Sri Lanka Demographics: Median age, Gender, Race, Religion

Median age history and projection chart in
Sri Lanka vs World

Table

Year	Median age
	Sri Lanka	World
1960	19.5	22.5
1961	19.5	22.5
1962	19.5	22.4
1963	19.5	22.2
1964	19.5	22
1965	19.5	21.8
1966	19.6	21.7
1967	19.7	21.6
1968	19.8	21.5
1969	19.9	21.5
1970	20	21.4
1971	20.1	21.4
1972	20.2	21.5
1973	20.4	21.5
1974	20.6	21.6
1975	20.7	21.7
1976	20.9	21.9
1977	21	22
1978	21.2	22.2
1979	21.3	22.3
1980	21.5	22.5
1981	21.6	22.6
1982	21.7	22.7
1983	21.9	22.9
1984	22	23
1985	22.2	23.2
1986	22.5	23.3
1987	22.8	23.4
1988	23.1	23.6
1989	23.4	23.8
1990	23.6	23.9
1991	23.9	24.1
1992	24.3	24.3
1993	24.6	24.5
1994	24.9	24.7
1995	25.3	25
1996	25.8	25.2
1997	26.2	25.4
1998	26.5	25.7
1999	26.9	25.9
2000	27.2	26.1
2001	27.6	26.3
2002	27.9	26.5
2003	28.2	26.7
2004	28.5	27
2005	28.8	27.2
2006	29	27.4
2007	29.3	27.6
2008	29.6	27.8
2009	29.9	28
2010	30.2	28.2
2011	30.5	28.4
2012	30.8	28.6
2013	31.1	28.9
2014	31.4	29.1
2015	31.7	29.3
2016	32	29.5
2017	32.3	29.8
2018	32.5	30
2019	32.8	30.3
2020	33.1	30.6
2021	33.3	30.8
2022	33.6	31
2023	33.8	31.3
2024	34.1	31.6
2025	34.3	31.9
2026	34.6	32.1
2027	34.9	32.3
2028	35.2	32.6
2029	35.5	32.8
2030	35.8	33
2031	36.1	33.2
2032	36.3	33.4
2033	36.6	33.6
2034	36.9	33.8
2035	37.1	34
2036	37.4	34.2
2037	37.6	34.4
2038	37.8	34.6
2039	38.1	34.8
2040	38.3	35
2041	38.6	35.2
2042	38.9	35.4
2043	39.1	35.6
2044	39.4	35.8
2045	39.7	36
2046	40	36.2
2047	40.3	36.4
2048	40.6	36.6
2049	40.9	36.8
2050	41.2	37.1

In 1960, the median age in Sri Lanka was 19.5 years compared to the world's average of 22.5 years. As of 2024, the median age had increased to 34.1 years compared to the world's average of 31.6 years. Ranked 101st for median age 64 years ago (old to young), Sri Lanka ranks 81st currently.

According to the United Nations projections, the median age in Sri Lanka is expected to increase to around 41.2 years by 2050. The aging demographics forecast is based on previous years' birth rates and increasing life expectancy.

Sri Lanka demographic pyramid: age and gender distribution

Table

Age range	Share of population
	Sri Lanka
	Male	Female
0-4	3.58%	3.44%
5-9	3.73%	3.58%
10-14	3.92%	3.79%
15-19	3.96%	3.87%
20-24	3.73%	3.64%
25-29	3.58%	3.53%
30-34	3.39%	3.52%
35-39	3.21%	3.47%
40-44	3.42%	3.67%
45-49	3.15%	3.38%
50-54	2.77%	3%
55-59	2.61%	2.91%
60-64	2.32%	2.74%
65-69	1.94%	2.42%
70-74	1.46%	1.99%
75-79	0.93%	1.42%
80+	0.69%	1.26%

The chart above is a variation of the population pyramid and represents the age and gender structure. Sri Lanka has low demographic potential with 51.2% of people in the 0-34 age group (ranked 118/196).

