Figure 1.1 Map of Sri Lanka

Figure 1.1 Map of Sri Lanka

Source: United Nations Cartographic Section, 2008

The climate of the island is dominated by tropical monsoon systems. The mean annual temperature in Sri Lanka is largely homogeneous, regional differences being largely due to altitude rather than to latitude. In the lowlands up to an altitude of 100–150 m, the mean annual temperature

varies between 26.5 ºC and 28.5 ºC, while in the highlands, e.g. Nuwara Eliya, which is 1800 m above sea level, it is around 15.9°C (Chandrapala, 2007). Analysis of long-term data on rainfall and temperature indicate a decrease in the annual average rainfall together with a higher variability in the annual rainfall anomaly and a trend of increasing air temperature, which have been attributed to climate change (Basnayake, 2007).

The population of Sri Lanka by province is given in Table 1.1. Trends in demographic indicators for selected years are given in Table 1.2. Trends in ageing and dependency in Sri Lanka are given in Table 1.3.

Table 1.1 Population of Sri Lanka by province

Province Population in 1000’s % of total population Population density

% of population 60 years and over

Western Province 6129.0 28.3 1705.8 13.4

Central Province 2750.0 12.7 493.3 12.8 Southern Province 2637.0 12.2 472.3 14.0 Northern Province 1131.0 5.2 136.4 11.8 Eastern Province 1710.0 7.9 182.7 7.8 North Western Province 2536.0 11.7 337.9 12.2 North Central Province 1366.0 6.3 140.2 9.4 Uva Province 1364.0 6.3 163.6 10.8 Sabaragamuwa 2047.0 9.4 416.0 13.8 Sri Lanka 21 670.0 100.0 345.6 12.4

Source: Department of Census and Statistics, 2020

1.1.1 Population and ageing The country is home to 21.7 million people of whom 52% are females. The average population density is 347.1 persons per sq.km. However, the population is unevenly distributed among the nine provinces (Table 1.1). Nearly a third of the country’s population lives in the Western Province, the country’s administrative and economic hub (Department of Census and Statistics, 2015a). The population density of this province is nearly five times the country’s average at 1705.8 persons per sq.km. The crude birth rate, total fertility rate and average annual population growth rate have declined steadily over time, while life expectancy (LE) at birth has increased. It is noted that women have a nearly 7-year advantage over men in LE.