Rural population in Sri Lanka was reported at 17660789 in 2024, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Sri Lanka - Rural population - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.

Population with Access to Improved Drinking Water Sources: % of Total Population data was reported at 47.130 % in 2022. This records a decrease from the previous number of 47.360 % for 2021. Population with Access to Improved Drinking Water Sources: % of Total Population data is updated yearly, averaging 46.470 % from Dec 2000 (Median) to 2022, with 23 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 48.000 % in 2018 and a record low of 44.690 % in 2000. Population with Access to Improved Drinking Water Sources: % of Total Population data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Sri Lanka – Table LK.OECD.GGI: Social: Access to Services: Non OECD Member: Annual.

Abstract

A Census of Population and Housing is the single most extensive statistical undertaking of a country. In order to plan and implement programmes and activities, statistics are needed by the Government administrators of various levels, private users, research organizations and the general public.

The 2001 Census was conducted under the Census Ordinance, which was ammended by the Census Act No 55 of 2000. Census Ordinance places the legal obligation upon the public to give accurate information to the Census officers. The ordinance also gurantee the confidentiality of the information collected at individual level. The CPH 2001 has been designed to collect various information about the characteristics of the population, housing units and the households in Sri Lanka.

The CHP2001 provides

a. Reliable and detailed benchmark statistics on the size, distribution and composition of population.

b. Information pertaining to the characteristics of the housing units.

c. Information on the characteristics of the households

d. Information pertaining to the characteristics of the disable persons.

Geographic coverage

National coverage

Note : The 2001 census enumeration was able to be carried out completely in 18 districts. These include all the 17 districts in Western, Central, Southern, North Western, North Central, Uva and Sabaragamuwa Provinces and Amparai district in the Eastern Province.

Due to the disturbed conditions in Northern and Eastern provinces of Sri Lanka, certain areas could not be enumerated completely.

Analysis unit

(1) Individuals (2) Households

Universe

CPH 2001 covered all residents in each household and all units in each census block.

Population census did not cover diplomats.

Kind of data

Census/enumeration data [cen]

Mode of data collection

Face-to-face [f2f]

Research instrument

I) Population and Housing Schedule (F3): This schedule was used to collect 24 items from individuals pertaining to demographic and economic characteristics such as General information, Migration patterns, Educational characteristics, Economic characteristics, Nuptiality and Fertility and additional 9 items on Housing unit characteristics such as Occupancy status, Number of households in the unit, Number of occupants in the unit, Construction material of wall, floor, roof, Type of structure, Year of construction, Unit usage, Availability of rooms and Number of rooms and 7 items on Household such as Number of occupants in the household, Availability of toilet, Type of toilet, Source of drinking water, Type of lighting, Type of cooking fuel and Tenure

II) Schedule for Disabled Persons(F4): This schedule was used to collect information pertaining to 6 types of disabilities such as Vision, Hearing / Speaking, Manual/walking, Mental and Other Physical disabilities. [This is dealt with as a special census project and archived seperately].

Data Collection Forms:

F1 - List of all the building units located in a Census block F2 - Administrative/Technical form (Summary of F1) F3 - Population and Housing Schedule (all information of the population, housing and household information). F4 - Schedule for disabled persons F5 - Special schedule for Tourists and Foreign visitors. - Schedule for post enumeration survey.

Cleaning operations

Data processing consisted of two major phases. (1) Manual editing and coding, (2) Computer processing such as fixes while data entry, structure checking and completeness and secondary editing..

Manual editing was confined in the field to simple checks such as verification of area identification codes and the codes for certain questions (eg. district of birth). Coding was required only in respect of three questions, namely educational attainment, occupation and industry.

Data were entered for the second time to verify the original keyed data which is called the verification process. When the administrators fell that the overall error rate is diminishing, the verification process was mitigated step by step assuming that the operators are progressively improving in entering the questionnaires correctly.

A series of computer edit checks were carried out and records containing errors were printed for visual verification. These edit checks included both range and consistency checks. Finally limited number of imputations was done before the tabulation of data.

Processing was done on IBM S390 integrated server 3006 model B01 and several personal computers. Keyboard to disk type data entry was adopted for data capture.

The software Integrated Micro Computer Processing System (IMPS) developed by U.S. Bureau of Census was used to data processing activities including data entry

Data appraisal

The Districtwise data files were analysed. the breakups of the analysis such as

1. Male/female totals
2. Frequencies
3. Housing unit types

were filed as standard benchmarks for each district to be used to compare various District Table figures.

Urban population in Sri Lanka was reported at 4255211 in 2024, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Sri Lanka - Urban population - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on August of 2025.

Sri Lanka LK: Population: Growth data was reported at 1.130 % in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 1.124 % for 2016. Sri Lanka LK: Population: Growth data is updated yearly, averaging 1.371 % from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2017, with 58 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 2.405 % in 1967 and a record low of 0.509 % in 1998. Sri Lanka LK: Population: Growth data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Sri Lanka – Table LK.World Bank.WDI: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Annual population growth rate for year t is the exponential rate of growth of midyear population from year t-1 to t, expressed as a percentage . Population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship.; ; Derived from total population. Population source: (1) United Nations Population Division. World Population Prospects: 2017 Revision, (2) Census reports and other statistical publications from national statistical offices, (3) Eurostat: Demographic Statistics, (4) United Nations Statistical Division. Population and Vital Statistics Reprot (various years), (5) U.S. Census Bureau: International Database, and (6) Secretariat of the Pacific Community: Statistics and Demography Programme.; Weighted average;

Population ages 40-44, male (% of male population) in Sri Lanka was reported at 7.0606 % in 2024, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Sri Lanka - Population ages 40-44, male (% of male population) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on August of 2025.

