Sri Lanka Demographics

What is the population of Sri Lanka?

Population	22,889,201
Population Growth Rate	0.89%
Urban Population	15.1%
Population in Major Urban Areas	COLOMBO (capital) 693,000; Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte (legislative capital) 126,000
Nationality Noun	Sri Lankan(s)
Nationality Adjective	Sri Lankan
Ethnic Groups	Sinhalese 74%, Tamil 18%, Moor 7%, Burgher, Malay, and Vedda 1%
Languages Spoken	Sinhala (official) 74%, Tamil (national language) 18%, other 8%. English is widely understood.

Sri Lanka Health Information

What are the health conditions in Sri Lanka?

Animal Contact Disease (s)	rabies
Contraceptive Prevalence Rate - female 15-49	68%
Death Rate - deaths/1,000 population	6.01
Drinking Water Source - percent of rural population improved	92.9%
Drinking Water Source - percent of total population unimproved	6.2%
Drinking Water Source - percent of urban population improved	99.1%
Food or Waterborne Disease (s)	bacterial diarrhea and hepatitis A
Health Expenditures - percent of GDP	3.4%
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate	0.07%
HIV/Aids Deaths	200
Hospital Bed Density - beds/1,000 population	3.1
Infant Mortality Rate - female deaths/1,000 live births	8.24
Infant Mortality Rate - male deaths/1,000 live births	10.21
Infant Mortality Rate - total deaths/1,000 live births	9.24
Major Infectious Diseases - degree of risk	high
Maternal Mortality Rate - deaths/100,000 live births	35
Mean Age for Mother's First Birth	22.6
Obesity - adult prevalence rate	5.1%
People Living with HIV/AIDS	2,800
Physicians Density - physicians/1,000 population	.49
Sanitation Facility Access - percent of total population unimproved	7.7%
Sanitation Facility Access - percent of urban population improved	82.9%
Sanitation Facility Access - percent of rural population improved	93.9%
Total Fertility Rate - children born/woman	2.15
Underweight - percent of children under five years	21.6%
Vectorborne Disease (s)	dengue fever
Water contact disease (s)	leptospirosis

Sri Lanka Life Expectancy

How long do people live in Sri Lanka?

Life Expectancy at Birth	76 Years
Life Expectancy at Birth - female	79 Years
Life Expectancy at Birth - male	72 Years
Median Age	31 Years
Median Age - female	32 Years
Median Age - male	30 Years

Sri Lanka Infant Mortality - per 1,000 live births

Sri Lanka median age, birth rate and death rates

Birth Rate - births/1,000 population	17
Death Rate - deaths/1,000 population	6.01
Median Age	31 Years
Median Age - female	32 Years
Median Age - male	30 Years
Net Migration Rate - migrant(s)/1,000 population	-1.74
Population Growth Rate	0.89%
Sex Ratio 0-14 Years - male/female	1.04
Sex Ratio 15-24 Years - male/female	1.03
Sex Ratio 25-54 Years - male/female	.96
Sex Ratio 55-64 Years - male/female	.96
Sex Ratio at Birth - male/female	1.04
Sex Ratio of Total Population - male/female	.96
Sex Ratio Over 64 Years - male/female	.75

Sri Lanka Medical Information

What are the health conditions in Sri Lanka?

Medical Facilities and Health Information

There are six large hospitals in the Colombo area, including three facilities with emergency trauma service: Asiri Surgical Hospital, Lanka Hospital, and the government-run National Hospital. Medical facilities outside Colombo are limited. The U.S. Embassy maintains a list of private physicians that may be obtained upon request. The availability of medical supplies is uneven; as a result, travelers should carry any special medications with them. Serious medical conditions do require evacuation to the United States or to a nearby country with more advanced medical facilities, such as Thailand or Singapore. Neither Thailand nor Singapore requires U.S. citizens to have entry visas.

Several mosquito-borne diseases, including dengue fever, chikungunya, and Japanese encephalitis are present in Sri Lanka. Adequate mosquito protection is strongly advised.

Sri Lanka Education

What is school like in Sri Lanka?

Education Expenditures - percent of GDP	1.7%
Literacy - female	90%
Literacy - male	94.8%
Literacy - total population	90.7%
Literacy Definition	age 15 and over can read and write
School Life Expectancy - female	14 Years
School Life Expectancy - male	13 Years
Total School Life Expectancy - (primary to tertiary)	14 Years

Sri Lanka Literacy

Can people in Sri Lanka read?

