Air transport, passengers carried in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka: Air transport, passengers carried was 3.87 million in 2023. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2023)
3.87 million
Change on year
up 18.9%
World rank
69th
of 183 countries
All-time high
5.88 million
in 2018
All-time low
100,000
in 1978
Years of data
54
1970–2023

Air transport, passengers carried in Sri Lanka, 1970–2023

02.0M4.0M6.0M197019962023

Source: Civil Aviation Statistics of the World, International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).

Analysis

In 2023, air transport, passengers carried in Sri Lanka stood at 3.87 million.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 18.9% on the previous year and down 19.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, air transport, passengers carried in Sri Lanka peaked at 5.88 million in 2018 and was at its lowest, 100,000, in 1978.

Sri Lanka ranks 69th of 183 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Air transport, passengers carried in Sri Lanka, year by year

Annual values for Air transport, passengers carried in Sri Lanka, 1970 to 2023.
Year Value Change
1970 104,600 —
1971 116,000 +10.9%
1972 116,000 +0.0%
1973 108,500 -6.5%
1974 107,700 -0.7%
1975 117,300 +8.9%
1976 127,700 +8.9%
1977 181,000 +41.7%
1978 100,000 -44.8%
1979 105,300 +5.3%
1980 235,000 +123.2%
1981 405,200 +72.4%
1982 572,700 +41.3%
1983 616,500 +7.6%
1984 681,300 +10.5%
1985 698,600 +2.5%
1986 611,400 -12.5%
1987 586,900 -4.0%
1988 694,300 +18.3%
1989 744,500 +7.2%
1990 891,800 +19.8%
1991 892,700 +0.1%
1992 1.05 million +17.1%
1993 993,800 -5.0%
1994 1.07 million +7.3%
1995 1.16 million +8.3%
1996 1.17 million +1.3%
1997 1.23 million +5.2%
1998 1.21 million -1.6%
1999 1.42 million +17.2%
2000 1.76 million +23.5%
2001 1.72 million -2.1%
2002 1.74 million +1.3%
2003 1.96 million +12.5%
2004 2.41 million +23.3%
2005 2.82 million +16.8%
2006 3.10 million +10.0%
2007 3.21 million +3.4%
2008 2.95 million -8.0%
2009 2.42 million -18.1%
2010 3.01 million +24.4%
2011 3.67 million +21.8%
2012 4.62 million +25.9%
2013 4.79 million +3.8%
2014 4.76 million -0.8%
2015 4.91 million +3.3%
2016 5.28 million +7.6%
2017 5.40 million +2.3%
2018 5.88 million +8.9%
2019 5.58 million -5.1%
2020 1.24 million -77.8%
2021 871,685 -29.7%
2022 3.25 million +273.1%
2023 3.87 million +18.9%

Sri Lanka compared with similar countries

  • Sri Lanka's 3.87 million is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 1.37 million, 2.8× the median. (52 countries reporting)
  • Sri Lanka's 3.87 million is below the median for South Asia, which is 4.08 million, 95% of the median. (6 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Air transport, passengers carried in Sri Lanka changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.

YearChange FromTo
2022 +273.1% 871,685 3.25 million
1980 +123.2% 105,300 235,000
2020 -77.8% 5.58 million 1.24 million

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 118,410 100,000 181,000 10
1980s 584,640 235,000 744,500 10
1990s 1.11 million 891,800 1.42 million 10
2000s 2.41 million 1.72 million 3.21 million 10
2010s 4.79 million 3.01 million 5.88 million 10
2020s 2.31 million 871,685 3.87 million 4

Countries ranked near Sri Lanka

  1. 66 Nepal 4.29 million compare
  2. 67 Tunisia 4.11 million compare
  3. 68 Serbia 3.87 million compare
  4. 70 Iraq 3.76 million compare
  5. 71 Jordan 3.73 million compare
  6. 72 Myanmar 3.54 million compare

See the full ranking of 230 places →

More infrastructure data for Sri Lanka

All data for Sri Lanka →

Frequently asked questions

What is air transport, passengers carried in Sri Lanka?
Air transport, passengers carried in Sri Lanka was 3.87 million in 2023, according to Civil Aviation Statistics of the World, International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).
What is the highest air transport, passengers carried recorded in Sri Lanka?
The highest recorded value was 5.88 million in 2018.
What is the lowest air transport, passengers carried recorded in Sri Lanka?
The lowest recorded value was 100,000 in 1978.
How does Sri Lanka rank for air transport, passengers carried?
Sri Lanka ranks 69th out of 183 countries with data for 2023.
Is air transport, passengers carried rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
Over the last ten years it is down 19.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Sri Lanka data come from?
The figures come from Civil Aviation Statistics of the World, International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), published as part of Air transport, passengers carried. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Air transport, passengers carried in Sri Lanka. Statizoid, drawing on Civil Aviation Statistics of the World, International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). Retrieved 10 October 2026, from https://infrastructure.statizoid.com/stat/air-transport-passengers-carried/sri-lanka/

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About this data

Indicator
Air transport, passengers carried
Source
Civil Aviation Statistics of the World, International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
230 places, 10,242 data points, 1970–2023
Last refreshed

Air carrier data per country refers to passengers carried by airlines registered in that country regardless of the origin or destination of the passengers.