Abstract

Although the Census of Population was a regular decennial function since 1871, the Census of Agriculture had not been conducted in such a frequency. A census of Production, virtually Agricultural production was taken in 1921 and was followed by a partial censuses in 1924 and 1929. At these censuses. particulars of crop areas, livestock numbers, and production were recorded at village level.

In more recent times the Census of Agriculture had been conducted in 1946, 52, 62 and 73. At the '46 census, a plot-wise enumeration was undertaken of all blocks of land throughout the country, on which there existed at the time or had previously existed any kind of cultivation. This was the first comprehensive census of agriculture in Sri Lanka in recent times.

A deviation from this pattern of parcel-wise enumeration was first attempted at the 1952 census, but difficulties in completely enumerating the villages selected in the sample restricted the use of the census data on small holdings. The 1962 census, enumerated all holdings not less than 50 acres on a complete basis and a sample of 10 percent in the case of holdings less than 50 acres. In 1973 the larger holdings and all estates were completely enumerated for detailed information on the various characteristics and operations while a sample of small holdings were scientifically selected and enumerated.

Geographic coverage

National Coverage Urban, Rural and Estate

Analysis unit

The basic unit of enumeration was in this census was the operational holding (as distinct from the ownership holding) which was defined as all land and/or livestock used wholly or partly for agriculture production irrespective of title size legal form or location and is operated under one operational status.

Universe

The Census of Agriculture covered the entire island excluding the MC's of Colombo and Dehiwela-Mt. Lavinia which are predominantly residential and commercial areas where agricultural activity is insignificant.

The listing of holdings (other than estates) were carried out separately on a complete enumeration basis. Holdings were listed by house to house visit using the Census of Population frame. A list of estates were also prepared at the time of the population census which was updated to reflect the position in 1982.

Kind of data

Census/enumeration data [cen]

Mode of data collection

Face-to-face [f2f]

Research instrument

Census of Agriculture 82 was carried out in two phases: a. The Peasant or Small Holding Sector b. The Estate or the Large Holding Sector

An Agriculture holding having at least one parcel of 20 acres in extent or more and under the same unit of management was considered as an estate. Other holdings were small holdings.

The census in the small holding sector was carried out in two stages. At the 1st stage the enumerator visited each and every census unit namely housing unit, living quarters other than housing unit and non-housing units in the country and screened out the Agriculture operators thro' a schedule known as Agriculture Census 1 (AC-1). After identifying the agricultural operators, the enumerators collected the following information in respect of their operational holdings through the schedule Agricultural Census - 2 (AC-2).

a. Characteristics of the operators - age, sex, educational status b. Type of ownership of holding c. Operational Status of operator d. Area of operational holding e. Area under principal crops. f. Irrigated and source of irrigation g. Agriculture machinery owned and used h. Numbers of livestock kept.

Along with the first stage census operation, the enumerators were instructed to summarize some important info obtained from AC-2 schedule on a summary sheet AC-4 in order to serve immediate needs of data users.

At the second stage a sample of 10% of the holdings was selected and the following info was collected thro' AC-3.

a. Population of operator's household b. Sources of income of operator's household c. Main occupation of the operator d. Type of holding e. Use of fertilizer and pesticides f. Land utilization and tenure pattern

The estate sector was covered thro' a mailed questionnaire AC-5. A complete list of estates has been prepared by the field staff and to all these estates, census questionnaires were posted along with brief instructions. The estate managers were requested to fill the questionnaire and post them back to the respective District commissioners of Census. The non-respondents were visited by the District Census Staff and finally the response rate was as high as 99%. Following items were covered through the estate schedule:

a. Location of estate b. Characteristics of the operator c. Total area of the estate d. Area under principal crop e. Tenure and land utilization f. Crop area and livestock numbers g. Use of fertilizer and pesticides h. Irrigation facilities i. Population and employment j. Agricultural employment k. Agricultural machinery

Cleaning operations

Data editing took place at a number of stages throughout the processing, including:

a) Manual editing and coding b) During data entry (Range edits) c) Computer editing - Structural and consistency d) Secondary editing e) Imputations

Detailed documentation of the editing of data can be found in the External resources Section.

Abstract

The major objective of this survey was to provide up-to-date and accurate information on fertility, contraception, child mortality, child nutrition and health status of children.

This sample survey is further intended to serve as a source of demographic data for comparison with earlier surveys such as Sri Lanka Demographic and Health Survey 1987 (DHS87) and Sri Lanka Contraceptive Prevalence Survey 1982 (CPS82). Such comparisons help to understand the demographic changes over a period of time.

Two types of questionnaires were used in the survey. ie (1) Household and (2) Individual.

Source : Report on Sri Lanka Demographic and Health Survey 1993 published in 1995

Geographic coverage

The country has been stratified into nine zones on the basis of socio economic and ecological criteria for DHS87. The same zones were used without major changes. Although there are nine zones the survey was confined to seven excluding Northern and Eastern provinces; the few areas covered in Amparai district in the Eastern Province during DHS87 had to be excluded due to security reasons of the country.

Analysis unit

(1) Household (2) Eligible women (3) Children

Universe

The survey interviews were designed to obtain responses from all usual residents and any visitors who slept in the household the night before the interview. An eligible respondent was defined as an ever married woman aged 15 - 49 years who slept in the household the night before the interview.

