 | 10 |
| 1970s | 26.16 | 25.79 | 26.69 | 10 |
| 1980s | 26.44 | 25.96 | 26.96 | 10 |
| 1990s | 26.48 | 26.15 | 27.13 | 10 |
| 2000s | 26.53 | 26.12 | 26.79 | 10 |
| 2010s | 26.69 | 26.36 | 27.21 | 10 |
| 2020s | 26.85 | 26.44 | 27.27 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
- 22 Somalia 27.11 compare
- 23 El Salvador 27.06 compare
- 24 American Samoa 26.94 compare
- 26 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 26.89 compare
- 27 United States Virgin Islands 26.87 compare
- 28 Brunei 26.85 compare
More reference data data for Sri Lanka
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.1608 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.316 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 2.33 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.1784 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 2.33 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.539 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.1604 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.63 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 10.15 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.9713 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is average annual surface temperature in Sri Lanka?
- Average annual surface temperature in Sri Lanka was 26.93 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest average annual surface temperature recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 27.27 in 2024.
- What is the lowest average annual surface temperature recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 24.98 in 1942.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for average annual surface temperature?
- Sri Lanka ranks 25th out of 193 countries with data for 2025.
- Is average annual surface temperature rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sri Lanka data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Average annual surface temperature. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 86 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).