Life expectancy (Our World) in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Life expectancy (Our World) was 77.48 in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
77.48
Change on year
up 0.2%
World rank
84th
of 236 countries
All-time high
77.48
in 2023
All-time low
29.9
in 1911
Years of data
82
1901–2023
Life expectancy in Sri Lanka, 1901–2023
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
Sri Lanka recorded 77.48 for life expectancy in 2023. That is the highest value across all 82 years on record.
The figure is up 0.2% on the previous year and up 2.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, life expectancy in Sri Lanka peaked at 77.48 in 2023 and was at its lowest, 29.9, in 1911.
That places Sri Lanka 84th out of 236 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 82 years of available data.
Life expectancy (Our World) in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1901 | 32.6 | — |
| 1911 | 29.9 | -8.3% |
| 1921 | 32 | +7.0% |
| 1935 | 46.3 | +44.7% |
| 1940 | 45.2 | -2.4% |
| 1946 | 45.8 | +1.3% |
| 1948 | 54 | +17.9% |
| 1949 | 55.5 | +2.8% |
| 1950 | 53.17 | -4.2% |
| 1951 | 53.98 | +1.5% |
| 1952 | 54.86 | +1.6% |
| 1953 | 55.65 | +1.4% |
| 1954 | 56.44 | +1.4% |
| 1955 | 57.18 | +1.3% |
| 1956 | 57.9 | +1.3% |
| 1957 | 58.54 | +1.1% |
| 1958 | 59.28 | +1.3% |
| 1959 | 59.97 | +1.2% |
| 1960 | 60.6 | +1.1% |
| 1961 | 61.16 | +0.9% |
| 1962 | 61.63 | +0.8% |
| 1963 | 62.03 | +0.7% |
| 1964 | 62.38 | +0.6% |
| 1965 | 62.79 | +0.7% |
| 1966 | 63.16 | +0.6% |
| 1967 | 63.56 | +0.6% |
| 1968 | 63.87 | +0.5% |
| 1969 | 64.14 | +0.4% |
| 1970 | 64.35 | +0.3% |
| 1971 | 64.24 | -0.2% |
| 1972 | 64.62 | +0.6% |
| 1973 | 64.79 | +0.2% |
| 1974 | 64.97 | +0.3% |
| 1975 | 65.36 | +0.6% |
| 1976 | 65.84 | +0.7% |
| 1977 | 66.39 | +0.8% |
| 1978 | 66.84 | +0.7% |
| 1979 | 67.51 | +1.0% |
| 1980 | 68.01 | +0.7% |
| 1981 | 68.38 | +0.6% |
| 1982 | 68.66 | +0.4% |
| 1983 | 68.73 | +0.1% |
| 1984 | 68.76 | +0.1% |
| 1985 | 68.88 | +0.2% |
| 1986 | 68.96 | +0.1% |
| 1987 | 69.01 | +0.1% |
| 1988 | 69 | -0.0% |
| 1989 | 67.28 | -2.5% |
| 1990 | 69.24 | +2.9% |
| 1991 | 69.13 | -0.2% |
| 1992 | 69.62 | +0.7% |
| 1993 | 70.05 | +0.6% |
| 1994 | 70.21 | +0.2% |
| 1995 | 69.75 | -0.7% |
| 1996 | 69.84 | +0.1% |
| 1997 | 69.93 | +0.1% |
| 1998 | 70.13 | +0.3% |
| 1999 | 70.43 | +0.4% |
| 2000 | 71.18 | +1.1% |
| 2001 | 71.8 | +0.9% |
| 2002 | 72.27 | +0.6% |
| 2003 | 72.44 | +0.2% |
| 2004 | 68.02 | -6.1% |
| 2005 | 73.07 | +7.4% |
| 2006 | 72.83 | -0.3% |
| 2007 | 72.98 | +0.2% |
| 2008 | 72.56 | -0.6% |
| 2009 | 70.3 | -3.1% |
| 2010 | 74.46 | +5.9% |
| 2011 | 74.74 | +0.4% |
| 2012 | 75.19 | +0.6% |
| 2013 | 75.55 | +0.5% |
| 2014 | 75.76 | +0.3% |
| 2015 | 75.99 | +0.3% |
| 2016 | 76.14 | +0.2% |
| 2017 | 76.24 | +0.1% |
| 2018 | 76.49 | +0.3% |
| 2019 | 76.7 | +0.3% |
| 2020 | 76.93 | +0.3% |
| 2021 | 76.28 | -0.8% |
| 2022 | 77.3 | +1.3% |
| 2023 | 77.48 | +0.2% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 77.48 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 74.42, 1.0× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Sri Lanka's 77.48 is above the median for South Asia, which is 73.82, 1.0× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Life expectancy (Our World) in Sri Lanka changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1935 | +44.7% | 32 | 46.3 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 32.6 | 32.6 | 32.6 | 1 |
| 1910s | 29.9 | 29.9 | 29.9 | 1 |
| 1920s | 32 | 32 | 32 | 1 |
| 1930s | 46.3 | 46.3 | 46.3 | 1 |
| 1940s | 50.12 | 45.2 | 55.5 | 4 |
| 1950s | 56.7 | 53.17 | 59.97 | 10 |
| 1960s | 62.53 | 60.6 | 64.14 | 10 |
| 1970s | 65.49 | 64.24 | 67.51 | 10 |
| 1980s | 68.57 | 67.28 | 69.01 | 10 |
| 1990s | 69.83 | 69.13 | 70.43 | 10 |
| 2000s | 71.75 | 68.02 | 73.07 | 10 |
| 2010s | 75.72 | 74.46 | 76.7 | 10 |
| 2020s | 77 | 76.28 | 77.48 | 4 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
- 81 Colombia 77.72 compare
- 82 Iran 77.65 compare
- 83 Antigua and Barbuda 77.6 compare
- 85 Bonaire Sint Eustatius and Saba 77.44 compare
- 86 Argentina 77.39 compare
- 86 North Macedonia 77.39 compare
More health data for Sri Lanka
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.62 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.7332 % change on previous year (2090)
- Un projection of annual infant deaths 304 (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 0 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -2.13 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per capita 0.0339 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate -2.12 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per capita 0.0353 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is life expectancy in Sri Lanka?
- Life expectancy in Sri Lanka was 77.48 in 2023, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest life expectancy recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 77.48 in 2023.
- What is the lowest life expectancy recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 29.9 in 1911.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for life expectancy?
- Sri Lanka ranks 84th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is life expectancy rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sri Lanka data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Life expectancy. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 82 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).