Age dependency chart

Table

Year	Age dependency ratio
	Sri Lanka			World
	Total	Young	Old	Total	Young	Old
1960	82.4%	74.7%	7.71%	73.5%	64.9%	8.62%
1961	82%	74.5%	7.47%	73.8%	65.1%	8.67%
1962	81.3%	74%	7.25%	74.1%	65.4%	8.73%
1963	80.6%	73.5%	7.07%	74.9%	66.1%	8.79%
1964	80%	73.1%	6.94%	75.5%	66.6%	8.85%
1965	79.7%	72.9%	6.85%	75.8%	66.8%	8.93%
1966	79.3%	72.5%	6.79%	75.9%	66.9%	9%
1967	78.8%	72.1%	6.75%	75.9%	66.8%	9.07%
1968	78.3%	71.6%	6.75%	75.8%	66.6%	9.14%
1969	77.7%	71%	6.75%	75.7%	66.5%	9.2%
1970	77.1%	70.3%	6.77%	75.5%	66.2%	9.26%
1971	76.5%	69.7%	6.8%	75.2%	65.9%	9.33%
1972	75.7%	68.9%	6.84%	74.9%	65.6%	9.39%
1973	74.7%	67.9%	6.88%	74.6%	65.1%	9.46%
1974	73.6%	66.7%	6.92%	74.4%	64.9%	9.54%
1975	72.5%	65.5%	6.98%	74.2%	64.6%	9.64%
1976	71.6%	64.5%	7.05%	74%	64.3%	9.72%
1977	70.7%	63.6%	7.14%	73.5%	63.7%	9.79%
1978	70.1%	62.8%	7.25%	72.4%	62.5%	9.84%
1979	69.6%	62.2%	7.36%	71.3%	61.4%	9.88%
1980	69.1%	61.6%	7.49%	70.4%	60.5%	9.89%
1981	68.8%	61.1%	7.64%	69.5%	59.6%	9.85%
1982	68.5%	60.7%	7.81%	68.7%	58.9%	9.79%
1983	68.2%	60.2%	8.01%	67.9%	58.1%	9.72%
1984	67.9%	59.7%	8.23%	67%	57.3%	9.68%
1985	67.2%	58.8%	8.42%	66.3%	56.6%	9.68%
1986	66%	57.5%	8.55%	65.7%	55.9%	9.71%
1987	64.8%	56.1%	8.67%	65.2%	55.4%	9.75%
1988	63.6%	54.8%	8.81%	64.8%	54.9%	9.81%
1989	62.5%	53.6%	8.93%	64.4%	54.5%	9.89%
1990	61.7%	52.6%	9.1%	64.2%	54.3%	9.97%
1991	60.8%	51.6%	9.26%	64%	53.9%	10.1%
1992	59.3%	50%	9.32%	63.7%	53.6%	10.2%
1993	57.6%	48.3%	9.35%	63.5%	53.2%	10.3%
1994	56%	46.6%	9.39%	63.1%	52.7%	10.4%
1995	54.5%	45.1%	9.39%	62.7%	52.2%	10.5%
1996	53.2%	43.9%	9.34%	62.1%	51.5%	10.6%
1997	52.2%	42.9%	9.3%	61.5%	50.8%	10.7%
1998	51.3%	42%	9.28%	60.7%	50%	10.7%
1999	50.5%	41.2%	9.27%	60%	49.2%	10.8%
2000	49.7%	40.4%	9.29%	59.3%	48.4%	10.9%
2001	49%	39.7%	9.34%	58.5%	47.6%	11%
2002	48.5%	39.1%	9.43%	57.8%	46.7%	11.1%
2003	48.3%	38.7%	9.55%	57%	45.9%	11.1%
2004	48.1%	38.4%	9.67%	56.3%	45.1%	11.2%
2005	48.1%	38.3%	9.8%	55.6%	44.3%	11.3%
2006	48.1%	38.1%	9.98%	55%	43.6%	11.4%
2007	48.2%	38%	10.2%	54.5%	43.1%	11.4%
2008	48.4%	38%	10.4%	54.1%	42.6%	11.5%
2009	48.6%	37.9%	10.7%	53.8%	42.2%	11.6%
2010	48.9%	37.9%	11.1%	53.5%	41.9%	11.6%
2011	49.2%	37.8%	11.5%	53.4%	41.6%	11.8%
2012	49.6%	37.7%	11.9%	53.3%	41.4%	11.9%
2013	50%	37.5%	12.4%	53.4%	41.2%	12.1%
2014	50.4%	37.4%	13%	53.5%	41.1%	12.4%
2015	50.8%	37.2%	13.6%	53.6%	40.9%	12.7%
2016	51.1%	37%	14.1%	53.7%	40.7%	13%
2017	51.3%	36.7%	14.7%	53.9%	40.6%	13.3%
2018	51.5%	36.3%	15.2%	54.1%	40.4%	13.7%
2019	51.6%	35.9%	15.7%	54.2%	40.1%	14%
2020	51.6%	35.4%	16.2%	54.2%	39.8%	14.4%
2021	51.7%	34.9%	16.8%	54.2%	39.5%	14.7%
2022	51.7%	34.4%	17.3%	54%	39%	15%
2023	51.7%	33.9%	17.8%	53.9%	38.5%	15.4%
2024	51.8%	33.4%	18.4%	53.7%	38%	15.7%

Age dependency is the ratio of people not in the labor force (children under 15 and adults 64+) to people aged 15 to 64. Age dependency in Sri Lanka increased from 48.1% to 51.8% between 2004 and 2024 with a decreased share of children and an increased proportion of people aged 65+