Source : Report on Sri Lanka Demographic and Health Survey 1993 published in 1995

Kind of data

Sample survey data [ssd]

Sampling procedure

Sample size - 9230 households 7078 eligible women in 9007 housing units.

Selection process : The sample is a multi-stage stratified probability sample representative of the entire country excluding Northern and Eastern Provinces. The country has been stratified into nine zones on the basis of socio-economic and ecological criteria for DHS87. The same zones were used without major changes. Although there are nine zones the survey was confined to seven, excluding Northern and Eastern Provinces. The seven zones are:

Zone 1 - Colombo Metro consisting some urban areas in Colombo and Gampaha District Zone 2 - Colombo feeder areas Zone 3 - South Western coastal low lands Zone 4 - Lower South Central hill country excluding Districts with a concentration of estates Zone 5 - South Central hill country with a concentration of estates Zone 6 - Irrigated dry zone with major or minor irrigation schemes Zone 7 - Rain-fed Dry zone

Each zone was further stratified into three strata - urban, rural and estate sectors. The number of stages of the design and the Primary Sampling Units (PSU) vary according to the sector.

In urban areas PSU is the ward and generally two census blocks have been selected per ward as the second stage unit. The selections were carried out with probability proportional to size(PPS). The number of housing units was taken as the measure of size.

The PSU's were mostly selected from a specially organized frame consisting of wards and Grama Niladhari divisions organized by zone, sector and within sector geographically. The organization provided a better basis for stratification as it is arranged on a geographical basis.

The census blocks were selected from the only frame available from 1981 Census of Population and Housing. The ever married women aged 15-49 found in the selected housing units were interviewed.

In rural areas, Grama Niladhari (GN) division was taken as PSU and generally a single village has been selected per sample GN division with PPS. As such in rural areas villages form effective PSU's. However special steps were taken to merge and divide the villages to deal with areas which are too small or too large.

Unlike the GN divisions and wards, the selection in the estate sector has to take into account the fact that many estates are very small in size to form proper units for first stage of selection. To avoid the need to group estates in the whole frame special procedure was applied to select estates depending on the relative size of the estate compared to the nearby estates.

Sampling deviation

The target sample size was 6500 ever married women in the age group 15-49. This includes an over-sampling of around 500 women in five less developed areas in zones 6 and 7. The latter addition to the sample is needed to provide Policy relevant information and permit comparative analysis of these areas. In order to get that target sample, a total of 9007 housing units were selected for the survey.

Mode of data collection

Face-to-face [f2f]

Research instrument

Household Questionnaire - listed all usual residents any visitors who slept in the household the night before the interview and some basic information was collected on the characteristics of each person listed such as age, sex, marital status, relationship to head of household. The household questionnaire was used to identify women who were eligible for the individual questionnaire.

Individual questionnaire - Administered to each eligible woman who was defined as one who is an ever married female aged between 15 - 49 who slept in the household the night before the interview. This questionnaire had eight sections such as Respondent's background, Reproduction, Contraception, Health of children, Marriage, Fertility, Husband's background, length and weight of infants.

Source : Report on Sri Lanka Demographic and Health Survey 1993 published in 1995

Cleaning operations

Manual editing covered basic investigations such as checking of identification details, completeness of the questionnaire, coding, age and birth history, checking of certain internal consistencies, checking the information recorded in filter questions and coding of few items.

Response rate

Sample size - 9230 households 7078 eligible women in 9007 housing units. Completed - 8918 households 6983 eligible women

Household response rate - 98.9% Eligible women response rate - 98.7% Overall response rate - 97.6%

Household interviews

Completed 96.6% other(vacant, incompetent responder, refused etc) 3.4% Un-weighted number 9230

Eligible women interviews

Completed 98.7% Other(not in, refused, partly complete etc) 1.3% Un-weighted number 7078

Sampling error estimates

The sample of women had been selected as a simple sample, it would have been possible to use straightforward formulas for calculating sampling errors. However the sample design for this survey depended on stratification, stages and clusters. The computer package CLUSTERS developed by the International Statistical Institute for the World Fertility Survey was used to assist in computing the sampling errors with the proper statistical methodology.

In general, the sampling errors are small, which implies that the results are reliable.

Data appraisal

Pl refer to the Source : Report on Sri Lanka Demographic and Health Survey 1993 published in 1995

Population, total in Sri Lanka was reported at 21916000 in 2024, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Sri Lanka - Population, total - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on August of 2025.

Sri Lanka LK: Life Expectancy at Birth: Total data was reported at 75.284 Year in 2016. This records an increase from the previous number of 75.088 Year for 2015. Sri Lanka LK: Life Expectancy at Birth: Total data is updated yearly, averaging 69.209 Year from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2016, with 57 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 75.284 Year in 2016 and a record low of 59.369 Year in 1960. Sri Lanka LK: Life Expectancy at Birth: Total data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Sri Lanka – Table LK.World Bank.WDI: Health Statistics. Life expectancy at birth indicates the number of years a newborn infant would live if prevailing patterns of mortality at the time of its birth were to stay the same throughout its life.; ; (1) United Nations Population Division. World Population Prospects: 2017 Revision, or derived from male and female life expectancy at birth from sources such as: (2) Census reports and other statistical publications from national statistical offices, (3) Eurostat: Demographic Statistics, (4) United Nations Statistical Division. Population and Vital Statistics Reprot (various years), (5) U.S. Census Bureau: International Database, and (6) Secretariat of the Pacific Community: Statistics and Demography Programme.; Weighted average;

Abstract

The Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) is an important link in a chain of surveys carried out in Sri Lanka in the past decade or so. Having been designed as part of an international survey program and modelled on the lines of the well renowned World Fertility Survey (WFS) program, the DHS provides an exceptionally valuable source of data for the estimation of trends over time within Sri Lanka as well as for cross national comparison.

