Proportion of urban population living in slums in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka: Proportion of urban population living in slums was 42.6% in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
42.6%
Change on year
down 4.6%
World rank
47th
of 210 countries
All-time high
57.6%
in 2000
All-time low
42.6%
in 2024
Years of data
13
2000–2024

Proportion of urban population living in slums in Sri Lanka, 2000–2024

02040602000201220242000: 57.6 %2002: 56.4 %2004: 55.1 %2006: 54 %2008: 52.9 %2010: 51.7 %2012: 50.5 %2014: 49.2 %2016: 48 %2018: 46.8 %2020: 45.7 %2022: 44.7 %2024: 42.6 %

Source: United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database. Measured in %.

Analysis

Sri Lanka recorded 42.6% for proportion of urban population living in slums in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 13 years on record.

That represents a change of down 4.6% on the previous year and down 13.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, proportion of urban population living in slums in Sri Lanka peaked at 57.6% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 42.6%, in 2024.

Sri Lanka ranks 47th of 210 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 13 years of available data.

Proportion of urban population living in slums in Sri Lanka, year by year

Annual values for Proportion of urban population living in slums (%) in Sri Lanka, 2000 to 2024.
Year % Change
2000 57.6%
2002 56.4% -2.1%
2004 55.1% -2.3%
2006 54.0% -1.9%
2008 52.9% -2.2%
2010 51.7% -2.3%
2012 50.5% -2.3%
2014 49.2% -2.5%
2016 48.0% -2.4%
2018 46.8% -2.5%
2020 45.7% -2.5%
2022 44.7% -2.2%
2024 42.6% -4.6%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 55.2% 52.9% 57.6% 5
2010s 49.2% 46.8% 51.7% 5
2020s 44.3% 42.6% 45.7% 3

Countries ranked near Sri Lanka

  1. 44 Yemen 44.2% compare
  2. 45 Guinea 44.0% compare
  3. 46 Zambia 43.4% compare
  4. 48 Bhutan 42.3% compare
  5. 48 Iran (Islamic Republic of) 42.3% compare
  6. 50 Namibia 41.4% compare

See the full ranking of 224 places →

More infrastructure data for Sri Lanka

All data for Sri Lanka →

Frequently asked questions

What is proportion of urban population living in slums in Sri Lanka?
Proportion of urban population living in slums in Sri Lanka was 42.6% in 2024, according to United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
What is the highest proportion of urban population living in slums recorded in Sri Lanka?
The highest recorded value was 57.6% in 2000.
What is the lowest proportion of urban population living in slums recorded in Sri Lanka?
The lowest recorded value was 42.6% in 2024.
How does Sri Lanka rank for proportion of urban population living in slums?
Sri Lanka ranks 47th out of 210 countries with data for 2024.
Is proportion of urban population living in slums rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
Over the last ten years it is down 13.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Sri Lanka data come from?
The figures come from United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database, published as part of Proportion of urban population living in slums (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Proportion of urban population living in slums in Sri Lanka. Statizoid, drawing on United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database. Retrieved 05 September 2026, from https://infrastructure.statizoid.com/stat/proportion-of-urban-population-living-in-slums-percent/sri-lanka/

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About this data

Indicator
Proportion of urban population living in slums (%)
Unit
%
Source
United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database
Licence
UN SDG Global Database (open, attribution requested)
Coverage
224 places, 2,923 data points, 2000–2025
Last refreshed