Sri Lanka — Country Profile
Population, GDP, natural resources, leaders and history of Sri Lanka: the Magna Factbook country file, with its Magna Power score (--/100, ranked #-- of 195).
Last updated: October 2026
Sri Lanka is in Southern Asia, island in the Indian Ocean, south of India. It covers 65,610 sq km. Terrain: mostly low, flat to rolling plain; mountains in south-central interior. Climate: tropical monsoon; northeast monsoon (December to March); southwest monsoon (June to October).
| Capital | Colombo (commercial capital); Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte (legislative capital) |
|---|---|
| Population | 22,050,561 (2025 est.) |
| GDP (PPP) | $301.407 billion (2024 est.) |
| GDP per capita (PPP) | $13,800 (2024 est.) |
| Real GDP growth | 5% (2024 est.) |
| Inflation | -0.4% (2024 est.) |
| Unemployment | 5% (2024 est.) |
| Public debt | 79.1% of GDP (2017 est.) |
| Exports | $17.327 billion (2023 est.) |
| Imports | $18.823 billion (2023 est.) |
| Life expectancy | 76.8 years (2024 est.) |
| Median age | 34.2 years (2025 est.) |
| Urbanization | 19.2% of total population (2023) |
| Government | presidential republic |
| Independence | 4 February 1948 (from the UK) |
| Languages | Sinhala (official) 87%, Tamil (official) 28.5%, English 23.8% (2012 est.) |
Sri Lanka’s GDP is $301.407 billion (2024 est.) in purchasing-power-parity terms. At official exchange rates it stands at $98.963 billion (2024 est.). Real GDP grew 5% (2024 est.). See where Sri Lanka ranks among all 195 countries by GDP.
POWER --/100 — The Magna Power score is our 0–100 composite of structural national power — nine components, 135 indicators. It is the Bureau's own assessment, not a mirror of World Bank or CIA figures.
Momentum +3 — Quarterly momentum: the Bureau's read on the country's trajectory over the last quarter, from −10 (deteriorating fast) to +10 (accelerating).
The recovery streak extended: growth running, debt restructuring nearly done, reserves rebuilt — eleven straight quarters of expansion.
Execution, not luck: a modestly positive quarter for an economy climbing out of its crisis.
- What our model rewards: inflation tamed at 0.4%; a current-account surplus of $2 billion — the world pays it more than it pays out
- What drags it down: public debt above 79% of GDP — the budget's ball and chain
Graphite, Phosphates, Hydropower.
Energy is the physical base of economic power — what a country can generate, move and burn decides what it can build, sell and defend.
| Electricity access | 100% (2022 est.) |
|---|---|
| Installed capacity mix (CIA) | fossil fuels: 49.4% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); solar: 4.6% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); wind: 4.6% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); hydroelectricity: 40.7% of total installed capacity (2023 est.) |
| Energy consumption per capita (CIA) | 12.372 million Btu/person (2023 est.) |
| Primary energy consumption (OWID) | 111.3 TWh (2024) |
| Electricity generation (OWID) | 18.9 TWh (2024) |
| Energy per capita (OWID) | 4,819 kWh per person (2024) |
| Electricity generation mix (OWID) | Hydro 37.5%, Coal 30.0%, Oil 10.5%, Solar 6.8%, Wind 5.0% (2024) |
| Low-carbon share of electricity (OWID) | 50.2% (2024) |
Sources: CIA World Factbook, Energy section; Our World in Data (IEA/Ember), 2024.
Trade shows what the world buys from a country and what the country must buy from the world — the balance between the two is a direct measure of economic leverage.
| Exports | $17.327 billion (2023 est.) |
|---|---|
| Imports | $18.823 billion (2023 est.) |
| Trade balance (calculated) | Deficit of $1.5 billion (2023), calculated from the CIA export and import figures above. |
| Key industries | processing of rubber, tea, coconuts, tobacco and other agricultural commodities; tourism; clothing and textiles; mining |
Source: CIA World Factbook, Economy section.
Anura Kumara Dissanayake — President. President Anura Kumara DISSANAYAKE (since 23 September 2024)
Sri Lanka maintains 60 embassies abroad, hosts 41 foreign diplomatic missions, holds permanent missions to UN New York, UN Geneva. The breadth of a diplomatic network is a direct measure of diplomatic power — it shows how far a country’s influence, alliances and interests reach.
| Embassies abroad | 60 |
|---|---|
| Foreign missions hosted | 41 |
| Multilateral missions | UN New York, UN Geneva |
Source: Lowy Institute Global Diplomacy Index 2024 (released 2024-02-25), https://globaldiplomacyindex.lowyinstitute.org/; Wikipedia 'List of diplomatic missions of Sri Lanka', https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_diplomatic_missions_of_Sri_Lanka; '... in Sri Lanka', https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_diplomatic_missions_in_Sri_Lanka
Transport networks are economic power made physical — ports, runways, railways and pipelines decide what a country can move, sell and defend.
| Sea access | Coastal — 1340 km of coastline. |
|---|---|
| Airports (total) | 18 + 1 heliports (registration prefix 4R) |
| Major seaports | Batticaloa Roads, Colombo, Galle Harbor, Hambantota, Kankesanturai, Trincomalee Harbor |
| Railways | 1562 km |
Major airports
Bandaranaike International Colombo Airport (CMB) — Colombo; Colombo Ratmalana International Airport (RML) — Colombo; Jaffna International Airport (JAF) — Jaffna; Batticaloa International Airport (BTC) — Batticaloa; China Bay Airport (TRR) — Trincomalee; Koggala Airport (KCT) — Galle; Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport (HRI) — Mattala.
Sources: OurAirports public-domain extract (2026-10-02); per-entry Wikipedia links included; CIA World Factbook via cia_factbook snapshot (2026-09-28)
| Political system | presidential republic |
|---|---|
| Next election | No election currently scheduled. |
POWER --/100 Ranked #-- of 195 countries in the Magna Country Rankings. Full ranking breakdown for Sri Lanka.
Historical timeline of Sri Lanka
This profile covers the population, economy, natural resources, leaders, and history of Sri Lanka — with the Bureau’s live national-power score of --/100, ranking #-- of 195 countries.
What is Sri Lanka's power score?
Sri Lanka has a Magna Power score of --/100. The score measures structural power — the proven capacity to shape events — across nine components.