Local time--:--:--Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte ·

Asia / Southern Asia · Card 040

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka is a country in Southern Asia. Its capital is Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte (legislative); Colombo (executive and commercial).

Find Sri Lanka

● Capital · Gold highlights this card’s area.
Map: Natural Earth. Boundaries show geographic context, not a position on sovereignty. Small islands may use enlarged markers.

At a glance

Capital: Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte (legislative); Colombo (executive and commercial)Parliament sits in Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte; Colombo remains a major center of government and commerce.
Languages: Sinhala & Tamil
Currency: Sri Lankan rupee (LKR)
Population: 21.8 million2025 · World Bank
Area: 65,610 km²25,332 square miles
Independence: 1948from the UK

Sri Lanka in context

Asia and its surrounding regions. The dot marks Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte; the mapped territory is highlighted in gold.

Natural Earth · locator map

Geography & languages

Physical geography

Mostly low, flat to rolling plain; mountains in south-central interior.

Languages

Languages used in public life include Sinhala, Tamil.

Location

Southern Asia, island in the Indian Ocean, south of India. Parliament sits in Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte; Colombo remains a major center of government and commerce.

Flag

Yellow with two panels; the smaller panel on the left has two equal vertical bands of green (left side) and orange; the larger panel has a yellow lion holding a sword on a maroon field, with a yellow bo leaf in each corner

Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile · Urban Development Authority · Kotte

History & independence

Sri Lanka, then called Ceylon, gained independence from Britain in 1948. It became a republic under its present name in 1972. A civil war lasting from 1983 to 2009 caused extensive loss and displacement. A severe economic crisis in 2022 led to major political change.

1948
Independence
1972
Republic of Sri Lanka established
2009
Civil war ends

Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile · Urban Development Authority · Kotte

Economy

Main activities

Services, tourism, apparel manufacturing, tea, rubber and other agriculture are important. Remittances and imported energy also influence external finances.

Industry and production

processing of rubber, tea, coconuts, tobacco and other agricultural commodities; tourism; clothing and textiles; mining

Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile · Urban Development Authority · Kotte

Population & economic trends

Dated World Bank observations. Population uses selected years; real GDP uses all available annual observations.

Population, 1970–2025

Millions of people

21.82025 · millions of people

Population estimates may be revised. Selected years are shown.

Sources: World Bank · Population

View data table

Population: source values and plotted units
Year	People	Millions of people
1970	12,287,110	12.287
1980	14,847,974	14.848
1990	16,352,458	16.352
2000	19,293,054	19.293
2010	20,879,089	20.879
2020	21,919,000	21.919
2025	21,756,000	21.756

Real GDP, 1990–2025

Billions of constant 2015 US dollars

96.62025 · billions of constant 2015 US dollars

Constant prices adjust for inflation. This is total economic output, not current-dollar GDP or income per person. Missing years are left as gaps.

Sources: World Bank · Real GDP

View data table

Real GDP: source values and plotted units
Year	Constant 2015 US$	Billions of constant 2015 US dollars
1990	22,706,851,734	22.707
1991	23,751,364,018	23.751
1992	24,796,421,957	24.796
1993	26,507,390,756	26.507
1994	27,991,783,094	27.992
1995	29,531,355,023	29.531
1996	30,653,536,829	30.654
1997	32,617,018,384	32.617
1998	34,149,503,893	34.150
1999	35,618,117,138	35.618
2000	37,755,215,977	37.755
2001	37,171,743,798	37.172
2002	38,645,482,886	38.645
2003	40,941,128,556	40.941
2004	43,170,398,094	43.170
2005	45,864,985,573	45.865
2006	49,382,046,547	49.382
2007	52,738,458,385	52.738
2008	55,876,443,145	55.876
2009	57,853,861,326	57.854
2010	62,491,407,973	62.491
2011	67,909,089,971	67.909
2012	73,771,125,788	73.771
2013	76,760,144,670	76.760
2014	81,655,890,499	81.656
2015	85,090,300,896	85.090
2016	89,390,445,521	89.390
2017	95,165,677,292	95.166
2018	97,364,084,620	97.364
2019	97,149,412,501	97.149
2020	92,656,723,312	92.657
2021	96,555,233,166	96.555
2022	89,459,202,622	89.459
2023	87,644,138,318	87.644
2024	92,019,698,429	92.020
2025	96,577,833,376	96.578

Human development

The Human Development Index combines health, education and income. Scores range from 0 to 1.

HDI · 20230.776High human developmentRank 89 of 193 · 2025 report

Human Development Index over time

19900.638

20000.702

20100.748

20200.780

20230.776

77.5 yearsLife expectancy at birth

10.8 yearsMean schooling, adults aged 25+

The latest values refer to 2023. All historical scores use the same report edition. HDI does not describe every aspect of inequality or quality of life.

Sources: UNDP · Human Development Report 2025

Government

Presidential republic. Parliament has one chamber (a unicameral legislature).

Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile · Urban Development Authority · Kotte

Knowledge check

Three questions about Sri Lanka.

QUESTION 1 OF 3

Which currency is listed for Sri Lanka?

Sources & notes

Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile · Urban Development Authority · Kotte

Prepared 24 September 2026. World Bank series: SP.POP.TOTL (persons) and NY.GDP.MKTP.KD (constant 2015 US dollars); downloaded 24 September 2026, provider update 13 July 2026. UNDP values use the 2025 report and 2023 observation year. These are dated statistical snapshots, not live population or economic counters.

Maps use Natural Earth geographic data. Background geography, flag descriptions and selected historical facts use archived public-domain CIA World Factbook profiles, supplemented by the sources linked above. The Factbook is no longer updated; dated statistics here come from the separately named providers.