Is Sri Lanka one of the Least Urbanised Countries on Earth?

Population data suggests that Sri Lanka is one of the least urbanised countries on earth. However, recent spatial analysis challenges this representation, suggesting rapid urban expansion in peripheral areas is not captured in population statistics. UN-Habitat is currently assessing the spatial dynamics of Sri Lanka’s urbanisation. The analysis is being conducted across the country’s 9 provincial capitals for the period 1995-2017. The project is on-going, with results to be published later this year in the State of Sri Lankan Cities Report, but the data generated so far suggests that Sri Lanka’s cities have expanded rapidly since the 1990s.