40.3 per cent of Sri Lankans still “offline” in 2025

By Huzefa Aliasger

Sri Lanka’s internet users stood at 13.9 million last year, an increase of 1.5 million since 2024. It, indicates that 40.3 per cent of the population in Sri Lanka still do not use the internet in their day-to-day life, according to a report by Datareportal.  

The report titled ‘Digital Sri Lanka 2026’ says that “9.37 million people in Sri Lanka did not use the internet at the end of 2025.”   

The report further said that among the population aged 18 and above, social media users stood at 9 million by the end of last year, which is 52.5 per cent of the total population (18 and above) and has increased by 870,000 from 2024. Besides, 43.4 per cent of Sri Lanka’s social media user identities are female, as per data.   

Datareportal also stated that “YouTube’s potential ad reach in Sri Lanka increased by 690 000 (+8.5 per cent) between the end of 2024 and late 2025. Meanwhile, on a quarter-by-quarter basis, the data show that the number of users that marketers could reach with ads on YouTube in Sri Lanka increased by 380 000 (+4.5 per cent) between July 2025 and October 2025.”   

Data published in Meta’s planning tools show that Instagram’s potential ad reach in Sri Lanka increased by 400 thousand (+21.6 per cent) between October 2024 and October 2025.   

On a quarterly basis, the company’s data also reveal that the size of Instagram’s ad audience in Sri Lanka increased by 100 thousand (+4.7 per cent) between July 2025 and October 2025.