Population:
19,742,439 (2003 est.)
note: since the outbreak of hostilities between the government and
armed Tamil separatists in the mid-1980s, several hundred thousand
Tamil civilians have fled the island; as of yearend 2000,
approximately 65,000 were housed in 131 refugee camps in south
India, another 40,000 lived outside the Indian camps, and more than
200,000 Tamils have sought refuge in the West (July 2003 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 25.2% (male 2,543,336; female 2,431,223)
15-64 years: 67.9% (male 6,518,145; female 6,890,424)
65 years and over: 6.9% (male 641,708; female 717,603) (2003 est.)
Median age:
total: 28.7 years
male: 27.7 years
female: 29.7 years (2002)
Population growth rate:
0.83% (2003 est.)
Birth rate:
16.12 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Death rate:
6.46 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Net migration rate:
-1.35 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.89 male(s)/female
total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2003 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 15.22 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 13.92 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
male: 16.45 deaths/1,000 live births
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 72.62 years
male: 70.09 years
female: 75.29 years (2003 est.)
Total fertility rate:
1.9 children born/woman (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
less than 0.1% (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
4,800 (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
250 (2001 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Sri Lankan(s)
adjective: Sri Lankan
Ethnic groups:
Sinhalese 74%, Tamil 18%, Moor 7%, Burgher, Malay, and Vedda 1%
Religions:
Buddhist 70%, Hindu 15%, Christian 8%, Muslim 7% (1999)
Languages:
Sinhala (official and national language) 74%, Tamil (national
language) 18%, other 8%
note: English is commonly used in government and is spoken
competently by about 10% of the population
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 92.3%
male: 94.8%
female: 90% (2003 est.)