Sri Lanka working age demographic chart

Table

Year	Working age population share
	Sri Lanka	World
1960	54.8%	57.6%
1961	55%	57.5%
1962	55.2%	57.4%
1963	55.4%	57.2%
1964	55.5%	57%
1965	55.6%	56.9%
1966	55.8%	56.8%
1967	55.9%	56.9%
1968	56.1%	56.9%
1969	56.3%	56.9%
1970	56.5%	57%
1971	56.7%	57.1%
1972	56.9%	57.2%
1973	57.2%	57.3%
1974	57.6%	57.3%
1975	58%	57.4%
1976	58.3%	57.5%
1977	58.6%	57.7%
1978	58.8%	58%
1979	59%	58.4%
1980	59.1%	58.7%
1981	59.3%	59%
1982	59.4%	59.3%
1983	59.5%	59.6%
1984	59.6%	59.9%
1985	59.8%	60.1%
1986	60.2%	60.4%
1987	60.7%	60.5%
1988	61.1%	60.7%
1989	61.5%	60.8%
1990	61.8%	60.9%
1991	62.2%	61%
1992	62.8%	61.1%
1993	63.5%	61.2%
1994	64.1%	61.3%
1995	64.7%	61.5%
1996	65.3%	61.7%
1997	65.7%	61.9%
1998	66.1%	62.2%
1999	66.4%	62.5%
2000	66.8%	62.8%
2001	67.1%	63.1%
2002	67.3%	63.4%
2003	67.4%	63.7%
2004	67.5%	64%
2005	67.5%	64.3%
2006	67.5%	64.5%
2007	67.5%	64.7%
2008	67.4%	64.9%
2009	67.3%	65%
2010	67.2%	65.1%
2011	67%	65.2%
2012	66.9%	65.2%
2013	66.7%	65.2%
2014	66.5%	65.2%
2015	66.3%	65.1%
2016	66.2%	65.1%
2017	66.1%	65%
2018	66%	64.9%
2019	66%	64.9%
2020	65.9%	64.8%
2021	65.9%	64.9%
2022	65.9%	64.9%
2023	65.9%	65%
2024	65.9%	65.1%
2025	65.8%	65.2%
2026	65.8%	65.3%
2027	65.7%	65.4%
2028	65.7%	65.4%
2029	65.7%	65.4%
2030	65.6%	65.4%
2031	65.5%	65.4%
2032	65.4%	65.4%
2033	65.3%	65.4%
2034	65.2%	65.3%
2035	65.1%	65.2%
2036	65%	65%
2037	64.9%	64.9%
2038	64.8%	64.7%
2039	64.7%	64.6%
2040	64.5%	64.5%
2041	64.4%	64.4%
2042	64.2%	64.3%
2043	63.9%	64.2%
2044	63.7%	64.1%
2045	63.4%	63.9%
2046	63.1%	63.8%
2047	62.9%	63.7%
2048	62.7%	63.6%
2049	62.5%	63.4%
2050	62.4%	63.3%

The share of working-age demographics aged 15-64 in Sri Lanka changed from 67.5% to 65.9% between 2004 and 2024.

Share of young population (0-14 years)

Table

Year	Share of population 0-14 years old
	Sri Lanka	World
1960	41%	37.4%
1961	40.9%	37.5%
1962	40.8%	37.6%
1963	40.7%	37.8%
1964	40.6%	38%
1965	40.5%	38%
1966	40.4%	38%
1967	40.3%	38%
1968	40.1%	37.9%
1969	39.9%	37.8%
1970	39.7%	37.7%
1971	39.5%	37.6%
1972	39.2%	37.5%
1973	38.8%	37.3%
1974	38.4%	37.2%
1975	38%	37.1%
1976	37.6%	36.9%
1977	37.2%	36.7%
1978	36.9%	36.3%
1979	36.7%	35.9%
1980	36.4%	35.5%
1981	36.2%	35.2%
1982	36%	34.9%
1983	35.8%	34.6%
1984	35.5%	34.3%
1985	35.2%	34%
1986	34.6%	33.8%
1987	34%	33.6%
1988	33.5%	33.4%
1989	33%	33.2%
1990	32.5%	33%
1991	32.1%	32.9%
1992	31.4%	32.7%
1993	30.6%	32.5%
1994	29.9%	32.3%
1995	29.2%	32.1%
1996	28.6%	31.8%
1997	28.2%	31.5%
1998	27.8%	31.1%
1999	27.4%	30.8%
2000	27%	30.4%
2001	26.6%	30%
2002	26.3%	29.6%
2003	26.1%	29.2%
2004	26%	28.8%
2005	25.8%	28.5%
2006	25.7%	28.1%
2007	25.7%	27.9%
2008	25.6%	27.6%
2009	25.5%	27.5%
2010	25.4%	27.3%
2011	25.3%	27.1%
2012	25.2%	27%
2013	25%	26.9%
2014	24.9%	26.8%
2015	24.7%	26.6%
2016	24.5%	26.5%
2017	24.2%	26.4%
2018	24%	26.2%
2019	23.7%	26%
2020	23.3%	25.8%
2021	23%	25.6%
2022	22.7%	25.3%
2023	22.4%	25%
2024	22%	24.7%
2025	21.7%	24.4%
2026	21.4%	24.1%
2027	21.1%	23.8%
2028	20.8%	23.4%
2029	20.5%	23.1%
2030	20.2%	22.8%
2031	20%	22.6%
2032	19.8%	22.3%
2033	19.6%	22.1%
2034	19.4%	21.9%
2035	19.2%	21.7%
2036	19.1%	21.6%
2037	18.9%	21.5%
2038	18.8%	21.4%
2039	18.7%	21.3%
2040	18.6%	21.2%
2041	18.4%	21.1%
2042	18.3%	21%
2043	18.2%	21%
2044	18.1%	20.9%
2045	18%	20.8%
2046	17.9%	20.7%
2047	17.7%	20.7%
2048	17.6%	20.6%
2049	17.5%	20.5%
2050	17.3%	20.4%

