An estimated 85,000 people in the United States identified as Sri Lankan in 2023, according to estimates published by the U.S. Census Bureau.1 Sri Lankan Americans are the 17th-largest Asian origin population living in the U.S., accounting for approximately 0.3% of the country’s Asian population.
The Sri Lankan population includes people living in the United States who self-identify as Sri Lankan. This includes people who trace their or their family’s origins to Sri Lanka, including immigrants from Sri Lanka and those born in the U.S. or elsewhere. It also includes people who identify as Sri Lankan alone and no other race or Asian origin – who account for 81% of the population – as well as people who identify as Sri Lankan in combination with any other race, ethnicity or Asian origin.
Due to data limitations, the following facts about the Sri Lankan population are based on people who identify as Sri Lankan alone and no other race or Asian origin.
This fact sheet is a profile of the geographic, social and demographic, and economic characteristics of the Sri Lankan-alone population in the U.S. It at times compares the characteristics of Sri Lankan Americans with characteristics of the U.S. Asian population overall. These detailed tabulations are based on Pew Research Center analysis of the 2021-23 American Community Survey (ACS). (For more information, refer to the methodology.)
Detailed tables: U.S. Asian population data by origin groups
Population
About 65,000 people in the U.S. identify as Sri Lankan alone and no other race or Asian origin, according to Center analysis of the 2021-23 ACS. The Sri Lankan-alone population has grown by roughly 50,000 since 2000, up from 18,000 – a 267% increase over roughly two decades.
Immigrants made up 75% of the Sri Lankan-alone population in the U.S. in 2023, a decrease from 84% in 2000. However, the number of Sri Lankan immigrants in the country increased from 15,000 to 50,000 people over the same period.
Sri Lankan population in the U.S., 2000-2023
U.S. Sri Lankan (alone) population, by nativity
| Year | Total | Immigrant | U.S. born |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 18,000 | 15,000 | 3,000 |
| 2010 | 35,000 | 30,000 | 7,000 |
| 2019 | 50,000 | 40,000 | 10,000 |
| 2023 | 65,000 | 50,000 | 16,000 |
Source: Pew Research Center analysis of the 2000 decennial census (5%) and the 2008-10, 2017-19 and 2021-23 American Community Surveys (IPUMS).
Note: The population shown includes only those who identify as Sri Lankan alone and no other race or Asian origin. All figures are rounded according to rules shown in the methodology.
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
Time in the U.S. and citizenship status
- Among Sri Lankan immigrants, 68% have lived in the U.S. for more than 10 years and 62% are naturalized U.S. citizens.
Language2
- 81% of Sri Lankans ages 5 and older speak English proficiently. This share includes 29% who speak only English at home and 52% who speak another language at home but say they speak English very well. By comparison, 74% of Asian Americans 5 and older are English proficient.
- Among Sri Lankans 5 and older, 77% of immigrants are English proficient, while 97% of the U.S. born are.
- Other top languages spoken at home by Sri Lankan Americans ages 5 and older include Sinhalese (48%), Tamil (18%), Telugu (1%) and Urdu (1%).
Geography
- 13,000 out of the nation’s Sri Lankan-alone population of 65,000, or 20%, live in California.
- Other states with large Sri Lankan populations are New York (9,000), Texas (7,000), New Jersey (4,000) and Maryland (3,000).
- Metropolitan areas with the largest Sri Lankan populations include the New York (10,000), Los Angeles (6,000) and Washington, D.C. (4,000) metro areas.
Age
- The median age of Sri Lankans is 38.6, older than the median age of Asians overall (34.7).
- The median age of Sri Lankan immigrants is 45.3. Some 5% of the Sri Lankan immigrant population is under 18 years old, and 19% are 65 and older.
- The median age of U.S.-born Sri Lankan Americans is 14.0. Some 57% are under 18 and 1% are 65 and older.
Educational attainment
- 61% of Sri Lankan Americans ages 25 and older have a bachelor’s (28%) or advanced degree (33%). Among Asians overall, 56% have a bachelor’s degree or higher.
- 60% of Sri Lankan immigrants 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or higher.
Marital status
- 68% of Sri Lankan adults are married, compared with 58% of Asian adults overall.
- Among Sri Lankans ages 18 and older, 72% of immigrants are married, compared with 40% of the U.S. born.
Fertility
- 5% of Sri Lankan females ages 15 to 44 gave birth in the 12 months prior to the survey, equal to the share of Asian females overall (5%).
- The fertility rate for Sri Lankan immigrant females 15 to 44 was 6%.
Income
Median annual household income
- The median annual income of Sri Lankan-headed households was $103,000 in 2023. Among Asian-headed households overall, it was $105,600.
- Households with a Sri Lankan immigrant household head had median annual income of $104,400.
Median annual personal earnings
- The median annual personal earnings of Sri Lankan Americans ages 16 and older was $62,400 in 2023, higher than among Asians overall ($52,400).
- Among full-time, year-round workers, Sri Lankans had a median of $82,000 and Asians overall had a median of $75,000.
Poverty status
- 9% of Sri Lankans in the U.S. are living in poverty, a similar share to Asians overall (10%).
- Similar shares of immigrant and U.S.-born Sri Lankans live in poverty (8% and 10%, respectively).
Homeownership
- The rate of homeownership among Sri Lankan-headed households is 64%, similar to the rate for Asian-headed households overall (62%).
- Among Sri Lankan households with an immigrant household head, the homeownership rate is 63%.
Note: Some topics covered for other Asian origin groups are not shown for the Sri Lankan population because of insufficient sample size in the surveys used.
Find out more
Explore fact sheets on other Asian origin groups in the U.S.
For detailed information on the data and analysis used for these fact sheets, read the methodology.
This fact sheet was written and compiled by Carolyne Im, research analyst. It is an update of a fact sheet originally published on April 29, 2021, compiled by Abby Budiman, former temporary research associate.
The following individuals provided research and editorial guidance: Mark Hugo Lopez, director of race and ethnicity research; Jens Manuel Krogstad, senior writer and editor; Sahana Mukherjee, associate director of race and ethnicity research; Jeffrey S. Passel, senior demographer; Neil G. Ruiz, head of new research initiatives; and Ziyao Tian, research associate. Research Assistants Alexandra Cahn and Gracie Martinez and Research Associates Luis Noe-Bustamante, Khadijah Edwards and Tian provided research support.
This fact sheet was produced by Sara Atske, digital producer. It was copy edited by David Kent, senior copy editor. John Carlo Mandapat, information graphics designer, provided guidance on charts. The communications and outreach strategy was led by Tanya Arditi, senior communications manager, with support from Talia Price, communications associate.
Find related reports online at www.pewresearch.org/AsianAmericans.