Facts and Figures

Sri Lanka is an island country located off the south eastern tip of the Indian subcontinent. Separated from India - its nearest neighbour - by a narrow strip of water called the Palk Strait, the country's territory includes several smaller islands located in the Strait.

Sri Lanka is a small country at approximately 430 kilometres long and 220 kilometres wide and its climate is tropical and subject to the south west monsoon from May to September and the north east monsoon from December through to February.

People

The 2001 Census of Population and Housing estimated Sri Lanka’s population at 18.7 million with a growth rate of 1.1% per year. It is expected that due to the combined effects of a falling birth rate and a low death rate, a gradual ageing of the population will result in the coming years.

The most common ethnic groups in Sri Lanka are the Sinhalese who make up 74% of the population, followed by the Sri Lankan Tamils at 13% and the Indian Tamils at 5%. Religions practiced in Sri Lanka include Buddhism, Hindu, Islam and Christianity. 

Politics and the Economy

Since 1983 the people of Sri Lanka have endured decades of violent civil conflict between the government and Tamil rebel forces. The conflict grew from Tamil discontent at the dominance of the Sinhala language and Buddhist religion in the years following Independence in 1948.

The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) have maintained a violent guerrilla campaign against the government, seeking to establish a separate Tamil state in the north and east. More than 65,000 people have been killed and hundreds of thousands displaced. Since 2002, the Sri Lankan Government and the LTTE have been negotiating a ceasefire. The two parties met in early 2006, however the future of the agreement is uncertain and civil violence continues to plague the country.

Administratively, Sri Lanka has a one chamber government headed by the popularly elected President. The President appoints the Prime Minister from among the popularly elected Members of Parliament.

Despite decades of civil war, the economy of Sri Lanka has grown rapidly since the late 1970s when a change of government saw a move towards economic liberalisation and free trade. In 2003, the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita was US$948 compared to a GDP of just USD$564 per capita in neighbouring India.

As Sri Lanka’s economy has grown, the importance of agriculture has slightly declined, accounting for around one fifth of economic activity and employing around a third of the country’s population. Manufacturing is the fastest growing sector, mostly in textiles and clothing production and Sri Lanka has a strong export industry based in textiles and clothing, agriculture (particularly black tea, spices and coconut), rubber, petroleum and ceramics.  

The 2004 tsunami struck the east, south and south west coasts of Sri Lanka. Around 31,000 people were killed and more than 400,000 left homeless. While Sri Lanka's economy is recovering, some areas are still affected from the damage to local infrastructure and homes.

Sources: DFAT, Sri Lanka Census of Population and Housing Statistics, Sri Lanka High Commission to Australia, World Health Organization

Population:  20.5 million
Life expectancy:  74.3 years
Infant mortality rate: 12 per 1,000 births
Percentage of population which is undernourished:  22%
Number of doctors: 55 per 100,000 people 

The overall health status of Sri Lanka’s population has improved steadily over the past decades of economic growth. Life expectancy at birth is now more than 74 years which is an increase from 63 years in 1970-1975.

While not yet enjoying the health status of highly developed countries, Sri Lankan people enjoy good health relative to their regional neighbours. 

The infant mortality rate in 2004 was just 12 deaths per 1,000 live births compared to 65 deaths in 1970. Similarly, the mortality rate of children aged under five is now at 15 deaths per 1000 children, which has decreased from 100 deaths in 1970. More than 80% of children are fully vaccinated, the majority of women who are pregnant receive appropriate care and around 97% of births are attended by trained personnel.

Much of this progress in health can be attributed to the combined effects of economic growth and effective government policies to promote health and social development. The government provides free care in the public health system and is the biggest funder of health care services, accounting for just over half of all spending on health.

Increased government spending in health is reflected in the growth of public hospitals and an increase in public health care units. Similarly, the number of doctors employed by the public health sector more than doubled over the same period and spending on health care increased. 

Despite the overall progress in health and the increased investment of resources in the health care system, some inequities still remain in the health status of the rural and urban poor, estate workers and those displaced by civil conflict and natural disasters. 

Sources: Human Development Report 2006, UNDP, World Health Organization

Number of blind people: 92,920
National blindness prevalence: 0.5%
Main causes of blindness: Cataract (70%), refractive error and glaucoma
Number of people with cataract blindness: 64,579
Number of ophthalmologists: 38
Number of cataract operations performed annually: 1,337 per one million population per year

Eye care has been incorporated into the existing health care system and primary health care workers are trained to treat minor eye care ailments and to provide referrals for more complex issues. The majority of cataract operations in Sri Lanka involve an intraocular lens implantation.

Relative to the population, there are a limited number of ophthalmologists and primary eye health care workers (including ophthalmic nurses and technicians). 

Vision 2020’s guidelines for an adequate number of ophthalmologists is four per million population which would translate to a minimum of 80 ophthalmologists in Sri Lanka - nearly double the current number working in the country.

The need for an increased number of trained mid-level ophthalmic personnel is even higher.  There is also a need for more data on eye health and eye care services, particularly among rural communities and those affected by the civil conflict.

Sri Lanka launched Vision 2020 in 1999 and signed the global declaration in 2000.

Sources: Vision 2020, World Health Organization