Sri Lanka Population Pyramid 1989
Year
1989Sri Lanka in 1989
As of 1989, Sri Lanka counted 16,248,557 inhabitants. A decade earlier, in 1979, the population was 14,579,614; it has grown by 11.4% since.
The median age was 23.4 years, and for every 100 people of working age (15–64) there were 53.6 children under 15 and 8.9 people aged 65 or over. The broad-based, expansive shape of the pyramid points to high fertility and strong population growth.
Data source: United Nations World Population Prospects, 2024 revision (medium variant) — last updated July 2024.
In 2023 women in Sri Lanka had on average 1.97 children, below the replacement level of 2.1.
Source: World Bank World Development Indicators, latest available year.
Life expectancy at birth was 77.5 years in 2023: 80.6 for women and 74.2 for men.
Source: World Bank World Development Indicators, latest available year.
38,716 immigrants live in Sri Lanka, 0.2% of the population.
| India | 10,957 |
| Italy | 5,226 |
| China | 2,509 |
| Kuwait | 1,772 |
| United Arab Emirates | 1,707 |
1,491,939 people born in Sri Lanka live in other countries.
| India | 253,869 |
| Qatar | 161,747 |
| United Kingdom | 160,178 |
| Australia | 156,876 |
| Canada | 140,870 |
Source: United Nations International Migrant Stock 2024.
| Country | Population | Median age | Relative size |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sri Lanka | 16,248,557 | 23.4 | |
| Nepal | 19,057,808 | 19.2 | |
| Afghanistan | 11,874,088 | 16.1 | |
| Bhutan | 573,586 | 18.5 | |
| Maldives | 217,739 | 16.5 |





