Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte - Colombo: population
Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte - Colombo, Sri Lanka: 5.22 million people in 2025, by the UN estimate.
Rank among the cities of the country: 1 of 24.
In 1975 it had 2.05 million people.
In 2000 it had 3.82 million people, so it has grown by 37% since then.
For 2050 the UN projects 5.82 million people.
A city here is a dense area of at least 1,500 people per km² with at least 50,000 people, drawn on a population grid by the UN degree of urbanisation. It can differ from the city’s administrative borders and from national statistics. Years from 2026 on are projections.
Largest cities: Sri Lanka
| City | 2025 | 2050, projected |
|---|---|---|
| Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte - Colombo | 5,223,838 | 5,816,080 |
| Kandy | 785,519 | 880,569 |
| Galle | 346,263 | 404,907 |
| Matara | 292,019 | 324,577 |
| Jaffna | 200,544 | 157,266 |
| Kalmunai | 156,093 | 167,313 |
| Batticaloa | 147,618 | 161,907 |
| Wennappuwa | 106,641 | 123,546 |
| Matale | 102,855 | 122,666 |
| Akkaraipattu | 101,464 | 108,871 |
Sri Lanka: population and ages
Sources: World Urbanization Prospects 2025, UN DESA Population Division (CC BY 3.0 IGO).
