Sri Lanka’s Statistics Today: Demography, Parties, Et cetera

KK  de Silva** … responding to a Request from Michael Roberts (see Below for my Note to several pals)

 A = Ethnic Groups at latest census 2011, 2012 … https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_Sri_Lanka

Sinhalese 15, 250, 081                  74. 90%
Sri Lankan Tamils  2, 269, 266    11.15%
Sri Lankan Moors 1, 892, 638      9.30%
Indian Tamils  839, 504                 4.12%
Sri Lankan Malays 44, 130           0.22%
Burghers, Eurasians 38, 293         0.19%
Others 25, 527                                  0.13%
Total 20, 359, 439
……………………………….. Above figures are in line with figures provided by the Dept. Of Census & Statistics.

KK  de Silva** … responding to a Request from Michael Roberts (see Below for my Note to several pals)

A = Ethnic Groups at latest census 2011, 2012 … https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_Sri_Lanka

Sinhalese 15, 250, 081                  74. 90%
Sri Lankan Tamils  2, 269, 266    11.15%
Sri Lankan Moors 1, 892, 638      9.30%
Indian Tamils  839, 504                 4.12%
Sri Lankan Malays 44, 130           0.22%
Burghers, Eurasians 38, 293         0.19%
Others 25, 527                                  0.13%
Total 20, 359, 439
……………………………….. Above figures are in line with figures provided by the Dept. Of Census & Statistics.

D: Party Composition of the Parliament based on Parliament website = https://www.parliament.lk/en/members-of-parliament/party-comp

Ninth Parliament of the D.S.R. of Sri Lanka:Name of political party & Number of Seats obtained at the Election
Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna 145
Samagi Jana Balawegaya 54
Illankai Tamil Arasu Kadchi 10
Jathika Jana Balawegaya 3
Ealam People’s Democratic Party 2
Ahila Ilankai Thamil Congress 2
Thamil Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal 1
Sri Lanka Freedom Party 1
Muslim National Alliance 1
Thamil Makkal Thesiya Kuttani 1
All Ceylon Makkal Congress 1
National Congress 1
Sri Lanka Muslim Congress 1
United National Party 1
Our Power of People Party 1

Note : This was the composition soon after the Parliamentary Election. There have been some, around 20-25 , who became independent of the original party since then. Some with the govt, some in the opposition.

Political Parties based on Wikipedia: …. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_political_parties_in_Sri_Lanka

Parliamentary Registered Parties    30
Other Parties 45
Unregistered Parties 17
Dormant  Parties 32
………..  The above list may not be up to date, as new parties & organizations have been cropping up since the Aragalaya, though not registered yet.

B & C

Information is available district wise, based on the 2012 census  & is available at Table 3.3 (page 15) of the cbsl report for 2018 , which is attached.I have extracted the ethnic figures for each district from this table & they are given below. Hope you receive them in readable form. If not, you may have to refer to Table 3.3.

Based on the cbsl report  Economic & Social Statistics of Sri Lanka 2018 . Table 3.3 ,  ………..  pdf attached.

B  – the ethnic breakdown per District is given below % wise

C – ethnic breakdown , district wise & % wise , for Greater Colombo (Western Province) is given below

Dist.   Population      Ethnicity % wise    000

         SINH  SLT  IND.T SL MOOR OTHER %
Western Province
Colombo 2,324.3        76.5    10.1   1.0     10.7            1.6
Gampaha 2,304.8       90.5      3.5    0.4       4.2          1.3
Kalutara   1,221.9        86.8      1.9    1.9      9.3           0.2

Central Province
Kandy   1,375.4             74.4      5.0    6.2     13.9         0.5
Matale   484.5               80.8      5.0    4.8       9.2         0.2
Nuwara Eliya 711.6     39.6      4.6    53.1     2.5         0.2

Southern Province
Galle   1,063.3               94.4      1.3     0.6      3.6         0.1
Matara 814.0                94.3      1.1    1.5       3.1         0.0
Hambantota 599.9      97.1      0.4     0.0      1.1         1.5

Northern Province
Jaffna 583.9                    0.4    98.9    0.3     0.4          0.0
Mannar 99.6                    2.3    80.4    0.7    16.5         0.0
Vavuniya 172.1             10.0    82.0    1.1      6.8         0.1
Mullaitivu 92.2                9.7    85.8     2.5      2.0        0.1
Kilinochchi 113.5           1.2     97.3    0.9       0.6        0.0

