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This article is about the demographic features of the population of Sri Lanka, including population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population.
Sri Lanka is an island in the Indian Ocean about 28 kilometers (18 mi.) off the southeastern coast of India with a population of about 20 million. Density is highest in the southwest where Colombo, the country's main port and industrial center, is located. The net population growth is about 0,7%. Sri Lanka is ethnically, linguistically, and religiously diverse.
People
Sinhalese make up 73.8% of the population and are concentrated in the densely populated southwest. Sri Lanka Tamils, citizens whose ancestors have lived on the island for centuries, total about 18% and live predominantly in the north and east. However accurate census figures with regards the Sri Lankan Tamil community have been difficult to quantify, given that large areas of northern Sri Lanka are under rebel control and that large numbers of tamils have fled abroad. See Sri Lankan Tamil diaspora.
Indian Tamils are a distinct ethnic group and comprise 5.1% of the population. The British brought them to Sri Lanka in the 19th century as tea and rubber plantation workers, and they remain concentrated in the "tea country" of south-central Sri Lanka. In accordance with a 1964 agreement with India, Sri Lanka granted citizenship to 230,000 "stateless" Indian Tamils in 1988. Under the pact, India granted citizenship to the remainder, some 200,000 of whom now live in India. Another 75,000 Indian Tamils, who themselves or whose parents once applied for Indian citizenship, now wish to remain in Sri Lanka. The government has stated these Tamils will not be forced to return to India, although they are not technically citizens of Sri Lanka.
Other minorities include Moors, who are descendants of Arabs and Malays from South East Asia collectively at about 8.3% of the population; Burghers, who are descendants of European colonists, principally from Portugal, the Netherlands and the UK; and aboriginal Veddahs.
| Sinhalese [%] |
Native Tamils [%] |
Tamils of Indian origin [%] |
Moors [%] |
Burghers [%] |
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 |
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 |
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| Major ethnic groups in Sri Lanka. The percentages shown are from 2001 or 1981 (cursive) census.1 |
Religion
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Most Sinhalese are Buddhist; most Tamils are Hindu. The Malays and Moors are Muslim. Sizable minorities of both Sinhalese and Tamils are Christians, most of whom are Roman Catholic. The Burgher population is mostly Roman Catholic or Presbyterian. The Veddahs have Animist and Buddhist practices. The 1978 constitution, while assuring freedom of religion, grants primacy to Buddhism.
| Buddhism [70%] |
Hinduism [15%] |
Islam [7.5%] |
Christianity [7.5%] |
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| Distribution of the four major denominations in Sri Lanka. The percentages shown are from 2001 census except where the numbers are cursive, which are from 1981 census. Population movements have occurred after 1981, but accurate statistics do not exist for these districts.1 |
Languages
Tamil script (left) and Sinhala script (right) on a political poster
Sinhala, an Indo-European language, is the native tongue of the Sinhalese. Tamils speak Tamil, a Dravidian language. The Moors speak an Arab-Tamil dialect, consisting of a large number of Arabic words while The Malays speak Sri Lanka Malay. Many of the Burghers speak Sri Lankan Indo-Portuguese although its use has declined and all speak Sinhala. The Veddahs speak a language closely related to Sinhala. Use of English has declined since independence, but it continues to be spoken by many in the middle and upper middle classes, particularly in Colombo. The government is seeking to reverse the decline in the use of English, mainly for economic but also for political reasons. Both Sinhala and Tamil are official languages.
Related statistics
Demographics of Sri Lanka, Data of FAO, year 2005 ; Number of inhabitants in thousands.
19,238,575
note: Since the outbreak of hostilities between the government and armed Tamil separatists in the mid-1980s, several hundred thousand Tamil civilians have fled the island. As of mid-1999, approximately 66,000 were housed in 133 refugee camps in south India, another 40,000 lived outside the Indian camps, and more than 200,000 Tamils have sought refuge in the West (July 2000 est.)
Age structure
0-14 years: 26% (male 2,605,251; female 2,490,416)
15-64 years: 67% (male 6,285,118; female 6,606,196)
65 years and over: 7% (male 602,470; female 649,124) (2000 est.)
Population growth rate
0.89% (2000 est.)
16.78 births/1,000 population (2000 est.)
6.43 deaths/1,000 population (2000 est.)
-1.47 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Sex ratio
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.93 male(s)/female
total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2000 est.)
16.51 deaths/1,000 live births (2000 est.)
total population: 71.83 years
male: 69.33 years
female: 74.45 years (2000 est.)
1.98 children born/woman (2000 est.)
noun: Sri Lankan(s)
adjective: Sri Lankan
Sinhalese 73.8%, Sri Lankan Tamil 13.9%, Sri Lankan Moors 7.2%, Indian Tamil 4.6%, Others Burgher, Sri Lankan Malay, and Veddah 0.5%
Buddhism 73.7%, Hinduism 10.9%, Islam 7.6%,Christianity 6.2%
Sinhala (official and national language) 74%, Tamil (national language) 18%
note: English is commonly used in government and is spoken competently by about 10% of the population
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 90.2%
male: 93.4%
female: 87.2% (1995 est.)
See also
References
External links
The World Factbook [1]
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