Females outnumber males in every district, latest Census of Population reveals

Colombo, April 8 (Daily Mirror) - Sri Lanka’s population has grown by 1,422,361 since 2012 to a total of 21,781,800, with the latest Census of Population and Housing (2024) showing a female majority in every district nationwide.

The Department of Census and Statistics handed over the final report to President Anura Kumara Dissanayake at the Presidential Secretariat. The report was presented by Director General K.M.D.S.D. Karunaratne.

According to the report, Sri Lanka’s total population now stands at 21,781,800, compared to 20,359,439 recorded in the 2012 census.

The census, which began on December 19, 2024, marks the first time Sri Lanka has used tablets and smartphones for data collection.

According to the report, females account for 51.7% of the population (11,269,456), while males make up 48.3% (10,512,344), indicating that there are 757,112 more women than men in the country.

The sex ratio has declined slightly to 93.3 males for every 100 females, compared to 93.8 in 2012. Females outnumber males in every district across the island.

Gampaha recorded the most populous district in Sri Lanka with 2,436,142 residents, surpassing the Colombo District, which ranks second with 2,375,415 people.

The Kurunegala District holds the third spot with a population of 1,768,156. On the opposite end of the spectrum, the Mullaitivu District remains the least populated, with only 122,619 residents .

The population is also categorized into key age groups, with 13,353,837 people in the working-age group (15–59 years), 4,506,839 children under 14 years, and 2,737,814 individuals aged 65 and above.

This is the 15th Census of Population and Housing conducted in Sri Lanka, with around 15,000 tablet computers and smartphones used for data collection, improving the speed and accuracy of the process.