Sri Lanka, April 7 -- The population of Sri Lanka increased by 1.4 million over the past 12 years, according to the latest Census of Population and Housing. The 2024 census report reveals this data, which also shows a slight decline in the number of men for every 100 women in the country.

The 15th Census of Population and Housing began on December 19, 2024, and was notably the first in history to use tablets and smartphones for data collection. Director General of the Department of Census and Statistics, K.M.D.S.D. Karunaratne handed the final report to President Anura Kumara Dissanayake.

Key findings from the census:

Total Population: 21,781,800 (compared to 20,359,439 in 2012)

Total Increase: 1,422,361 people

Gender Split: Women ma...