The survey focussed primarily on fertility, contraception and child mortality as did WFS but. also measured several indicators of child health, particularly immunization coverage and nutrition status. The inclusion of health sector information has been welcome and fruitful, for improve- ment of nutrition status is a subject to which the Government of Sri Lanka has accorded high priority.

The Sri Lanka Demographic and Health Survey has the following objectives: 1. To provide policymakers and administrators with current and accurate data on fertility, morbidity, family planning and selected indicators of health status which could be used for planning new strategies for the wellbeing of the population; etc. 2. To provide data which can be used to analyze trends over time. The SLDHS examines many of the same fertility, mortality, and health issues that were addressed in earlier surveys, most notably the SLWFS and the more recent SLCPS; and 3. To add to the international body of data which can be used for comparative studies.

Geographic coverage

National

Analysis unit

• Household
• Women age 15-49

Universe

In principle, the sample was designed to cover private households in the areas sampled. The population residing in institutions and institutional households was excluded. For the detailed individual interview, the eligibility criteria were: ever-married women aged 15 through 49 who slept in the household the previous night.

Kind of data

Sample survey data

Sampling procedure

SURVEY SAMPLE DESIGN

On the basis of socio-economic and ecological criteria, and the experience of the SLWFS, nine zones were created. It was felt that some of the six SLWFS zones were too heterogeneous and should be redrawn as shown in Figure i.i and described below:

Zone 1 - Colombo Metropolitan area consisting of SLWFS zone 1 and parts of zone 2. Zone 2 - Colombo feeder areas and Northern part of SLWFS zone 2. Zone 3 - South Western coastal low lands corresponding to Southern part of SLWFS zone 2. Zone 4 - Lower South Central hill country corresponding to Western and Southern part of SLWFS zone 6, excluding districts with a concentration of estates. Zone 5 - South Central hill country corresponding to part of SLWFS zone 5 with a concentration of estates. Zone 6 - Irrigated Dry Zone corresponding to SLWFS zone 3, with major or minor irrigation schemes. Zone 7 - Rain fed Dry Zone covering the rest of SLWFS zone 3. Zone 8 - Eastern Coastal Belt, corresponding to SLWFS zone 4 (not included in SLDNS). Zone 9 - Northern Province corresponding to SLWFS zone 5 (not included in SLDHS).

The changes SLDHS made to the SLWFS zones were designed: a) to separate the Colombo urban feeder areas from rural hinterlands; b) to separate rural areas with predominantly estate populations from other rural areas; and c) to distinguish between irrigated dry zone areas which are new settlements under development projects from those areas which rely primarily on rains for cultivation.

Although the survey originally planned to conduct interviews in all nine zones, Civil disturbances in zones 9 and 8 (the Northern and Eastern provinces) prevented interviews from being conducted there. These zones, which contain approximately 14 percent of the 1986 estimated population of Sri Lanka, have been excluded from the SLDHS.

With the exception of zone 5, the sample was allocated equally between zones with an estimated target 900 completed individual interviews per zone. Zone 5 was given a larger target sample size of 1,350 to permit over sampling of the estate plantation workers.

In principle, the sample was designed to cover private households in the areas sampled. The population residing in institutions and institutional households was excluded. For the detailed individual interview, the eligibility criteria were: ever-married women aged 15 through 49 who slept in the household the previous night.

For the selection of area units, the sample frame was based on block statistics from the 1981 Census of Population and Housing. However, these figures were updated where possible on the basis of the work done in connection with a 1985-86 labour force survey. This applied in particular to newly settled areas with the development of irrigation schemes in the dry zone. For the final selection of housing units within ultimate area units, a special operation was undertaken before the survey to update household lists within selected census blocks.

The zones created by the SLDHS, which were designed to capture relatively homogeneous subgroups of the population, served as the primary strata. Each zone was further stratified into (up to) three strata: urban, rural, and estate areas. Further implicit stratification was achieved by ordering the sampling areas according to administrative and geographical location. Similar systematic sampling procedures were followed at all stages up to and including the selection of housing units.

The sampling of housing units was undertaken in two or three stages depending upon the stratum. In densely populated zones i, 2, and 3, and in urban strata of all zones a three stage design was used:

At the first stage, a stratified sample of Gram Savaka or equivalent areas (waras or estates) with probability proportional to size (PPS) was selected. The number of primary sampling units (PSIs) selected was 54 in zones 5 and 36 in each of the other zones. Within a given zone, the number to be selected in a stratum was allocated proportionately to the strata populations.

1.Within each PSU, two census blocks were selected with PPS, systematically without replacement. 2.The final stage consisted of the selection of the housing units in selected blocks with inverse PPS so as to yield a self weighting sample within each stratum.

For the main survey, there was no further sampling as all eligible women in each selected housing unit were taken into the sample. Also, for the anthropometric measurements, all children 3 through 36 months of eligible women were taken.

In the non-urban strata in zones 3 through 7, the only difference in procedures was that generally only one block was selected per PSU. This procedure effectively reduced the number of stages to two: blocks as the first stage and housing units as the second stage.

Since zones were allocated generally uniform sample sizes, the overall sampling fractions varied in inverse proportion to the zone population.

