Mon Apr 07 23:26:00 UTC 2025: ## Sri Lanka’s Population Reaches 21.7 Million: Census Data
**Colombo, April 8, 2025** – Sri Lanka’s population has reached 21,763,170, according to the 2024 census released on Monday. This represents a 14,03,731 increase since the 2012 census, indicating a slower population growth rate.
The Western province boasts the largest population share (28.1%), while the Northern province has the smallest (5.3%). Gampaha district within the Western province is the most populous, with 2,433,685 residents, followed closely by Colombo (2,374,461). Five additional districts have populations exceeding one million. Conversely, Mullaithivu district in the North holds the lowest population at 122,542.
The census data reveals a decline in the annual population growth rate from 0.7% in 2012 to 0.5% in 2024. This contrasts with the highest recorded annual growth rate of 2.8% in 1953. Sri Lanka’s first census, conducted in 1871, recorded a population of 2,400,380. By 1971, the population had risen to 12,689,897.
First Piper 