Colombo, April 7 -- The total population of Sri Lanka reported in the Census of Population and Housing 2024 is 21,763,170, an increase of 1,403,731 over the total population reported in the Census of Population and Housing 2012, the country's Department of Census and Statistics (DCS) said on Monday.

The average annual growth rate of the population over the 2012-2024 intercensal period is 0.5 per cent. During the 2001-2012 intercensal period, the average annual population growth rate was 0.7 per cent, the DCS said.

The largest percentage of the population lives in the Western Province, where 28.1 per cent of the total population resides, while the smallest population of 5.3 per cent resides in the Northern Province.

The highest populati...