Education in Southern Province, Sri Lanka: official figures
Government schools in Southern Province had 483,387 pupils and 30,722 teachers in 2025 (provisional), 15.7 pupils per teacher, 4th highest of the 9 provinces (Sri Lanka: 15.5).
How do students in Southern Province do in the O/L exams?
75.6% of Southern Province's 41,909 school candidates who sat the GCE Ordinary Level exam in 2024 (five or more subjects) qualified for Advanced Level, the highest of the 9 provinces (Sri Lanka: 73.5%; provisional).
Source: Central Bank of Sri Lanka (compiling the named official sources) · saved copyHow many students from Southern Province go to university?
6,364 students from Southern Province were admitted to state universities in 2023/2024, 244 per 100,000 residents, the highest of the 9 provinces; they were 14.2% of all admissions (2022/2023: 6,340).
Source: Central Bank of Sri Lanka (compiling the named official sources) · saved copyMore figures
- Enrolment in Southern Province's government schools fell by 6.5% between 2019 and 2025 (Sri Lanka: fell by 7.7%). Source: Central Bank of Sri Lanka (compiling the named official sources) · saved copy
- 13.8% of people in Southern Province had passed the GCE Advanced Level or gone further in the 2019 Household Income and Expenditure Survey, joint 2nd highest of the 9 provinces (Sri Lanka: 15.1%). Source: Central Bank of Sri Lanka (compiling the named official sources) · saved copy
How Southern Province compares with other provinces
GCE O/L school candidates qualifying for A/L (2024)
Southern Province ranks 1 of 9, highest first.
| Rank | Region | GCE O/L school candidates qualifying for A/L |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Southern Province | 75.6% |
| 2 | Western Province | 74.5% |
| 3 | Eastern Province | 74.3% |
| 4 | Central Province | 73.9% |
| 5 | Sabaragamuwa Province | 73.5% |
| 6 | Uva Province | 73.2% |
| 7 | North Western Province | 71.5% |
Pupils per teacher in government schools (2025)
Southern Province ranks 4 of 9, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Pupils per teacher in government schools |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Western Province | 17.7 |
| 2 | North Central Province | 16.8 |
| 3 | Eastern Province | 15.9 |
| 4 | Southern Province | 15.7 |
| 5 | North Western Province | 15.7 |
| 6 | Central Province | 14.9 |
| 7 | Sabaragamuwa Province | 14.7 |
More on Southern Province: overview · economy and jobs · health · poverty and living standards · government budget · Sri Lanka
Sources
- 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…)
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