The share of children aged 0-14 in Sri Lanka decreased from 26% to 22% between 2004 and 2024 due to changes in birth rates.

Share of old population (65+)

Table

Year	Share of population 65+ years old
	Sri Lanka	World
1960	4.22%	4.97%
1961	4.1%	4.99%
1962	4%	5.01%
1963	3.92%	5.02%
1964	3.85%	5.04%
1965	3.81%	5.08%
1966	3.78%	5.12%
1967	3.78%	5.16%
1968	3.78%	5.2%
1969	3.8%	5.24%
1970	3.82%	5.28%
1971	3.86%	5.32%
1972	3.89%	5.37%
1973	3.94%	5.42%
1974	3.99%	5.47%
1975	4.04%	5.53%
1976	4.11%	5.59%
1977	4.18%	5.65%
1978	4.26%	5.71%
1979	4.34%	5.77%
1980	4.43%	5.81%
1981	4.52%	5.81%
1982	4.63%	5.8%
1983	4.76%	5.79%
1984	4.9%	5.8%
1985	5.04%	5.82%
1986	5.15%	5.86%
1987	5.26%	5.91%
1988	5.38%	5.95%
1989	5.5%	6.01%
1990	5.62%	6.07%
1991	5.76%	6.14%
1992	5.85%	6.21%
1993	5.93%	6.29%
1994	6.02%	6.37%
1995	6.08%	6.45%
1996	6.09%	6.53%
1997	6.11%	6.61%
1998	6.13%	6.68%
1999	6.16%	6.76%
2000	6.21%	6.84%
2001	6.27%	6.92%
2002	6.35%	7.01%
2003	6.44%	7.1%
2004	6.53%	7.18%
2005	6.62%	7.26%
2006	6.74%	7.34%
2007	6.87%	7.41%
2008	7.03%	7.47%
2009	7.21%	7.52%
2010	7.43%	7.58%
2011	7.68%	7.66%
2012	7.97%	7.78%
2013	8.29%	7.92%
2014	8.64%	8.08%
2015	8.99%	8.26%
2016	9.35%	8.45%
2017	9.69%	8.65%
2018	10%	8.88%
2019	10.4%	9.1%
2020	10.7%	9.33%
2021	11%	9.53%
2022	11.4%	9.74%
2023	11.7%	9.98%
2024	12.1%	10.2%
2025	12.5%	10.4%
2026	12.8%	10.6%
2027	13.2%	10.8%
2028	13.5%	11.1%
2029	13.9%	11.5%
2030	14.2%	11.7%
2031	14.5%	12%
2032	14.8%	12.3%
2033	15.1%	12.6%
2034	15.4%	12.8%
2035	15.7%	13.1%
2036	16%	13.4%
2037	16.2%	13.7%
2038	16.4%	13.9%
2039	16.7%	14.1%
2040	16.9%	14.3%
2041	17.2%	14.5%
2042	17.5%	14.7%
2043	17.9%	14.9%
2044	18.2%	15%
2045	18.6%	15.2%
2046	19%	15.4%
2047	19.4%	15.7%
2048	19.7%	15.9%
2049	20%	16.1%
2050	20.3%	16.3%

The share of older people aged 65 and over in Sri Lanka increased from 6.53% to 12.1% between 2004 and 2024 due to changes in life expectancy.