Do more people live in urban or rural areas? in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Do more people live in urban or rural areas? was 20.5% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Do more people live in urban or rural areas? in Sri Lanka, 1000–2025
Source: HYDE (2023); United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Sri Lanka recorded 20.5% for do more people live in urban or rural areas? in 2025.
The figure is up 0.7% on the previous year and up 8.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, do more people live in urban or rural areas? in Sri Lanka peaked at 22.4% in 1972 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1000.
That places Sri Lanka 230th out of 238 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 108 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1000s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 1 |
| 1100s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 1 |
| 1200s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 1 |
| 1300s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 1 |
| 1400s | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 1 |
| 1500s | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0.2% | 1 |
| 1600s | 0.5% | 0.5% | 0.5% | 1 |
| 1700s | 1.6% | 1.6% | 1.6% | 1 |
| 1710s | 1.8% | 1.8% | 1.8% | 1 |
| 1720s | 2.0% | 2.0% | 2.0% | 1 |
| 1730s | 2.1% | 2.1% | 2.1% | 1 |
| 1740s | 2.3% | 2.3% | 2.3% | 1 |
| 1750s | 2.6% | 2.6% | 2.6% | 1 |
| 1760s | 2.8% | 2.8% | 2.8% | 1 |
| 1770s | 3.1% | 3.1% | 3.1% | 1 |
| 1780s | 3.4% | 3.4% | 3.4% | 1 |
| 1790s | 3.7% | 3.7% | 3.7% | 1 |
| 1800s | 4.0% | 4.0% | 4.0% | 1 |
| 1810s | 4.4% | 4.4% | 4.4% | 1 |
| 1820s | 4.9% | 4.9% | 4.9% | 1 |
| 1830s | 5.3% | 5.3% | 5.3% | 1 |
| 1840s | 5.8% | 5.8% | 5.8% | 1 |
| 1850s | 6.4% | 6.4% | 6.4% | 1 |
| 1860s | 7.0% | 7.0% | 7.0% | 1 |
| 1870s | 7.7% | 7.7% | 7.7% | 1 |
| 1880s | 8.4% | 8.4% | 8.4% | 1 |
| 1890s | 9.2% | 9.2% | 9.2% | 1 |
| 1900s | 10.1% | 10.1% | 10.1% | 1 |
| 1910s | 11.0% | 11.0% | 11.0% | 1 |
| 1920s | 12.1% | 12.1% | 12.1% | 1 |
| 1930s | 13.2% | 13.2% | 13.2% | 1 |
| 1940s | 14.5% | 14.5% | 14.5% | 1 |
| 1950s | 15.8% | 15.3% | 17.1% | 10 |
| 1960s | 19.7% | 17.6% | 22.0% | 10 |
| 1970s | 22.2% | 21.8% | 22.4% | 10 |
| 1980s | 20.3% | 18.6% | 21.6% | 10 |
| 1990s | 16.2% | 14.7% | 18.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 15.3% | 14.6% | 16.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 18.6% | 17.2% | 19.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 20.1% | 19.7% | 20.5% | 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 do more people live in urban or rural areas? in Sri Lanka?
- Do more people live in urban or rural areas? in Sri Lanka was 20.5% in 2025, according to HYDE (2023); United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest do more people live in urban or rural areas? recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 22.4% in 1972.
- What is the lowest do more people live in urban or rural areas? recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1000.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for do more people live in urban or rural areas??
- Sri Lanka ranks 230th out of 238 countries with data for 2025.
- Is do more people live in urban or rural areas? rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is up 8.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sri Lanka data come from?
- The figures come from HYDE (2023); United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Do more people live in urban or rural areas?. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Share of the population living in urban areas, combining UN estimates with modelled historical data.