Eastern Province
Batticaloa 526.6             1.3     72.3    0.4      25.4      0.6
Ampara 649.4               38.9    17.3     0.1     43.4       0.3
Trincomalee 379.5       26.7     30.7   0.3     41.8       0.4

North Western Province
Kurunegala 1,618.5      91.1       1.1    0.2     7.2        0.2
Puttalam 762.40           73.6       6.3     0.3     19.4      0.5

North Central Province
Anuradhapura 860.6    91.0       0.5     0.1      8.2     0.2
Polonnaruwa 406.1     90.7       1.8     0.0      7.4      0.1

Uva Province
Badulla 815.4                73.0       2.7    18.5     5.5      0.4
Monaragala 451.1       94.9       1.8     1.1       2.1    0.1

Sabaragamuwa Province
Ratnapura 1,088.0        87.1      5.0     5.7       2.1    0.1
Kegalle 840.6                 85.5      2.1     5.2      7.1     0.1

Total 20,359.4               74.9      11.2   4.1       9.3     0.5

(a) Based on Census of Population and Housing – 2012 Source : Department of Census and Statistics

     **** ****

A NOTE from Michael Roberts, 4 January 2023

KK is responding here to a Request that I circulated to a few friends just yesterday. This memo runs thus:

DEAR Friends:  Pl convey to me the following data …with web source indicated

A = the numbers and percentages of ethnic groups in sL a/c latest census

B = the ethnic breakdown per Province

C = the ethnic figures/percentages for Greater Colombo

D= the principal political parties in the House of Reps and their numbers …together with a listing of minor parties

…. and whoever does so first pl tell th others in order to avoid duplication of labour

Michael

****************

ANOTHER NOTE

Kithsiri de Silva was my compatriot at St. Aloysius College in Galle and we represented “College” (as we referred to our school) at cricket, soccer & athletics as team mates. KK went on to serve the Goverment of Sri Lanka and one of the jobs he was appointed to was Secretary to the Paranagama Commission of 2015 …………………………… (https://www.colombotelegraph.com/index.php/maxwell-paranagama-commission-report-full-text/).  He is well-organised, committed and a true servant of our land.
….
KK is second frol theleft in the Aoysian athletic squad for 1956 … & …. fourth from the left in the back row of the soccer squad for 1955

4 Comments

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4 responses to “Sri Lanka’s Statistics Today: Demography, Parties, Et cetera

  1. Sachi Sri Kantha

    Thanks a lot for providing these numbers, related to the current Sri Lankan population. Now, here is a tangential snipe, which many may not appreciate or don’t wish to address, Can your pal K.K. de Silva provide for me the verified ethnic composition of the Sri Lankan armed forces? Does the ethnic composition of the SL armed forces reflect the current ethnic composition of the SL population overall? According to the population statistics presented, optimally one fourth of the ethnic composition of SL armed forces SHOULD be represented by ethnic minorities (SL Tamils, SL Moors and Indian-origin Tamils) isn’t it?

  2. dickie bird

    Sachi Sri Kantha,
    The composition is not a reflection.
    it depends on applicats and criteria of suitability & back ground check no relavancy to ethnic composition.
    This ethnic composition must requested for the 60s, 70s, 80s 90s upto 2000 if available.
    Not only in the armed forces but in the Government Service as well.

    • Though I have ‘passed’ this comment, the grammar and spelling is awry …and some of the meaning is lost. Pl get aid and rework the comment

    • Sachi Sri Kantha

      Though Dickie Bird’s response to my comment is ‘awry and some meaning is lost’, as noted by Thuppahi, I do get this correspondent’s drift. I’ll respond briefly. In Tamil, there is a popular idiom – ‘As if attempting to hide a whole pumpkin, in a plate of rice.’ The ‘Criteria of suitability and background check’ is arrant nonsense. ‘Criteria of suitability and background checks’ become passable and accepted (to put it simply), if the applicant’s name is Sinhalese, and NOT Tamil or Muslim, according to the ‘ethnic-cleansing’ Sri Lankan standard.

      This rot began with Sirima Bandaranaike government’s, after 1962 army coup. The policy adopted was, ‘eliminate the minority hiring, and select only the Sinhalese ethnics.’

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