Sampling deviation

It is important to note once again that the districts in the northern and eastern portions of the country were not covered by the SLDHS because of civil disturbances. Whenever comparisons are made between the SLDHS and the earlier SLWFS and SLCPS, the differences in areas covered by the surveys should be kept in mind.

Mode of data collection

Face-to-face

Research instrument

The Sri Lanka Demographic and Health Survey used two questionnaires each of which was pretested.

a) The first, called the Household Questionnaire, was used to list all usual household members and any visitors who slept in the household the preceding night. For each person listed, information on age, sex, and marital status and whether or not he/she slept in the household the previous night was recorded. From this list eligible respondents were selected for interview. An eligible respondent is defined as a woman currently married, divorced, separated, or widowed between the ages of 15 and 49 who slept in the household the previous night.

b) The second or Individual Questionnaire was administered to each eligible respondent. On the average, an individual interview took approximately 35 to 40 minutes. The Individual Questionnaire consisted of nine sections: 1. Respondents background 2. Birth history-dates of all live births and infant and child deaths 3. Contraception-knowledge, ever use, current use and a detailed history of inter birth use in the last 5 years 4. Child health -immunization status, episodes of diarrhea, breastfeeding, the use of supplementary foods, prenatal care, and assistance at delivery 5. Marriage and migration 6. Fertility preferences 7. Husband's background and respondent's work 8. Socio-economic indicators 9. Length and weight-measurements of all children 3 through 36 months.

More than in similar fertility and family planning surveys conducted in the past, the SLDHS devoted considerable time and attention to obtaining information on the health status of mothers and children. In addition to many health related questions, anthropometric length and weight measurements were taken on all children 3 months through 36 months.

Cleaning operations

Data were entered onto microcomputers starting just two weeks after the commencement of field work. The ISSA (Integrated System for Survey Analysis) software package of programs developed by IRD/Westinghouse was used for data entry, machine editing, and tabulation. An especially effective procedure for correcting errors and inconsistencies detected during office editing and data entry was to relay information about problems in a questionnaire to the interviewers while they were still in the field. In most cases the problem could be

"Total population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship. The values shown are midyear estimates.This dataset includes demographic data of 22 countries from 1960 to 2018, including Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Pakistan, India, Maldives, etc. Data fields include: country, year, population ratio, male ratio, female ratio, population density (km). Source: ( 1 ) United Nations Population Division. World Population Prospects: 2019 Revision. ( 2 ) Census reports and other statistical publications from national statistical offices, ( 3 ) Eurostat: Demographic Statistics, ( 4 ) United Nations Statistical Division. Population and Vital Statistics Reprot ( various years ), ( 5 ) U.S. Census Bureau: International Database, and ( 6 ) Secretariat of the Pacific Community: Statistics and Demography Programme. Periodicity: Annual Statistical Concept and Methodology: Population estimates are usually based on national population censuses. Estimates for the years before and after the census are interpolations or extrapolations based on demographic models. Errors and undercounting occur even in high-income countries. In developing countries errors may be substantial because of limits in the transport, communications, and other resources required to conduct and analyze a full census. The quality and reliability of official demographic data are also affected by public trust in the government, government commitment to full and accurate enumeration, confidentiality and protection against misuse of census data, and census agencies' independence from political influence. Moreover, comparability of population indicators is limited by differences in the concepts, definitions, collection procedures, and estimation methods used by national statistical agencies and other organizations that collect the data. The currentness of a census and the availability of complementary data from surveys or registration systems are objective ways to judge demographic data quality. Some European countries' registration systems offer complete information on population in the absence of a census. The United Nations Statistics Division monitors the completeness of vital registration systems. Some developing countries have made progress over the last 60 years, but others still have deficiencies in civil registration systems. International migration is the only other factor besides birth and death rates that directly determines a country's population growth. Estimating migration is difficult. At any time many people are located outside their home country as tourists, workers, or refugees or for other reasons. Standards for the duration and purpose of international moves that qualify as migration vary, and estimates require information on flows into and out of countries that is difficult to collect. Population projections, starting from a base year are projected forward using assumptions of mortality, fertility, and migration by age and sex through 2050, based on the UN Population Division's World Population Prospects database medium variant."

Population ages 60-64, male (% of male population) in Sri Lanka was reported at 4.8031 % in 2024, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Sri Lanka - Population ages 50-64, male (% of male population) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.

This dataset contains administrative polygons grouped by country (admin-0) with the following subdivisions according to Who's On First placetypes:
- macroregion (admin-1 including region)
- region (admin-2 including state, province, department, governorate)
- macrocounty (admin-3 including arrondissement)
- county (admin-4 including prefecture, sub-prefecture, regency, canton, commune)
- localadmin (admin-5 including municipality, local government area, unitary authority, commune, suburb)

The dataset also contains human settlement points and polygons for:
- localities (city, town, and village)
- neighbourhoods (borough, macrohood, neighbourhood, microhood)

The dataset covers activities carried out by Who's On First (WOF) since 2015. Global administrative boundaries and human settlements are aggregated and standardized from hundreds of sources and available with an open CC-BY license. Who's On First data is updated on an as-need basis for individual places with annual sprints focused on improving specific countries or placetypes. Please refer to the README.md file for complete data source metadata. Refer to our blog post for explanation of field names.

Data corrections can be proposed using Write Field, an web app for making quick data edits. You’ll need a Github.com account to login and propose edits, which are then reviewed by the Who's On First community using the Github pull request process. Approved changes are available for download within 24-hours. Please contact WOF admin about bulk edits.

