Sri Lanka
Esri provides a standard demographics dataset for Sri Lanka sourced from data supplied by Michael Bauer Research GmbH. Visit Where to find ArcGIS Data to learn more about using Esri Demographics.
Release date
This dataset was updated in November 2026; the vintage is 2026.
Settlement points
Esri's Sri Lankan settlement points use the European Commission Global Human Settlement Layer (GHSL), 100 meter resolution 2025 estimated population raster layer. The points were verified using the latest Esri imagery. More information about the data can be found at https://ghslsys.jrc.ec.europa.eu.
Geography levels
| Esri geography name | Local geography name | Feature count |
|---|---|---|
| Country | Shrī Laḷkā | 1 |
| Provinces | Paḷāt | 9 |
| Districts | Distrikka | 25 |
| Subdistricts | Prādeshiya Lēkam Koḷḷhāsaval | 340 |
Visualize demographic data variables
The data browser is an interface to help you visualize and explore the data categories and analysis variables available in Esri Demographics. See Explore data variables to learn more about this visualization tool.
Standard demographics use cases
The Esri standard demographics dataset for Sri Lanka is updated with Michael Bauer Research GmbH data updates to this region, approximately every two years. See the Related links section below for a variable list and release notes.
The following sections include example use cases that may help you understand Sri Lanka's demographics.
Total Population
What is measured: The total number of individuals living in a specific area.
How you use it: Population counts are often used by local and national governments for policy planning, resource allocation, and informed decision-making based on the needs of various population groups within a country or region. You can use this data to explore the allocation of public services, economic development, political representation, social research, and resources available for disaster preparedness.
Population Density
What is measured: The number of people per unit of area (square mile or square kilometer).
How you use it: Population Density is typically used for national and local projects such as infrastructure design, urban planning to allocate and distribute public services, and environmental impact assessments of human activity based on where people are concentrated.
Population per Mill
What is measured: The region's proportional share of the total national population.
How you use it: Population per Mill is used to understand the comparative distribution of population in a country or region based on a per-thousand ratio. This data is used to support market trend analysis, infrastructure planning, and regional and national policy development. Population distribution is often used in health care to track disease prevalence or vaccination rates.
Male/Female Population Totals
What is measured: The total number of females and males in a region's population.
How you use it: Population by Gender counts provide insight into the balance between females and males in a region, which is used for informed decision-making in areas such as education, workforce planning, health care, and skills training. This data is also used to help interpret complex results, such as health-care outcomes, crime statistics, targeted marketing campaigns, and housing shortages.
Population by 15-Year Age and Gender
What is measured: The distribution of regional population across 15-year age groups and gender.
How you use it: Total, Female, and Male Population by 15-Year Age counts can be used to help predict future social and economic trends and to plan for future resource allocation based on age groups in fields such as education, health care, and the labor force. This data is important for identifying potential challenges related to shifts in age or gender ratios within different age brackets.
Total Households
What is measured: The total number of households in a region.
How you use it: Total Household counts can help you understand the composition of a country's population based on how many people live in a single dwelling or housing unit. This data assists with informed decision-making in areas such as government policy, business strategy, community planning, and social research. You can use household counts to identify community needs, allocate public policy funds, perform business market analysis, and design targeted social programs. Local authorities use household counts to plan for community development projects, considering factors such as housing availability and density.
Average Household Size
What is measured: The median or average size of households (people who share the same living quarters) in a region.
How you use it: Average Household Size data helps you understand the overall population structure and informs policy decisions related to housing, resource allocation, and service provisioning. This data is used to analyze economic trends, specifically consumption patterns, based on the number of people sharing living spaces in a region.
Marital Status
What is measured: Regional population based on marital status categories.
How you use it: Marital Status categories are used to understand the social structure of the population, inform policy decisions related to family dynamics, plan the needs of programs with spousal benefits, analyze trends in regional marriage rates, and improve marketing campaigns based on life stages and household composition. This data is used in government policy planning, economic analysis, social and market research, and health-care planning.
Standardized Educational Attainment
What is measured: Levels of education achieved by individuals in the regional population based on international, standardized metrics.
How you use it: Standardized Educational Attainment categories can improve understanding about the effectiveness of regional education programs. This data can be used to compare educational attainment or metrics across countries, regions, or globally. Standardized Educational Attainment is typically used to assess a country's economic potential, social development, and workforce capabilities. It can also be used to provide the parameters for public policies, workforce training, and social programs and to inform multiregional education program decision-making.
Educational Attainment
What is measured: Levels of education achieved by individuals in the regional population based on local educational levels or metrics.
How you use it: Educational Attainment categories help improve understanding of the overall regional education experience. This data is typically used to inform a country's education planning, economic potential, and social development. Governments and businesses—such as companies looking to relocate or expand into a region—may use this data to evaluate whether a region has an existing skilled workforce in industries such as technology, health care, or manufacturing. This data can help identify potential regional policy gaps requiring further educational programs or workforce training. Policymakers use local educational attainment data to identify regions with imbalances in economic outcomes, or to locate areas that may require targeted support, adult education programs, or improved social services.
Purchasing Power
What is measured: The ability of individuals or households to buy goods and services in a region. Purchasing Power data consists of four metrics:
Total—The sum of all regional household disposable income.
Per Mill—The region's proportional share of the nation's disposable income.
Per Capita—The per-person average of all regional disposable income.
Index—The comparison of regional disposable income to the national average, which has an index value of 100. For example, if a region's purchasing power index is 89, it has 11 percent less disposable income than the national average; if the region's index is 117, it has 17 percent more purchasing power than average.
How you use it: Purchasing Power data can help improve understanding of the potential consumer market in a country or region, specifically to determine pricing strategies and market potential options. This data can be used to develop targeted product, business, and sales strategies when entering a new market or expanding within an existing one.
Related links
Refer to the following content: