Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of was 2.35 units per square kilometre in 2023. ▲ Rising
Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of in Sri Lanka, 1985–2023
Source: Statizoid (derived). Measured in units per square kilometre.
Analysis
Sri Lanka recorded 2.35 units per square kilometre for refugees under the mandate of the unhcr by country or territory of in 2023.
The figure is down 1.9% on the previous year and up 19.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, refugees under the mandate of the unhcr by country or territory of in Sri Lanka peaked at 3.34 units per square kilometre in 1991 and was at its lowest, 0.0026 units per square kilometre, in 1985.
Sri Lanka ranks 12th of 196 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 39 years of available data.
Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | units per square kilometre | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 0.0026 units per square kilometre | — |
| 1986 | 0.005 units per square kilometre | +96.9% |
| 1987 | 0.0035 units per square kilometre | -30.5% |
| 1988 | 0.054 units per square kilometre | +1447.0% |
| 1989 | 0.1227 units per square kilometre | +127.0% |
| 1990 | 3.32 units per square kilometre | +2607.6% |
| 1991 | 3.34 units per square kilometre | +0.5% |
| 1992 | 2.04 units per square kilometre | -38.8% |
| 1993 | 1.46 units per square kilometre | -28.3% |
| 1994 | 1.83 units per square kilometre | +24.6% |
| 1995 | 1.72 units per square kilometre | -6.0% |
| 1996 | 1.75 units per square kilometre | +1.8% |
| 1997 | 1.95 units per square kilometre | +11.6% |
| 1998 | 1.83 units per square kilometre | -6.0% |
| 1999 | 1.86 units per square kilometre | +1.5% |
| 2000 | 1.98 units per square kilometre | +6.4% |
| 2001 | 1.95 units per square kilometre | -1.4% |
| 2002 | 2.12 units per square kilometre | +8.8% |
| 2003 | 1.95 units per square kilometre | -8.4% |
| 2004 | 1.82 units per square kilometre | -6.5% |
| 2005 | 1.72 units per square kilometre | -5.2% |
| 2006 | 1.86 units per square kilometre | +8.2% |
| 2007 | 2.15 units per square kilometre | +15.4% |
| 2008 | 2.2 units per square kilometre | +2.1% |
| 2009 | 2.32 units per square kilometre | +5.8% |
| 2010 | 2.25 units per square kilometre | -3.2% |
| 2011 | 2.18 units per square kilometre | -3.2% |
| 2012 | 2.12 units per square kilometre | -2.8% |
| 2013 | 1.96 units per square kilometre | -7.3% |
| 2014 | 1.95 units per square kilometre | -0.9% |
| 2015 | 1.96 units per square kilometre | +0.9% |
| 2016 | 1.9 units per square kilometre | -3.3% |
| 2017 | 1.87 units per square kilometre | -1.6% |
| 2018 | 1.84 units per square kilometre | -1.4% |
| 2019 | 1.78 units per square kilometre | -3.2% |
| 2020 | 2.31 units per square kilometre | +29.3% |
| 2021 | 2.44 units per square kilometre | +5.9% |
| 2022 | 2.39 units per square kilometre | -2.0% |
| 2023 | 2.35 units per square kilometre | -1.9% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 2.35 units per square kilometre is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.0448 units per square kilometre, 52.4× the median. (57 countries reporting)
- Sri Lanka's 2.35 units per square kilometre is above the median for South Asia, which is 0.1803 units per square kilometre, 13.0× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | +2607.6% | 0.1227 units per square kilometre | 3.32 units per square kilometre |
| 1988 | +1447.0% | 0.0035 units per square kilometre | 0.054 units per square kilometre |
| 1989 | +127.0% | 0.054 units per square kilometre | 0.1227 units per square kilometre |
| 1986 | +96.9% | 0.0026 units per square kilometre | 0.005 units per square kilometre |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 0.0376 units per square kilometre | 0.0026 units per square kilometre | 0.1227 units per square kilometre | 5 |
| 1990s | 2.11 units per square kilometre | 1.46 units per square kilometre | 3.34 units per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.01 units per square kilometre | 1.72 units per square kilometre | 2.32 units per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.98 units per square kilometre | 1.78 units per square kilometre | 2.25 units per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.37 units per square kilometre | 2.31 units per square kilometre | 2.44 units per square kilometre | 4 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
- 9 South Sudan 3.63 units per square kilometre compare
- 10 El Salvador 3.31 units per square kilometre compare
- 11 Monaco 2.47 units per square kilometre compare
- 13 Myanmar 1.97 units per square kilometre compare
- 14 Azerbaijan 1.91 units per square kilometre compare
- 15 Somalia 1.34 units per square kilometre compare
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 refugees under the mandate of the unhcr by country or territory of in Sri Lanka?
- Refugees under the mandate of the unhcr by country or territory of in Sri Lanka was 2.35 units per square kilometre in 2023, according to Statizoid (derived).
- What is the highest refugees under the mandate of the unhcr by country or territory of recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 3.34 units per square kilometre in 1991.
- What is the lowest refugees under the mandate of the unhcr by country or territory of recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0026 units per square kilometre in 1985.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for refugees under the mandate of the unhcr by country or territory of?
- Sri Lanka ranks 12th out of 196 countries with data for 2023.
- Is refugees under the mandate of the unhcr by country or territory of rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is up 19.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sri Lanka data come from?
- The figures come from Statizoid (derived), published as part of Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of origin, per square kilometre. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 39 observations, free to reuse under Derived by Statizoid from the sources named on the page.
How this figure is calculated
Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of origin divided by Land area (sq. km), matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.
Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of origin ÷ Land area (sq. km)
Computed from
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of Refugee Population Statistics Database, UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
- Land area FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
Statizoid computes this series; the underlying measurements belong to the publishers named above. The arithmetic is applied to every country and year where both inputs report, and nothing is estimated unless the page says so.
About this data
Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of origin divided by Land area (sq. km), matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.