Abstract

The 2006-07 Sri Lanka Demographic and Health Survey (SLDHS) is the fourth in a series of DHS surveys to be held in Sri Lanka-the first three having been implemented in 1987, 1993, and 2000. Teams visited 2,106 sample points across Sri Lanka and collected data from a nationally representative sample of almost 20,000 households and over 14,700 women age 15-49.

A nationally representative sample of 21,600 housing units was selected for the survey and 19,872 households were enumerated to give district level estimates (excluding Northern Province). Detailed information was collected from all ever-married women aged 15-49 years and about their children below five years at the time of the survey. Within the households interviewed, a total of 15,068 eligible women were identified, of whom 14,692 were successfully interviewed.

The Department of Census and Statistics (DCS) carried out the 2006-07 SLDHS for the Health Sector Development Project (HSDP) of the Ministry of Healthcare and Nutrition, a project funded by the World Bank. The objective of the survey is to provide data needed to monitor and evaluate the impact of population, health, and nutrition programmes implemented by different government agencies. Additionally, it also aims to measure the impact of interventions made under the HSDP towards improving the quality and efficiency of health care services as a whole.

All 25 districts of Sri Lanka were included at the design stage. The final sample has only 20 districts, however, after dropping the 5 districts of the Northern Province (Jaffna, Kilinochchi, Mannar, Vavuniya, and Mullativu), due to the security situation there.

OBJECTIVES

The objective of this report is to publish the final findings of the 2006-07 SLDHS. This final report provides information mainly on background characteristics of respondents, fertility, reproductive health and maternal care, child health, nutrition, women's empowerment, and awareness of HIV/AIDS and prevention. It is expected that the content of this report will satisfy the urgent needs of users of this information.

MAIN RESULTS

FERTILITY Survey results indicate that there has been a slight upturn in the total fertility rate since the 2000 SLDHS. The total fertility rate for Sri Lanka is 2.3, meaning that, if current age-specific fertility rates were to remain unchanged in the future, a woman in Sri Lanka would have an average of 2.3 children by the end of her childbearing period. This is somewhat higher than the total fertility rate of 1.9 measured in the 2000 SLDHS.

Fertility is only slightly lower in urban areas than in rural areas (2.2 and 2.3 children per woman, respectively); however, it is higher in the estate areas (2.5 children per woman). Interpretation of variations in fertility by administrative districts is limited by the small samples in some districts. Nevertheless, results indicate that Galle and Puttalam districts have fertility rates of 2.1 or below, which is at what is known as “replacement level” fertility, i.e., the level that is necessary to maintain population size over time. Differences in fertility by level of women's education and a measure of relative wealth status are minimal.

FAMILY PLANNING According to the survey findings, knowledge of any method of family planning is almost universal in Sri Lanka and there are almost no differences between ever-married and currently married women. Over 90 percent of currently married women have heard about pills, injectables, female sterilization, and the IUD. Eight out of ten respondents know about some traditional method of delaying or avoiding pregnancies.

Although the proportion of currently married women who have heard of at least one method of family planning has been high for some time, knowledge of some specific methods has increased recently. Since 1993, knowledge of implants has increased five-fold-from about 10 percent in 1993 to over 50 percent in 2006-07. Awareness about pill, IUD, injectables, implants, and withdrawal has also increased. On the other hand, awareness of male sterilization has dropped by 14 percentage points.

CHILD HEALTH The study of infant and child mortality is critical for assessment of population and health policies and programmes. Infant and child mortality rates are also regarded as indices reflecting the degree of poverty and deprivation of a population. Survey data show that for the most recent five-year period before the survey, the infant mortality rate is 15 deaths per 1,000 live births and under-five mortality is 21 deaths per 1,000 live births. Thus, one in every 48 Sri Lankan children dies before reaching age five. The neonatal mortality rate is 11 deaths per 1,000 live births and the postneonatal mortality rate is 5 deaths per 1,000 live births. The child mortality rate is 5 deaths per 1,000 children surviving to age one year.

REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH The survey shows that virtually all mothers (99 percent) in Sri Lanka receive antenatal care from a health professional (doctor specialist, doctor, or midwife). The proportion receiving care from a skilled provider is remarkably uniform across all categories for age, residence, district, woman's education, and household wealth quintile. Even in the estate sector, antenatal care usage is at the same high level. Although doctors are the most frequently seen provider (96 percent), women also go to public health midwives often for prenatal care (44 percent).

BREASTFEEDING AND NUTRITION Poor nutritional status is one of the most important health and welfare problems facing Sri Lanka today and particularly affects women and children. The survey data show that 17 percent of children under five are stunted or short for their age, while 15 percent of children under five are wasted or too thin for their height. Overall, 21 percent of children are underweight, which may reflect stunting, wasting, or both. As for women, at the national level, 16 percent of women are considered to be thin (with a body mass index < 18.5); however, only 6 percent of women are considered to be moderately or severely thin.

Poor breastfeeding and infant feeding practices can have adverse consequences for the health and nutritional status of children. Fortunately, breastfeeding in Sri Lanka is universal and generally of fairly long duration; 97 percent of newborns are breastfed within one day after delivery and 76 percent of infants under 6 months are exclusively breastfed, lower than the recommended 100 percent exclusive breastfeeding for children under 6 months. The median duration of any breastfeeding is 33 months in Sri Lanka and the median duration of exclusive breastfeeding is 5 months.

