Urban area over the long-term in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Urban area over the long-term was 481.3 km² per grid cell in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
481.3 km² per grid cell
Change on year
up 2.4%
World rank
126th
of 202 countries
All-time high
481.3 km² per grid cell
in 2025
All-time low
0.0018 km² per grid cell
in 1000
Years of data
108
1000–2025
Urban area over the long-term in Sri Lanka, 1000–2025
Source: HYDE (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in km² per grid cell.
Analysis
Sri Lanka recorded 481.3 km² per grid cell for urban area over the long-term in 2025. That is the highest value across all 108 years on record.
The figure is up 2.4% on the previous year and up 24.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, urban area over the long-term in Sri Lanka peaked at 481.3 km² per grid cell in 2025 and was at its lowest, 0.0018 km² per grid cell, in 1000.
Sri Lanka ranks 126th of 202 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1000s | 0.0018 km² per grid cell | 0.0018 km² per grid cell | 0.0018 km² per grid cell | 1 |
| 1100s | 0.006 km² per grid cell | 0.006 km² per grid cell | 0.006 km² per grid cell | 1 |
| 1200s | 0.0201 km² per grid cell | 0.0201 km² per grid cell | 0.0201 km² per grid cell | 1 |
| 1300s | 0.0585 km² per grid cell | 0.0585 km² per grid cell | 0.0585 km² per grid cell | 1 |
| 1400s | 0.1682 km² per grid cell | 0.1682 km² per grid cell | 0.1682 km² per grid cell | 1 |
| 1500s | 0.5426 km² per grid cell | 0.5426 km² per grid cell | 0.5426 km² per grid cell | 1 |
| 1600s | 2.03 km² per grid cell | 2.03 km² per grid cell | 2.03 km² per grid cell | 1 |
| 1700s | 7.11 km² per grid cell | 7.11 km² per grid cell | 7.11 km² per grid cell | 1 |
| 1710s | 8 km² per grid cell | 8 km² per grid cell | 8 km² per grid cell | 1 |
| 1720s | 8.52 km² per grid cell | 8.52 km² per grid cell | 8.52 km² per grid cell | 1 |
| 1730s | 9.06 km² per grid cell | 9.06 km² per grid cell | 9.06 km² per grid cell | 1 |
| 1740s | 9.61 km² per grid cell | 9.61 km² per grid cell | 9.61 km² per grid cell | 1 |
| 1750s | 10.18 km² per grid cell | 10.18 km² per grid cell | 10.18 km² per grid cell | 1 |
| 1760s | 10.76 km² per grid cell | 10.76 km² per grid cell | 10.76 km² per grid cell | 1 |
| 1770s | 11.35 km² per grid cell | 11.35 km² per grid cell | 11.35 km² per grid cell | 1 |
| 1780s | 11.94 km² per grid cell | 11.94 km² per grid cell | 11.94 km² per grid cell | 1 |
| 1790s | 12.52 km² per grid cell | 12.52 km² per grid cell | 12.52 km² per grid cell | 1 |
| 1800s | 13.1 km² per grid cell | 13.1 km² per grid cell | 13.1 km² per grid cell | 1 |
| 1810s | 13.67 km² per grid cell | 13.67 km² per grid cell | 13.67 km² per grid cell | 1 |
| 1820s | 14.22 km² per grid cell | 14.22 km² per grid cell | 14.22 km² per grid cell | 1 |
| 1830s | 17.6 km² per grid cell | 17.6 km² per grid cell | 17.6 km² per grid cell | 1 |
| 1840s | 23.22 km² per grid cell | 23.22 km² per grid cell | 23.22 km² per grid cell | 1 |
| 1850s | 30.56 km² per grid cell | 30.56 km² per grid cell | 30.56 km² per grid cell | 1 |
| 1860s | 36.22 km² per grid cell | 36.22 km² per grid cell | 36.22 km² per grid cell | 1 |
| 1870s | 42.3 km² per grid cell | 42.3 km² per grid cell | 42.3 km² per grid cell | 1 |
| 1880s | 43.86 km² per grid cell | 43.86 km² per grid cell | 43.86 km² per grid cell | 1 |
| 1890s | 49.26 km² per grid cell | 49.26 km² per grid cell | 49.26 km² per grid cell | 1 |
| 1900s | 60.55 km² per grid cell | 60.55 km² per grid cell | 60.55 km² per grid cell | 1 |
| 1910s | 72.96 km² per grid cell | 72.96 km² per grid cell | 72.96 km² per grid cell | 1 |
| 1920s | 87.91 km² per grid cell | 87.91 km² per grid cell | 87.91 km² per grid cell | 1 |
| 1930s | 103.1 km² per grid cell | 103.1 km² per grid cell | 103.1 km² per grid cell | 1 |
| 1940s | 122.55 km² per grid cell | 122.55 km² per grid cell | 122.55 km² per grid cell | 1 |
| 1950s | 186.8 km² per grid cell | 171.84 km² per grid cell | 208.29 km² per grid cell | 10 |
| 1960s | 249.38 km² per grid cell | 214.14 km² per grid cell | 293.28 km² per grid cell | 10 |
| 1970s | 325.13 km² per grid cell | 304.44 km² per grid cell | 336.56 km² per grid cell | 10 |
| 1980s | 340.64 km² per grid cell | 338.19 km² per grid cell | 342.12 km² per grid cell | 10 |
| 1990s | 338.12 km² per grid cell | 329.31 km² per grid cell | 342.12 km² per grid cell | 10 |
| 2000s | 338.78 km² per grid cell | 327.12 km² per grid cell | 349.76 km² per grid cell | 10 |
| 2010s | 384.62 km² per grid cell | 352.08 km² per grid cell | 417.71 km² per grid cell | 10 |
| 2020s | 453.2 km² per grid cell | 425.24 km² per grid cell | 481.3 km² per grid cell | 6 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
More reference data data for Sri Lanka
- Spring temperature anomalies 0.1264 °C (2026)
- Summer temperature anomalies 0.2745 °C (2026)
- Temperature anomalies by month 0.0088 °C (2026)
- Universal right to vote in practice 2 (2025)
- Autumn temperature anomalies 0.7892 °C (2025)
- Winter temperature anomalies 0.372 °C (2025)
- Consumer price index 292.34 2010 = 100 (2025)
- Universal right to vote 2 (2025)
- Competitive elections 1 (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote 1 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is urban area over the long-term in Sri Lanka?
- Urban area over the long-term in Sri Lanka was 481.3 km² per grid cell in 2025, according to HYDE (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest urban area over the long-term recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 481.3 km² per grid cell in 2025.
- What is the lowest urban area over the long-term recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0018 km² per grid cell in 1000.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for urban area over the long-term?
- Sri Lanka ranks 126th out of 202 countries with data for 2025.
- Is urban area over the long-term rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is up 24.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Sri Lanka data come from?
- The figures come from HYDE (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Urban area over the long-term. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 108 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Total built-up area of a country over time.