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Sri Lanka — Population growth
Population Growth (Annual %) for Sri Lanka, 1961–2025.
Latest value · 2025
-0.73%
Population Growth (Annual %) · annual % · -130.1% since 1961
Population growth for Sri Lanka was -0.73% in 2025, according to the latest World Bank data. The series covers 65 years, from 1961 to 2025. The highest recorded value was 2.46% in 1964. The lowest was -2.80% in 2013 (about 3.8× the latest value).
Sri Lanka ranks 206 of 217 economies on this measure (1 = highest), putting it in the top 95%. The median for South Asia is 0.65%, so Sri Lanka sits below it. It peaked in 1964 and has fallen 130% since. Over the last decade (2015–2025) the figure moved down 180%.
Key figures
Latest (2025)
-0.73%
First (1961)
2.43%
Change
-130.1%
Highest
2.46%
in 1964
Lowest
-2.80%
in 2013
Average
1.25%
Annual growth (CAGR)
—
Years of data
65
Recent years
| Year | annual % |
|---|---|
| 2025 | -0.73% |
| 2024 | -0.55% |
| 2023 | -0.65% |
| 2022 | 0.11% |
| 2021 | 1.08% |
| 2020 | 0.53% |
| 2019 | 0.61% |
| 2018 | 1.01% |
| 2017 | 1.14% |
| 2016 | 1.13% |
| 2015 | 0.92% |
| 2014 | 0.93% |
Reading this correctly. Annual population growth rate. A negative value means the population shrank, usually through emigration or low birth rates. Figures are in annual %. Comparing this series with a different measure of the same concept (for example a nominal figure against a purchasing-power-parity figure) will give misleading results.
Related data
Source. World Bank Open Data, indicator
SP.POP.GROW — Population Growth (Annual %). Data licensed under CC BY 4.0. Values are reproduced as published; this page computes the summary statistics (change, CAGR, extremes) from the underlying annual series. View the original dataset on data.worldbank.org.