Where Sri Lankans move
1.5M Sri Lankans live abroad — #53 largest source of emigrants worldwide
Considering a move from Sri Lanka? — See top destinations, regional flows, and how it's changed since 1990.
Where emigrants go
The top 3 countries receive 39% of all emigrants
| Country | Emigrants |
|---|---|
| India | 253869 |
| Qatar | 161747 |
| United Kingdom | 160178 |
| Australia | 156876 |
| Canada | 140870 |
| United Arab Emirates | 112759 |
| Italy | 95118 |
| Saudi Arabia | 83297 |
| France | 56880 |
| Japan | 49037 |
| Kuwait | 42384 |
| Switzerland | 37483 |
| Oman | 30611 |
| New Zealand | 20823 |
| South Korea | 16851 |
| Bahrain | 11369 |
| Norway | 10598 |
| Cyprus | 10425 |
| Sweden | 9514 |
| Denmark | 8218 |
| Maldives | 7912 |
| Malaysia | 3310 |
| Brunei Darussalam | 1439 |
| Finland | 1351 |
| Mauritius | 1147 |
| Botswana | 1043 |
| Greece | 960 |
| Israel | 879 |
| Hong Kong | 843 |
| Seychelles | 619 |
| Pakistan | 539 |
| Libya | 413 |
| Indonesia | 396 |
| China | 378 |
| South Africa | 358 |
| Iceland | 287 |
| Latvia | 159 |
| North Korea | 157 |
| Nauru | 155 |
| Luxembourg | 98 |
| Portugal | 97 |
| Hungary | 87 |
| Malta | 85 |
| Papua New Guinea | 78 |
| Lithuania | 64 |
| Estonia | 63 |
| Cambodia | 51 |
| Bahamas | 42 |
| Nepal | 41 |
| Bhutan | 34 |
| Bulgaria | 28 |
| Slovakia | 26 |
| Ghana | 23 |
| Slovenia | 22 |
| Liechtenstein | 9 |
| Bolivia | 2 |
| Costa Rica | 1 |
| Guinea | 0 |
| Lebanon | 0 |
By destination region
Middle East is the leading destination region at 30%
453.5K
381.3K
334.9K
177.9K
140.9K
3.6K
45
Interesting facts
Notable statistics about emigration from Sri Lanka.
Japan is the fastest-growing major destination
Emigration to Japan has increased by 289% since 2015, rising from 12.6K to 49K in 9 years.
Emigration destinations have diversified since 1990
The top destination's share fell from 54% to 17%, indicating a broader spread of emigration patterns.
The share of emigrants going to Asia has declined since 1990
The share of emigrants going to Asia has shifted from 55.6% to 22.4% since 1990.
Top emigration destinations have shifted significantly since 1990
3 new countries have entered the top 20 destinations: Qatar, Japan, South Korea — Qatar rose from outside the top 20 to rank #2.
How emigration changed over time
Total emigrant population by year
| Year | Emigrants |
|---|---|
| 1990 | 843476 |
| 1995 | 721651 |
| 2000 | 786520 |
| 2005 | 910507 |
| 2010 | 1108466 |
| 2015 | 1246445 |
| 2020 | 1409777 |
| 2024 | 1492103 |
Top destinations over time
Emigration to the 5 largest destination countries
| Year | India | Qatar | United Kingdom | Australia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 457662 | 648 | 37243 | 42523 | 21567 |
| 1995 | 287440 | 879 | 49372 | 51943 | 42181 |
| 2000 | 253567 | 1197 | 64921 | 58427 | 78755 |
| 2005 | 243750 | 12174 | 89047 | 70602 | 103483 |
| 2010 | 267883 | 32316 | 123503 | 96257 | 130666 |
| 2015 | 248749 | 67780 | 138622 | 119760 | 134844 |
| 2020 | 248065 | 151019 | 150722 | 140771 | 135949 |
| 2024 | 253869 | 161747 | 160178 | 156876 | 140870 |
Fastest-changing destinations
How emigration to each country has changed since the selected year
Sri Lanka as an emigration source
Share of immigrants in each country who originate from Sri Lanka