Sri Lankan diaspora
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 2,000,000+ (estimated) | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| United Kingdom | 700,000 (2024) |
| United Arab Emirates | 320,000 (2023) |
| Canada | 200,000 (2024) |
| India | 184,780 (2021) |
| Australia | 170,000 (2024) |
| Qatar | 145,256 (2016) |
| Italy | 108,069 (2022) |
| Kuwait | 99,858 (2016) |
| Saudi Arabia | 84,794 (2022) |
| United States | 75,808 (2022) |
| Japan | 73,067 (2025) |
| France | 52,300 (2017) |
| Switzerland | 28,838 (2019) |
| Oman | 26,268 (2017) |
| Germany | 25,900 (2019) |
| South Korea | 20,239 (2017) |
| New Zealand | 16,830 (2018) |
| Norway | 15,818 (2021) |
| Netherlands | 13,463 (2020) |
| Denmark | 13,458 (2025) |
| Jordan | 12,582 (2017) |
| Singapore | 11,066 (2017) |
| Bahrain | 10,099 (2017) |
| Thailand | 7,931 (2017) |
| Lebanon | 7,600 (2024) |
| Cyprus | 7,350 (2011) |
| Sweden | 7,106 (2017) |
| Maldives | 7,062 (2017) |
| Malaysia | 6,766 (2017) |
| China | 5,554 (2017) |
| Languages | |
| Tamil, Sinhala, other languages of Sri Lanka and various languages of the countries they inhabit | |
| Religion | |
| Theravada Buddhism, Hinduism, Christianity, Islam | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Sri Lankan | |
Populations stated are the maximum estimated United States population, Foreign born stated only | |
The Sri Lankan diaspora are a population grouping consisting of people who can trace their ancestry to the lands that make up the current modern-day state of Sri Lanka but live elsewhere.
As of the mid-2020s, estimates of the Sri Lankan diaspora vary, with the total number of Sri Lankan emigrants and expatriates commonly placed at over two million worldwide. According to international migration data compiled by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, the stock of Sri Lankan emigrants was approximately 1.49 million in 2024, reflecting those born in Sri Lanka and residing abroad.
Significant Sri Lankan communities exist across multiple regions, including Europe, the Middle East, East Asia, Australia and North America.
Population figures for the diaspora may not account for all individuals of Sri Lankan descent. Many people of Sri Lankan origin — including those born outside Sri Lanka or holding citizenship of other countries — are not included in official counts based solely on place of birth or nationality, and substantial Tamil and Sinhalese communities outside the country may not be fully represented in these estimates.
A publication by the Australian National University noted that while most of the diaspora in the Western World and East Asia were long term residents with a large percentage having local citizenship and children born in their host country, most of the diaspora in the Middle East were temporary workers with little roots in said countries; it is near impossible for Sri Lankans to obtain citizenship of Middle Eastern countries.