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
Latest (2025)
20.5%
Change on year
up 0.7%
World rank
230th
of 238 countries
All-time high
22.4%
in 1972
All-time low
0.0%
in 1000
Years of data
108
1000–2025
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.
Do more people live in urban or rural areas? in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1000 | 0.0% | — |
| 1100 | 0.0% | +200.0% |
| 1200 | 0.0% | +200.0% |
| 1300 | 0.0% | +200.0% |
| 1400 | 0.1% | +200.0% |
| 1500 | 0.2% | +200.0% |
| 1600 | 0.5% | +200.0% |
| 1700 | 1.6% | +200.0% |
| 1710 | 1.8% | +12.7% |
| 1720 | 2.0% | +9.5% |
| 1730 | 2.1% | +9.5% |
| 1740 | 2.3% | +9.5% |
| 1750 | 2.6% | +9.5% |
| 1760 | 2.8% | +9.5% |
| 1770 | 3.1% | +9.5% |
| 1780 | 3.4% | +9.5% |
| 1790 | 3.7% | +9.5% |
| 1800 | 4.0% | +9.5% |
| 1810 | 4.4% | +9.5% |
| 1820 | 4.9% | +9.5% |
| 1830 | 5.3% | +9.5% |
| 1840 | 5.8% | +9.5% |
| 1850 | 6.4% | +9.5% |
| 1860 | 7.0% | +9.5% |
| 1870 | 7.7% | +9.5% |
| 1880 | 8.4% | +9.5% |
| 1890 | 9.2% | +9.5% |
| 1900 | 10.1% | +9.5% |
| 1910 | 11.0% | +9.5% |
| 1920 | 12.1% | +9.5% |
| 1930 | 13.2% | +9.5% |
| 1940 | 14.5% | +9.5% |
| 1950 | 15.3% | +5.9% |
| 1951 | 15.3% | -0.1% |
| 1952 | 15.3% | -0.1% |
| 1953 | 15.3% | +0.0% |
| 1954 | 15.4% | +0.6% |
| 1955 | 15.6% | +1.3% |
| 1956 | 15.9% | +1.8% |
| 1957 | 16.2% | +2.2% |
| 1958 | 16.6% | +2.5% |
| 1959 | 17.1% | +2.7% |
| 1960 | 17.6% | +2.7% |
| 1961 | 18.0% | +2.6% |
| 1962 | 18.5% | +2.5% |
| 1963 | 18.9% | +2.2% |
| 1964 | 19.3% | +2.3% |
| 1965 | 19.8% | +2.7% |
| 1966 | 20.4% | +2.9% |
| 1967 | 21.0% | +2.8% |
| 1968 | 21.5% | +2.5% |
| 1969 | 22.0% | +2.1% |
| 1970 | 22.3% | +1.5% |
| 1971 | 22.4% | +0.7% |
| 1972 | 22.4% | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 22.4% | -0.2% |
| 1974 | 22.3% | -0.3% |
| 1975 | 22.2% | -0.4% |
| 1976 | 22.1% | -0.5% |
| 1977 | 22.0% | -0.5% |
| 1978 | 21.9% | -0.6% |
| 1979 | 21.8% | -0.6% |
| 1980 | 21.6% | -0.7% |
| 1981 | 21.5% | -0.7% |
| 1982 | 21.3% | -0.9% |
| 1983 | 21.0% | -1.2% |
| 1984 | 20.7% | -1.5% |
| 1985 | 20.3% | -1.7% |
| 1986 | 19.9% | -2.0% |
| 1987 | 19.5% | -2.2% |
| 1988 | 19.0% | -2.3% |
| 1989 | 18.6% | -2.5% |
| 1990 | 18.1% | -2.6% |
| 1991 | 17.6% | -2.6% |
| 1992 | 17.1% | -2.7% |
| 1993 | 16.7% | -2.6% |
| 1994 | 16.3% | -2.6% |
| 1995 | 15.9% | -2.4% |
| 1996 | 15.5% | -2.3% |
| 1997 | 15.2% | -2.0% |
| 1998 | 14.9% | -1.7% |
| 1999 | 14.7% | -1.3% |
| 2000 | 14.6% | -0.8% |
| 2001 | 14.6% | -0.3% |
| 2002 | 14.6% | +0.3% |
| 2003 | 14.7% | +0.8% |
| 2004 | 14.9% | +1.3% |
| 2005 | 15.2% | +1.7% |
| 2006 | 15.5% | +2.1% |
| 2007 | 15.9% | +2.4% |
| 2008 | 16.3% | +2.7% |
| 2009 | 16.7% | +2.9% |
| 2010 | 17.2% | +3.0% |
| 2011 | 17.8% | +3.1% |
| 2012 | 18.3% | +2.7% |
| 2013 | 18.4% | +0.9% |
| 2014 | 18.6% | +1.0% |
| 2015 | 18.8% | +1.0% |
| 2016 | 19.0% | +0.9% |
| 2017 | 19.2% | +0.9% |
| 2018 | 19.3% | +0.9% |
| 2019 | 19.5% | +0.9% |
| 2020 | 19.7% | +0.9% |
| 2021 | 19.8% | +0.8% |
| 2022 | 20.0% | +0.8% |
| 2023 | 20.1% | +0.8% |
| 2024 | 20.3% | +0.8% |
| 2025 | 20.5% | +0.7% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 20.5% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 65.5%, 31% of the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Sri Lanka's 20.5% is below the median for South Asia, which is 39.1%, 52% of the median. (6 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Do more people live in urban or rural areas? 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1100 | +200.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| 1200 | +200.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| 1300 | +200.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| 1400 | +200.0% | 0.0% | 0.1% |
| 1500 | +200.0% | 0.1% | 0.2% |
| 1600 | +200.0% | 0.2% | 0.5% |
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
- 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 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 108 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Share of the population living in urban areas, combining UN estimates with modeled historical data.