It is predicted that in another 80 years, by the year 2100, the population of Sri Lanka will be less than half of the current population.
The forecast is based on a survey of fertility rates in The Lancet magazine. The report looks at the success rates, mortality, migration, and possible population changes in 195 countries around the world.
According to the report, Sri Lanka’s population is projected to drop to 10.45 million by 2100.
Sri Lanka’s population has grown from 21.60 million in 2017 to a peak population estimated at 22.34 million by 2031. The fertility rate in Sri Lanka in 2017 was 1.80 births per woman. However, over the next 80 years, it will drop to 1.46, the report said.
According to health recommendations if a country’s average fertility rate is less than 2.1 it is considered that the population is declining.
The fertility rate in Sri Lanka was 5.0 in 1963 and by 2016 it had dropped to 2.2. According to health officials, a number of factors, including economic status, health status, occupational problems of parents, and social issues, have contributed to the decline in infant births.
