Milk production in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Milk production was 537,792 tonnes in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
537,792 tonnes
Change on year
up 0.5%
World rank
93rd
of 192 countries
All-time high
545,038 tonnes
in 2021
All-time low
89,310 tonnes
in 1962
Years of data
64
1961–2024
Milk production in Sri Lanka, 1961–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
In 2024, milk production in Sri Lanka stood at 537,792 tonnes.
The figure is up 0.5% on the previous year and up 108.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, milk production in Sri Lanka peaked at 545,038 tonnes in 2021 and was at its lowest, 89,310 tonnes, in 1962.
Sri Lanka ranks 93rd of 192 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 64 years of available data.
Milk production in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 104,180 tonnes | — |
| 1962 | 89,310 tonnes | -14.3% |
| 1963 | 127,460 tonnes | +42.7% |
| 1964 | 155,700 tonnes | +22.2% |
| 1965 | 170,780 tonnes | +9.7% |
| 1966 | 141,750 tonnes | -17.0% |
| 1967 | 137,670 tonnes | -2.9% |
| 1968 | 150,350 tonnes | +9.2% |
| 1969 | 139,190 tonnes | -7.4% |
| 1970 | 141,080 tonnes | +1.4% |
| 1971 | 149,450 tonnes | +5.9% |
| 1972 | 144,777 tonnes | -3.1% |
| 1973 | 148,776 tonnes | +2.8% |
| 1974 | 155,660 tonnes | +4.6% |
| 1975 | 185,270 tonnes | +19.0% |
| 1976 | 215,700 tonnes | +16.4% |
| 1977 | 228,600 tonnes | +6.0% |
| 1978 | 228,820 tonnes | +0.1% |
| 1979 | 223,100 tonnes | -2.5% |
| 1980 | 242,730 tonnes | +8.8% |
| 1981 | 265,101 tonnes | +9.2% |
| 1982 | 232,010 tonnes | -12.5% |
| 1983 | 249,156 tonnes | +7.4% |
| 1984 | 279,750 tonnes | +12.3% |
| 1985 | 288,450 tonnes | +3.1% |
| 1986 | 155,300 tonnes | -46.2% |
| 1987 | 191,841 tonnes | +23.5% |
| 1988 | 195,165 tonnes | +1.7% |
| 1989 | 206,613 tonnes | +5.9% |
| 1990 | 251,981 tonnes | +22.0% |
| 1991 | 270,765 tonnes | +7.5% |
| 1992 | 286,003 tonnes | +5.6% |
| 1993 | 296,534 tonnes | +3.7% |
| 1994 | 302,294 tonnes | +1.9% |
| 1995 | 303,227 tonnes | +0.3% |
| 1996 | 300,016 tonnes | -1.1% |
| 1997 | 299,206 tonnes | -0.3% |
| 1998 | 170,886 tonnes | -42.9% |
| 1999 | 171,372 tonnes | +0.3% |
| 2000 | 172,112 tonnes | +0.4% |
| 2001 | 173,607 tonnes | +0.9% |
| 2002 | 172,454 tonnes | -0.7% |
| 2003 | 176,206 tonnes | +2.2% |
| 2004 | 178,624 tonnes | +1.4% |
| 2005 | 180,328 tonnes | +1.0% |
| 2006 | 184,677 tonnes | +2.4% |
| 2007 | 188,872 tonnes | +2.3% |
| 2008 | 194,358 tonnes | +2.9% |
| 2009 | 215,849 tonnes | +11.1% |
| 2010 | 226,243 tonnes | +4.8% |
| 2011 | 238,500 tonnes | +5.4% |
| 2012 | 316,870 tonnes | +32.9% |
| 2013 | 298,650 tonnes | -5.7% |
| 2014 | 257,988 tonnes | -13.6% |
| 2015 | 400,814 tonnes | +55.4% |
| 2016 | 409,242 tonnes | +2.1% |
| 2017 | 424,358 tonnes | +3.7% |
| 2018 | 496,497 tonnes | +17.0% |
| 2019 | 475,797 tonnes | -4.2% |
| 2020 | 521,820 tonnes | +9.7% |
| 2021 | 545,038 tonnes | +4.4% |
| 2022 | 538,106 tonnes | -1.3% |
| 2023 | 535,326 tonnes | -0.5% |
| 2024 | 537,792 tonnes | +0.5% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 537,792 tonnes is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 542,686 tonnes, 99% of the median. (53 countries reporting)
- Sri Lanka's 537,792 tonnes is below the median for South Asia, which is 2.85 million tonnes, 19% of the median. (5 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Milk production in Sri Lanka changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | +55.4% | 257,988 tonnes | 400,814 tonnes |
| 1986 | -46.2% | 288,450 tonnes | 155,300 tonnes |
| 1998 | -42.9% | 299,206 tonnes | 170,886 tonnes |
| 1963 | +42.7% | 89,310 tonnes | 127,460 tonnes |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 135,154 tonnes | 89,310 tonnes | 170,780 tonnes | 9 |
| 1970s | 182,123 tonnes | 141,080 tonnes | 228,820 tonnes | 10 |
| 1980s | 230,612 tonnes | 155,300 tonnes | 288,450 tonnes | 10 |
| 1990s | 265,228 tonnes | 170,886 tonnes | 303,227 tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 183,709 tonnes | 172,112 tonnes | 215,849 tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 354,496 tonnes | 226,243 tonnes | 496,497 tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 535,616 tonnes | 521,820 tonnes | 545,038 tonnes | 5 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
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 milk production in Sri Lanka?
- Milk production in Sri Lanka was 537,792 tonnes in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest milk production recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 545,038 tonnes in 2021.
- What is the lowest milk production recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 89,310 tonnes in 1962.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for milk production?
- Sri Lanka ranks 93rd out of 192 countries with data for 2024.
- Is milk production rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is up 108.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sri Lanka data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Milk production. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 64 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Milk represents the raw equivalents of all dairy products including cheese, yoghurt, cream and milk consumed as the final product.