HIV/AIDS The HIV/AIDS pandemic is a serious health concern in the world today because of its high case fatality rate and the lack of a cure. Awareness of AIDS is almost universal among Sri Lankan adults, with 92 percent of ever-married women saying that they have heard about AIDS. Nevertheless, only 22 percent of ever-married women are classified as having “comprehensive knowledge” about AIDS, i.e., knowing that consistent use of condoms and having just one faithful partner can reduce the chance of getting infected, knowing that a healthy-looking person can be infected, and knowing that AIDS cannot be transmitted by sharing food or by mosquito bites. Such a low level of knowledge about AIDS implies that a concerted effort is needed to address misconceptions about HIV transmission. Programs might be focused in the estate sector and especially in Batticaloa, Ampara, and Nuwara Eliya districts where comprehensive knowledge is lowest.

Moreover, a composite indicator on stigma towards HIV-infected people shows that only 8 percent of ever-married women expressed accepting attitudes toward persons living with HIV/AIDS. Overall, only about one- half of ever-married women age 15-49 years know where to get an HIV test.

WOMEN'S EMPOWERMENT AND DEMOGRAPHIC AND HEALTH OUTCOMES The 2006-07 SLDHS collected data on women's empowerment, their participation in decisionmaking, and attitudes towards wife beating. Survey results show that more than 90 percent of currently married women, either alone or jointly with their husband, make decisions on how their income is used. However, husbands' control over women's earnings is higher among women with no education (15 percent) than among women with higher education (4 percent).

In Sri Lanka, the husband is usually the main source of household income; two-thirds of women earn less than their husband. Although the majority of women earn less than their husband, almost half have autonomy in decisions about how to spend their earnings.

The survey also collected information on who decides how the husband's cash earnings are spent. The majority of couples (60 percent) make joint decisions on how the husband's cash income is used. More than 1 in 5 women (23 percent) reported that they decide how their husband's earnings are used; another 16 percent of the women reported that their husband mainly decides how his earnings are spent.

Geographic coverage

A nationally representative sample of 21,600 housing units was selected for the survey and 19,872 households were enumerated to give district level estimates (excluding Northern Province).

Analysis unit

• Household
• Women age 15-49
• Children under five

Universe

In principle, the sample was designed to cover private households in the areas sampled. The population residing in institutions and institutional households was excluded. For the detailed individual interview, the eligibility criteria wereall ever-married women aged 15-49 years who slept in the household the previous night and about their children below five years at the

Abstract

This survey provides information on household income and expenditure to be able to measure the levels and changes in the living condition of the people and to observe the consumption patterns .

Key objectives of the survey - To identify the income patterns in Urban, Rural and Estate Sectors & provinces. - To identify the income patterns by income levels. - Average consumption of food items and non food items - Expenditure patterns by sector and by different income levels.

Geographic coverage

National coverage.

Analysis unit

Household, Individuals

Universe

For this survey a sample of buildings and the occupants therein was drawn from the whole island

Kind of data

Sample survey data [ssd]

Sampling procedure

Sample Design A two stage stratified random sample design was used in this survey. Bach domain for which separate estimates were required was made a separate stratum. As such each sector (Urban, Rural, Estate) within each district was considered as a separate stratum.

Sample Size In this design the first stage units (FSU) were the census blocks prepared at the 1981 Census of Population and the second stage units (SSU) were the housing units. It was decided to select 10 housing units from each selected census block. Thus, a first stage sample of about 2,500 census blocks have to be selected from the entire island.

Sample Allocation and Method of Selection The allocation of 2,500 census blocks to each district was made proportional. to the square root of the population· ( as at 1981 Census ) in that district. These values have been rounded to multiples of twelve. ( Refer page 5 of the final report attached in the external resources section) It was decided to over sample the urban sector in each district in comparison to the rural and estate sectors with the objective of allocating roughly by one-third of the total sample. Allocation between the rural and estate sectors in each district was proportional to 1981 population. Within each stratum, the assigned number of FSU's were selected with probability proportionate to size (using the Census or adjusted housing unit counts ) with replacement. The lists of census units prepared for the Census of Population and Housing 1981, of each selected block were updated to include new ·housing units and to exclude ones which are no longer in existence. This updating operation was also staggered over a period of twelve months starting from May 1990 to April 1991. For each FSU, updating was done about one month prior to the scheduled interviewing.

Sampling deviation

Non-Response Of a sample of 25080 housing units selected only 19,401 households were covered in the survey. Northern and Eastern provinces were excluded in the survey due to the prevailing conditions in the area.

Mode of data collection

Face-to-face [f2f]

Research instrument

Questionnaires

The survey schedule was designed to collect data on household basis and separate schedules were used for each household (identified according to the definition of the household) within the housing units selected for the survey. The survey Schedule consists of three main sections .

       1. Demographic section 
       2. Expenditure
       3. Income

The demographic characteristics and usual activities of the inmates belonging to the household are reported in the Demographic section of the schedule and close relatives temporarily living away are also listed in the section. Expenditure section has two sub sections to report food and non-food consumption data separately. Expenditure incurred on their own decisions by boarders and servants are recorded in the sub section under the expenditure section. The income has seven sub sections categorized according to the main sources of income.

Response rate

Out of 19401 households 95 percent the households were fully completed while 0.2 percent have refused. Sector wise completion rates show that Urban sector had 93 percent, Rural sector 96 percent and the Estate sector 97 percent.

Sampling error estimates

Refer the pages 7 to 10 of the final report attached in the External Resources section.

Summary statistics for villages in the national sample.

