Sri Lanka is experiencing significant demographic shifts marked by declining fertility, population ageing, and changing migration patterns which present challenges and opportunities for sustainable development. These interconnected trends are a direct result of the country’s development trajectory as the progress made in healthcare, education, and economic opportunities has contributed to improved living standards and longer life expectancy leading to decline in fertility and population ageing.

However, these shifts, unlike in more developed countries, are occurring in a context of persistent inequality, lower per capita income, and less developed institutions and carry implications for socio-economic development, health care and social structures. It presents challenges but also the potential for a ‘demographic dividend’ that must be harnessed to ensure sustainable development.  

This issue brief provides an overview of the critical population dynamics in Sri Lanka in terms of low fertility, an ageing population, and migration, and their implications for the country’s sustainable development.