Sri Lanka is rapidly ageing, with fertility well below replacement level and one in five citizens living with a chronic disease, according to the Final Report of the 2024 Census of Population and Housing released on Friday.
The Department of Census and Statistics confirmed the country’s population at 21.78 million, with the Western Province accounting for 28.1 percent of the total. Gampaha is the most populated district and Mullaitivu the least.
The elderly population aged 60 and above now makes up 18 percent of citizens, while the median age has risen to 35. The Total Fertility Rate stands at just 1.3 — well below the 2.1 replacement level — pointing to long-term demographic contraction.
Language literacy reached a historic 97.4 percent with the gender gap nearly eliminated. Digital literacy stands at 67.6 percent, though computer literacy lags at 34.7 percent.
Some 3.22 million people reported physical or mental difficulties, with 727,293 identified as having significant disabilities. About 19.2 percent of the population — 4.18 million people — live with non-communicable diseases, led by hypertension at 10.1 percent and diabetes at 8.5 percent.
A total of 672,249 Sri Lankans live temporarily abroad, with 86 percent overseas for employment. The Middle East remains the top destination, followed by Australia and Japan for education.
Labour force participation remains low at 47.3 percent, with domestic responsibilities the main reason for female economic inactivity. Single-person households are rising, with the average marriage age now at 29.2 years for men and 25.6 for women.
The census data builds on the preliminary population figure released earlier this month, providing the most comprehensive demographic snapshot of the country since 2012.
