An imbalance has been reported between the annual birth and death rates in Sri Lanka since the year 2020, according to the latest findings of the Registrar General’s Department.
Senior Deputy Registrar General, Attorney-at-Law Lakshika Ganepola said the annual birth rate has dropped, while the annual death rate has increased since 2020.
Stating that the annual birth rate before 2020 was at around 325,000, Ganepola revealed that it had significantly decreased to 280,000 within the last three years.
She further said that, however, the annual death rate which was around 140,000 before 2020 has now increased to around 180,000 within the last three years.
As per the latest findings by the Registrar General’s Department, it is expected that the imbalance between the annual birth and death rates could negatively impact the population of Sri Lanka.
Meanwhile, a recent report by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka has also reported a 0.6% drop in the population of Sri Lanka, from 22.2 million in 2022 to 22 million in 2023.
As per the report, the annual birth rate which was reported at 1.93% in 2007 has dropped to 1.12% in 2023, while the annual death rate which was at 0.59% in 2007 has increased to 0.82% in 2023.
The CBSL report also disclosed an imbalance between the annual birth and death rates of Sri Lanka.
Parliamentarian Udaya Gammanpila also recently highlighted the imbalance between Sri Lanka’s birth and death rates, pointing out that younger people leaving the country was a key contributing factor.
Addressing the media, MP Gammanpila said that Sri Lanka will face a situation of more senior citizens compared to younger citizens in the future unless action is taken to retain the younger generation to prevent the impacts of the imbalance. (Newswire)