Central Province: population, economy, jobs, poverty, health, schools and provincial council finances
Central Province is a province of Sri Lanka, number 2 of 9 by population. The 2024 Census of Population and Housing counted 2,714,045 people in the Central Province, 12.5% of Sri Lanka's 21,781,800; 2nd largest of the 9 provinces.
In depth
- Economy, jobs and prices in Central Province: Central Province produced goods and services worth Rs. 3,202.4 billion in 2024 at current prices, 10.7% of Sri Lanka's GDP (3rd largest of the 9 provinces), according to the Central Bank's provisional provincial GDP estimates.
- Health in Central Province: 3,005 medical officers worked in government health services in Central Province in 2024 (provisional), 111 per 100,000 residents, 3rd highest of the 9 provinces (Sri Lanka: 110).
- Education in Central Province: Government schools in Central Province had 493,000 pupils and 33,060 teachers in 2025 (provisional), 14.9 pupils per teacher, 4th lowest of the 9 provinces (Sri Lanka: 15.5).
- Poverty and living standards in Central Province: 18.7% of people in Central Province lived below the official poverty line in the 2019 Household Income and Expenditure Survey, 4th highest of the 9 provinces (Sri Lanka: 14.3%); 15.7% of households were poor (Sri Lanka: 11.9%). No newer provincial poverty figures have been published.
- Government budget and revenue in Central Province: The Central Provincial Council received Rs. 76.9 billion in 2025 (provisional): Rs. 67.7 billion in grants from the central government and Rs. 9.2 billion from its own revenue, so grants paid for 88.0% of its budget (all provinces: 81.4%).
How fast is the population of Central Province growing?
Central Province grew from 2,571,557 people at the March 2012 census to 2,714,045 at the December 2024 census, an average of 0.42% a year, 4th slowest of the 9 provinces (Sri Lanka: 0.53% a year).
Source: Department of Census and Statistics · saved copyHow many people in Central Province live in towns?
10.2% of Central Province's people lived in urban areas at the 2024 census and 17.7% lived in the plantation estate sector; 5th most urban of the 9 provinces (Sri Lanka: 17.5% urban, 4.0% estate).
Source: Department of Census and Statistics · saved copyMore figures
- The Registrar General's Department estimates Central Province's mid-2025 population at 2,712,000 (provisional), its first estimate based on the 2024 census (Sri Lanka: 21,756,000). Source: Central Bank of Sri Lanka (compiling the named official sources) · saved copy
How provinces are governed in Sri Lanka
Provinces (9): provincial councils. Councils normally elected for five years; governor appointed by the President. No council elections since 2014, so governors run them.. Devolved subjects such as provincial roads, agriculture, some schools and health; supervise local authorities through a provincial commissioner of local government.
Every tier of government in Sri Lanka
Other provinces of Sri Lanka
- Western Province 6,117,341
- Southern Province 2,606,679
- North Western Province 2,586,972
- Sabaragamuwa Province 2,015,899
- Eastern Province 1,783,214
- North Central Province 1,407,610
- Uva Province 1,399,892
- Northern Province 1,150,148
Up a level: Sri Lanka · government and power in Sri Lanka
Sources
- Department of Census and Statistics: Census of Population and Housing 2024, final report: Tables 3.2 (population by province and district), 3.3 (district population 2012 and 2024) and 3.6 (population by sector), read 27 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 a6dea9388d05…)
- Central Bank of Sri Lanka (compiling the named official sources): Economic and Social Statistics of Sri Lanka 2026, chapter 2: Tables 2.4 (vehicles, Provincial Departments of Motor Traffic), 2.13, 2.16 and 2.18 (HIES 2019, Department of Census and Statistics), 2.20 (Ministry of Education), 2.26 (Department of Examinations), 2.30 (University Grants Commission) and 2.39 (Ministry of Health), read 27 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 babb9cbb27c5…)
- Central Bank of Sri Lanka (compiling the named official sources): Economic and Social Statistics of Sri Lanka 2026, chapter 3: Tables 3.21 (mid-year population, Registrar General's Department) and 3.32 (departures for foreign employment, Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment), read 27 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 fcfc004b2129…)
- Central Bank of Sri Lanka (compiling the named official sources): Economic and Social Statistics of Sri Lanka 2026, chapter 5: Table 5.8 (revenue and expenditure of provincial councils, Ministry of Public Administration, Provincial Councils and Local Government), read 27 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 88c29bbd48a1…)
- Department of Census and Statistics: Sri Lanka Labour Force Survey Annual Bulletin 2025: Table 2.2 (employment by industry) and Table 3.3 (unemployment by province), read 27 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 48a8863a4643…)
- Central Bank of Sri Lanka (from Department of Census and Statistics national accounts): Provincial Gross Domestic Product (PGDP) 2024, press release of 22 December 2025: Tables 1-3, read 27 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 bfe27596d2d7…)
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