SRI LANKA STATISTICS

Sri Lanka - Statistical Summary

General

Official Name: Sri Lanka  Prajathanthrika Samajavadi Janarajaya (Sinhala); Ilangai Jananayaka Socialisa Kudiarasu (Tamil) (Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka).

Form of government: Unitary multiparty republic with one legislative house (Parliament).
Head of state and government: President.
Capitals: Colombo (administrative) and Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte (legislative).
Official languages: Sinhala; Tamil.
Official religion: none.
Monetary unit: 1 Sri Lanka Rupee (SL Rs) = 100 cents. [April 1999: 1US$ = SL Rs. 70.00]

Demography

Population (1994): 17,830,000.
Density (1994): Persons per sq mi 703.9, persons per sq km 271.8.
Urban-rural (1993): Urban 22.0%; Rural 78.0%.
Sex distribution (1991): Male 50.98%; Female 49.02%.
Age breakdown (1991): Under 15, 35.2%; 15-24, 21.1%; 25-44, 26.5%; 45-59, 10.6%; 60-69, 4.0%; 70 and over, 2.6%.
Population projection: (Year 2000): 19,117,000; (2010): 21,222,000.
Doubling time: 50 years.
Ethnic composition (1991): Sinhalese 82.7%; Tamil 8.9%; Sri Lankan Moor 7.7%; other 0.7%.
Religious affiliation (1981): Buddhist 69.3%; Hindu 15.5%; Muslim 7.6%; Christian 7.5%; other 0.1%.
Major cities (1990): Colombo 615,000; Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia 196,000; Moratuwa 170,000; Jaffna 129,000; Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte 109,000.

Vital Statistics

Birth rate per 1,000 population (1994): 20.0 (world avg. 26.0); (1982) legitimate 94.6%; illegitimate 5.4%.
Death rate per 1,000 population (1994): 6.0 (world avg. 9.2).
Natural increase rate per 1,000 population (1994): 14.0 (world avg. 16.8).
Total fertility rate (avg. births per childbearing woman; 1994): 2.4.
Marriage rate per 1,000 population (1990): 8.9.
Divorce rate per 1,000 population (1988): 0.2.
Life expectancy at birth (1994): male 70.0 years; female 74.0 years.
Major causes of death per 100,000 population (1986): diseases of the circulatory system 101.9; violence and poisoning 77.8; diseases of the nervous system 45.3; respiratory diseases 36.1; infectious and parasitic diseases 32.2.

National Economy

Budget (1992). Revenue: SL Rs 85,000,000,000 (sales and turnover tax 30.8%, import duties 25.6%, excise taxes .1%, income taxes 11.2%, nontax revenue 9.8%). Expenditures: SL Rs 118,802,000,000 (public-debt service 22.0%, transfer payments 19.4%, administration 16.4%, education 10.1%, transport 9.0%, defense 8.5%, general public services 8.2%).
Public debt (external, outstanding; 1992): U.S.,607,000,000.
Tourism (1992): receipts U.S.,000,000; expenditures U.S.,000,000.
Production (metric tons except as noted). Agriculture, forestry, fishing (1993): rice 2,450,000, coconuts 1,597,000, sugarcane 780,000, cassava 310,000, tea 232,000, rubber 110,000, sweet potatoes 65,000, copra 60,000; livestock (number of live animals) 1,600,000 cattle, 870,000 buffalo, 500,000 goats; roundwood (1992) 9,229,000 cu m; fish catch (1991): 198,063.
Mining and quarrying (1992): quartz stone 1,130,000; limestone 600,000; titanium concentrate 36,000; gemstones S.,000,000. Manufacturing (value added, in SL Rs; 1990): textiles and apparel 7,930,000,000; food and tobacco 21,955,000,000; petrochemicals 21,215,000,000. Construction (1990): residential, 6,262 units completed. Energy production (consumption): electricity (kW-hr; 1992) 3,540,000,000 (3,540,000,000); crude petroleum (barrels; 1992) none (9,742,000); petroleum products (metric tons; 1992) 1,227,000 (1,575,000).
Gross national product (1993): U.S.,573,000,000 (U.S. per capita).
Population economically active: total (1992) 5,948,221; activity rate 40.9% (participation rates: ages 15 and over, 56.6%; female 32.6%; unemployed 13.3%).
Household income and expenditure (1991). Average household size (1981) 5.2; income per household SL Rs 103,400 (U.S.,500); sources of income: wages 48.5%, property income and self-employment 43.3%, transfers 8.2%; expenditure: food and beverages 59.5%, transportation 14.8%, clothing 6.2%, household furnishings 5.0%, housing and energy 4.6%.
Land use (1992): forested 32.5%; meadows and pastures 6.8%; agricultural and under permanent cultivation 29.5%; other 31.2%.

Foreign Trade

Imports (1992): SL Rs 150,076,000,000 (textiles and textile articles 19.9%, machinery and appliances 13.0%, hemicals and related products 7.2%, vegetable products 6.7%, base metals and base-metal products 5.5%). Major import sources (1991): Japan 11.6%; India 7.1%; U.S. 5.7%; U.K. 5.4%; Iran 4.7%; China 3.3%; Pakistan 2.4%; Australia 1.2%.
Exports (1992): SL Rs 107,369,000,000 (tea 14.0%, natural rubber 2.7%, desiccated coconut 2.2%, coconut oil 1.0%). Major export destinations (1991): U.S. 28.4%; Germany 7.6%; U.K. 6.4%; Japan 5.2%; Canada 1.6%; Pakistan 1.6%; Australia 1.1%; India 0.6%.

Transport and communications

Transport. Railroads (1992): route length 1,427 km; passenger-km 2,818,000,000; metric ton-km cargo 168,900,000. oads (1991): total length 25,952 km (paved 81%). Vehicles (1992): passenger cars 189,477; trucks and buses 53,745. Merchant marine (1992): vessels (100 gross tons and over) 66; total deadweight tonnage 472,625. Air transport (1993): passenger-km 3,677,000,000; metric ton-km cargo 104,437,000; airports (1994)
Communications. Daily newspapers (1990): total number 18; total circulation 550,000; circulation per 1,000 population 32. Radio (1993): 2,200,000 receivers (1 per 8.0 persons). Television (1993): 700,000 receivers (1 per 25 persons). elephones (1992): 190,000 (1 per 92 persons).

Education and Health

Educational attainment (1981). Percentage of population age 25 and over having: no schooling 15.5%; less than complete primary education 12.1%; complete primary 52.3%; postprimary 14.7%; secondary 3.0%; higher 1.1%;unspecified 1.3%. Literacy (1991): percentage of population age 10 and over literate 86.9%; males literate 90.1%; females literate 83.8%.
Health (1992): physicians 3,345 (1 per 5,203 persons); hospital beds 48,061 (1 per 362 persons); infant mortality rate per 1,000 live births (1994) 23.
Food (1988-90): daily per capita caloric intake 2,246 (vegetable products 95%, animal products 5%); 101% of FAO recommended minimum.

Military

Total active duty personnel (1994): 126,000 (army 83.3%, navy 8.2%, air force 8.5%). Military expenditure as percentage of GNP (1991): 4.8% (world 4.2%); per capita expenditure U.S..