In 1800, the population of the island of Sri Lanka was approximately 1.2 million. This figure would begin to grow following the island’s complete annexation into the British Empire with the end of the Second Kandyan War in 1815. Population growth then increased much faster towards the end of the 19th century, as child mortality rates dropped and large numbers of Indian migrants were imported to work on British plantations. These migrants were largely Tamil migrants from southern India, and by 1911, this group would make up almost 13 percent of the island’s population (on top of the existing 13 percent Sri Lankan Tamil population).

Population growth would expand rapidly in the years immediately following the island’s independence from the British Empire in 1948. However, this growth would slow in the 1950s, as legislation passed by the Sinhalese-dominated government immediately following independence resulted in the removal of citizenship for an estimated 700,000 Indian Tamils, and the deportation of over 300,000 to India over the following three decades. Growth would slow even further after the ethnic clashes of Black July in 1983, which marked the beginning of a civil war in Sri Lanka which would last from 1983 to 2009 and result in the death of over 80,000 people, and the displacement of an estimated 800,000. However, since the end of the civil war in 2009, the population of Sri Lanka has continued to grow, and in 2020, the population of Sri Lanka is estimated to be over 21 million.

Abstract

The HIES gathers information related to demographic characteristics of the members of the surveyed households, expenditure on food and non-food items and income received by each household member from all the different sources in a compulsory manner. Starting from the HIES 2006/07, the survey questionnaire was further expanded beyond the collection of demographic, income and expenditure information. It has been introduced 7 new sections to collect almost all the other household information that helps to understand the correct living standards of the households. Those newly introduced areas covered by the HIES starting from the HIES 2006/07 are as follows. 1. School education (aged 5-19 years) 2. Health information 3. Inventory of durable goods 4. Access to infrastructure facilities 5. Household debts and borrowings 6. Housing, sanitary and disasters 7. Land and agriculture holdings

Geographic coverage

National - excluding Mannar, Kilinochchi and Mullaithivu districts in the Northern province

Analysis unit

• Household
• Individual

Kind of data

Sample survey data [ssd]

Sampling procedure

Sample design of the survey is two stage stratified and the Urban, Rural and the Estate sectors in each district of the country are the selection domains thus the district is the main domain used for the stratification. The sampling frame is the list of housing units prepared for the Census of Population and Housing (CPH) 2001 and the HIES 2009/10 will be the last HIES sampled from this sampling frame as the DCS is all set to conduct the CPH in 2011 based on whole newly prepared set of census blocks, which has been almost completed by now.

Selection of Primary Sampling Units Primary sampling units (PSUs) are the census blocks selected for the survey and the sampling frame, which is the collection of all the census blocks prepared in 2001 in Sri Lanka, is used for the selection of the PSUs at the first stage of the selection.

The PSU selection is done within all the independentselection domains that are assigned different sample size allocations to total the targeted sample size of 2,500 PSUs. The method of selection of the PSUs at the first stage is systematic with a selection probability given to each census block proportionate to the number of housing units available in the census blocks within the selection domains (PPS).

The selected PSUs are updated to include newly built housing units and to exclude demolished or vacated housing units, which are no longer considered as housing units according to the survey definitions, to capture variation of natural growth and to make necessary adjustments for the same. The PSU updating operation in field is generally done less than one month prior to the survey and it was carried out for the 12 months starting from June 2009 to May 2010 to support the scheduled 12 survey months started from July 2009 to June 2010 for the HIES 2009/10.

Selection of Secondary Sampling Units Secondary Sampling Units (SSUs) or Final sampling units (FSUs) are the housing units selected at the second stage from the 2,500 PSUs selected at the first stage. From each PSU, 10 SSUs (housing units) are systematically selected giving each housing unit in the PSU an equal probability to be selected for the survey. The total sample of size 25,000 housing units is resulted at the end of the sampling process and this sample represents the whole country in different probabilities depend on the different sample sizes allocated for the selection domains.

Sample allocation Allocation of the number of PSUs or determining the sample sizes for the districts is made proportionate to the number of housing units and the standard deviations of the mean household expenditure values reported in the respective districts in previous surveys (Neymann Allocation). Sector allocation of the district sample is made proportionate to the square root of the sizes of the respective selection domains (Urban, Rural and Estate sectors in the district). The sample of PSUs within the selection domain is equally distributed among the 12 survey months and the monthly sample too is equally dispersed among all the weeks in the month assigning a specific week for each PSU for the survey activities.

Mode of data collection

Face-to-face [f2f]

Research instrument

The survey questionnaire consists of nine parts. i. Demographic Characteristics ii. School education (aged 5 to 20 years) iii. Health vi. Household expenditure v. Household income vi. part a : Inventory of durable goods vi. part b : Debts of the household vii. Access to facilities in the area viii. Information about housing ix. Agriculture holdings and livestock

Sampling error estimates

Estimation, Standard error, and coefficient of variation table is available in the final survey report.

Open and free data for assessing the human presence on the planet.

The Global Human Settlement Layer (GHSL) project produces global spatial information, evidence-based analytics, and knowledge describing the human presence on the planet. The GHSL relies on the design and implementation of spatial data processing technologies that allow automatic data analytics and information extraction from large amounts of heterogeneous geospatial data including global, fine-scale satellite image data streams, census data, and crowd sourced or volunteered geographic information sources.

The JRC, together with the Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy (DG REGIO) and Directorate-General for Defence Industry and Space (DG DEFIS) are working towards a regular and operational monitoring of global built-up and population based on the processing of Sentinel Earth Observation data produced by European Copernicus space program. In addition, the EU Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) undertakes activities related to user uptake of data, information and services.