Literacy - female	90%
Literacy - male	94.8%
Literacy - total population	90.7%
Literacy Definition	age 15 and over can read and write
Predominant Language	Sinhala (official) 74%, Tamil (national language) 18%, other 8%. English is widely understood.

Sri Lanka Crime

Is Sri Lanka a safe place to visit?

Crime Information

There is an elevated criminal threat in Sri Lanka. Most violent crime occurs within the local community. However, reports of violent crime, sexual assaults and harassment directed at foreigners have been increasing in recent months. Police response to assist victims can vary from a few minutes to hours, even in the tourist areas, and particularly in remote areas. In response to this rise in crime, the Sri Lankan government now requires that all foreign tourists provide their passport information to hotel staff when registering at local hotels and guest houses so that this data can be used by local law enforcement for the monitoring of foreign tourists.

Organized and armed gangs are known to operate in Sri Lanka and have been responsible for targeted kidnappings and violence, although there is no evidence to suggest that U.S. citizens are at particular risk. A British national was killed and a Russian national sexually assaulted and beaten during a violent attack by a gang in a tourist resort in the southern beach town of Tangalle in December 2011. The Sri Lankan justice system can be slower than in the United States and there are a number of outstanding cases of crimes against foreign nationals.

U.S. citizens are advised against travel on public buses in Sri Lanka, as passengers can be targets of criminal activity and bus drivers do not all obey driving regulations.

Travelers, especially women, should consider travelling with other people when possible. Western women continue to report incidents of verbal and physical harassment by groups of men. Such harassment can occur anytime or anywhere, but most frequently has taken place in crowded areas such as marketplaces, train stations, buses, public streets and sporting events. The harassment ranges from sexually suggestive or lewd comments to physical advances, and sexual assaults have occurred as well. While most victims of sexual assault have been local residents, an upswing in sexual attacks against female visitors in tourist areas in the southern beaches underlines the fact that foreign women should exercise vigilance.

Routine petty crime, especially thefts of personal property and pick-pocketing, is not uncommon if the traveler does not take appropriate safeguards. Cell phone theft is the most frequently reported crime against foreigners. Street hustlers or “touts” are common around hotels, shopping centers, and tourist sites. Credit card fraud is frequent and can happen in any establishment, or when paying online. Sri Lankan law enforcement personnel recently uncovered a foreign ring of criminals who were using “false fronts’” and “pen camera devices” to clone bank cards and steal personal identification numbers at ATM machines in Sri Lanka. Travelers should consider paying in cash whenever possible, and should carefully review billing statements to ensure that purchases displayed on their credit card statements are accurate. Consultation with personal credit card security advisors is encouraged for travelers to develop a protection plan that is best for your travel to Sri Lanka.

Don’t buy counterfeit and pirated goods, even if they are widely available. Not only are the bootlegs illegal in the United States, if you purchase them you may also be breaking local law.

Sri Lanka Penalties for Crime

Criminal Penalties

While you are traveling in Sri Lanka, you are subject to its laws even if you are a U.S. citizen. Foreign laws and legal systems can be vastly different from our own. In places like military checkpoints, you may be taken in for questioning if you don’t have your passport with you. In some places, it is illegal to take pictures of certain buildings. There are also some things that might be legal in the country you visit but still illegal in the United States, and you can be prosecuted under U.S. law if you buy pirated goods. Engaging in sexual conduct with children or using or disseminating child pornography in a foreign country is a crime prosecutable in the United States. If you break local laws in Sri Lanka, your U.S. passport won’t help you avoid arrest or prosecution. It’s very important to know what’s legal and what’s not where you are going.

Persons violating Sri Lankan laws, even unknowingly, may be expelled, arrested, or imprisoned. Penalties for possessing, using, or trafficking in illegal drugs in Sri Lanka are severe, and convicted offenders can expect long jail sentences and heavy fines. Under the Cultural Prosperity Act and the Antiques Ordinance, the unlicensed export of antiques from the country is considered a criminal act.

While some countries will automatically notify the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate if a U.S. citizen is detained or arrested in a foreign country, that might not always be the case. To ensure that the United States is aware of your circumstances, request that the police and prison officials notify the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate as soon as you are arrested or detained overseas.

Sri Lanka Population Comparison

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