Forcibly displaced people in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Forcibly displaced people was 5,284 in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Forcibly displaced people in Sri Lanka, 2010–2025
Source: Refugee Population Statistics Database, UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
Analysis
Sri Lanka recorded 5,284 for forcibly displaced people in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 16 years on record.
That represents a change of down 0.3% on the previous year and down 88.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, forcibly displaced people in Sri Lanka peaked at 327,358 in 2010 and was at its lowest, 5,284, in 2025.
That places Sri Lanka 134th out of 180 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Forcibly displaced people in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 327,358 | — |
| 2011 | 125,385 | -61.7% |
| 2012 | 93,364 | -25.5% |
| 2013 | 91,748 | -1.7% |
| 2014 | 91,453 | -0.3% |
| 2015 | 45,383 | -50.4% |
| 2016 | 45,175 | -0.5% |
| 2017 | 43,449 | -3.8% |
| 2018 | 38,540 | -11.3% |
| 2019 | 27,402 | -28.9% |
| 2020 | 27,232 | -0.6% |
| 2021 | 12,108 | -55.5% |
| 2022 | 11,725 | -3.2% |
| 2023 | 11,555 | -1.4% |
| 2024 | 5,300 | -54.1% |
| 2025 | 5,284 | -0.3% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 5,284 is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 61,510, 9% of the median. (49 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Forcibly displaced people 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.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | -61.7% | 327,358 | 125,385 |
| 2021 | -55.5% | 27,232 | 12,108 |
| 2024 | -54.1% | 11,555 | 5,300 |
| 2015 | -50.4% | 91,453 | 45,383 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 92,926 | 27,402 | 327,358 | 10 |
| 2020s | 12,201 | 5,284 | 27,232 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
More social development data for Sri Lanka
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 213 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 148,369 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 3 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 3 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0068 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 148,369 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is forcibly displaced people in Sri Lanka?
- Forcibly displaced people in Sri Lanka was 5,284 in 2025, according to Refugee Population Statistics Database, UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
- What is the highest forcibly displaced people recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 327,358 in 2010.
- What is the lowest forcibly displaced people recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 5,284 in 2025.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for forcibly displaced people?
- Sri Lanka ranks 134th out of 180 countries with data for 2025.
- Is forcibly displaced people rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is down 88.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Sri Lanka data come from?
- The figures come from Refugee Population Statistics Database, UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), published as part of Forcibly displaced people. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 16 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Forcibly displaced people are represented by the sum of (1) refugees (and people in a refugee-like situation) under the mandate of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), (2) refugees under the mandate of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), (3) asylum-seekers, (4) other people in need of international protection, and (5) internally displaced people (IDPs). Situations in which people are reported in more than one of these categories are accounted for, to the extent possible.