Capital

Sri Lanka

name: Colombo (commercial capital); Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte (legislative capital)

geographic coordinates: 6 55 N, 79 50 E

time difference: UTC+5.5 (10.5 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

etymology: Colombo may derive from the Sinhala "kolon thota," meaning "port on the river" (referring to the Kelani River that empties into the Indian Ocean at Colombo); alternatively, the name may derive from the Sinhala "kola amba thota" meaning "harbor with mango trees"; it is also possible that the Portuguese named the city after Christopher COLUMBUS, who lived in Portugal for many years (as Cristovao COLOMBO) before discovering the Americas for the Spanish crown in 1492 - not long before the Portuguese made their way to Sri Lanka in 1505; Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte translates as "Resplendent City of Growing Victory" in Sinhala

Citizenship

Sri Lanka

citizenship by birth: no

citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of Sri Lanka

dual citizenship recognized: no, except in cases where the government rules it is to the benefit of Sri Lanka

residency requirement for naturalization: 7 years

Legal system

Sri Lanka

mixed legal system of Roman-Dutch civil law, English common law, Jaffna Tamil customary law, and Muslim personal law

Suffrage

Sri Lanka

18 years of age; universal

Area

Sri Lanka

total: 65,610 sq km

land: 64,630 sq km

water: 980 sq km

Land use

Sri Lanka

agricultural land: 43.5% (2018 est.)

arable land: 20.7% (2018 est.)

permanent crops: 15.8% (2018 est.)

permanent pasture: 7% (2018 est.)

forest: 29.4% (2018 est.)

other: 27.1% (2018 est.)

Location

Sri Lanka

Southern Asia, island in the Indian Ocean, south of India

Age structure

Sri Lanka

0-14 years: 21.95% (male 2,609,642/female 2,511,570)

15-64 years: 66.22% (male 7,609,573/female 7,836,480)

65 years and over: 11.83% (2023 est.) (male 1,156,637/female 1,602,370)

Birth rate

Sri Lanka

14.6 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Death rate

Sri Lanka

7.4 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Languages

Sri Lanka

Sinhala (official and national language) 87%, Tamil (official and national language) 28.5%, English 23.8% (2012 est.)

note: data represent main languages spoken by the population aged 10 years and older; shares sum to more than 100% because some respondents gave more than one answer on the census; English is commonly used in government and is referred to as the "link language" in the constitution

Life expectancy at birth

Sri Lanka

total population: 76.6 years (2023 est.)

male: 73.6 years

female: 79.8 years

Major urban areas - population

Sri Lanka

103,000 Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte (legislative capital) (2018), 633,000 COLOMBO (capital) (2023)

Median age

Sri Lanka

total: 33.9 years (2023 est.)

male: 32.1 years

female: 35.6 years

Mother's mean age at first birth

Sri Lanka

25.6 years (2016 est.)

note: data represents median age at first birth among women 30-34

Net migration rate

Sri Lanka

-1.5 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Population distribution

Sri Lanka

the population is primarily concentrated within a broad wet zone in the southwest, urban centers along the eastern coast, and on the Jaffna Peninsula in the north

Population growth rate

Sri Lanka

0.56% (2023 est.)

Total fertility rate

Sri Lanka

2.14 children born/woman (2023 est.)

Urbanization

Sri Lanka

urban population: 19.2% of total population (2023)

rate of urbanization: 1.22% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Education expenditures

Sri Lanka

1.9% of GDP (2019 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

Sri Lanka

total: 14 years

male: 14 years

female: 14 years (2018)

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)

Sri Lanka

-5.5% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Industrial production growth rate

Sri Lanka

5.62% (2021 est.)

Labor force

Sri Lanka

8.268 million (2021 est.)

Population below poverty line

Sri Lanka

4.1% (2016 est.)

Unemployment rate

Sri Lanka

5.39% (2021 est.)

5.88% (2020 est.)

4.35% (2019 est.)

Public debt

Sri Lanka

79.1% of GDP (2017 est.)

79.6% of GDP (2016 est.)

note: covers central government debt and excludes debt instruments directly owned by government entities other than the treasury (e.g. commercial bank borrowings of a government corporation); the data includes treasury debt held by foreign entities as well as intragovernmental debt; intragovernmental debt consists of treasury borrowings from surpluses in the social funds, such as for retirement; sub-national entities are usually not permitted to sell debt instruments

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

Sri Lanka

7.01% (2021 est.)

6.15% (2020 est.)

3.53% (2019 est.)

Exports

Sri Lanka

$13.083 billion (2020 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

$19.414 billion (2019 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

$20.264 billion (2018 est.)

Exports - partners

Sri Lanka

United States 24%, India 8%, United Kingdom 7%, Germany 7% (2019)

Imports

Sri Lanka

$18.271 billion (2020 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

$24.562 billion (2019 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

$26.841 billion (2018 est.)

Imports - partners

Sri Lanka

India 24%, China 23%, Singapore 7%, United Arab Emirates 6%, Malaysia 5% (2019)

Airports

Sri Lanka

18 (2021)

Broadband - fixed subscriptions

Sri Lanka

total: 1,781,530 (2020 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 8 (2020 est.)

Internet users

Sri Lanka

total: 14.74 million (2021 est.)

percent of population: 67% (2021 est.)

Railways

Sri Lanka

total: 1,562 km (2016)

broad gauge: 1,562 km (2016) 1.676-m gauge

Roadways

Sri Lanka

total: 114,093 km (2010)

paved: 16,977 km (2010)

unpaved: 97,116 km (2010)

Telephones - fixed lines

Sri Lanka

total subscriptions: 2,869,186 (2021 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 13 (2021 est.)

Telephones - mobile cellular

Sri Lanka

total subscriptions: 30,764,134 (2021 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 141 (2021 est.)

Waterways

Sri Lanka

160 km (2012) (primarily on rivers in southwest)

Disputes - international

Sri Lanka

none identified