Sri Lanka, July 13 -- Delayed marriage and childbearing among young people should be understood as responses to current economic and social conditions rather than a rejection of family life, Professor of Demography at the University of Colombo and President of the Population Association of Sri Lanka, Manori Kaluthantiri Weeratunga said.

Writing ahead of World Population Day 2026, Professor Manori Kaluthantiri Weeratunga noted that Sri Lanka undergoes significant demographic changes, including declining fertility, population ageing, increased youth migration, and changing family patterns.

Young people navigate a rapidly changing social and economic environment, where rising living costs, employment uncertainty, limited access to affordab...