Sri Lanka’s child population declines as elderly numbers rise: Census 2024

Colombo, Oct. 30 (Daily Mirror) - Sri Lanka’s total population stands at 21.78 million, according to the 2024 Census of Population and Housing, with females making up 51.7% and males 48.3% of the population.

The Department of Census and Statistics (DCS) said this was the 15th national census and was conducted from October 7, 2024, to the second week of February 2025.

The data show that in all population sectors, females continue to outnumber males. In the urban sector, females account for 51.9%, while in rural and estate rural sectors, they make up 51.7% and 51.4%, respectively. In the estate urban sector, females represent 50.4%, compared to 49.6% males.

Sri Lanka’s overall sex ratio—the number of males per 100 females—stands at 93.3, indicating a higher female population across all districts. The highest sex ratio is recorded in Monaragala (97.9), while Batticaloa reports the lowest (88.0).

The census also highlights significant demographic shifts. The population aged below 15 years has dropped from 25.2% in 2012 to 20.7% in 2024, marking a 4.5 percentage-point decline. 

Meanwhile, the proportion of people aged 65 and above rose from 7.9% to 12.6%, showing an increase of 4.7 percentage points—a clear sign of an ageing population.

The working-age group (15–64 years) accounts for 66.7% of the population, slightly down from 66.9% in 2012. Consequently, the country’s dependency ratio—which measures the number of dependents to the working-age population—rose from 49.4% in 2012 to 49.8% in 2024.

Among districts, Matara reports the highest dependency ratio at 55%, while Colombo records the lowest at 43%, according to the DCS.