Multi-Ethnic Sri Lanka

Some Visualizations

In this article, I present a series of maps, that visualize Sri Lanka’s ethnic make-up.

The data is based on the 2012 census. For simplicity, I focus on Sinhala, Tamil (Sri Lankan Tamils and Indian Tamils aggregated), and Muslim (Moors and Malays aggregated) ethnicities.

Province

At the provincial level, Sri Lanka’s ethnicity is binary. A Sinhala dominated South, and a Tamil dominated North. While the eastern province contains a Tamil plurality, its demographics are far more diverse than the Northern province.

There was no province with a Muslim plurality.

Ethnicity by Province

District

At the district level, there are five types of ethnic zones:

1. Sinhala >90%: North Central Province, Southern Province, Kurunegala, Gampaha, and Moneragala
2. Sinhala > 50%: Sabaragamuwa Province, Puttalam, Colombo, Kalutara, Matale, Kandy, and Badulla
3. Muslim plurality: Trincomalee and Ampara
4. Tamil > 50%: The rest of the Northern Province, Batticaloa, and Nuwara-Eliya
5. Tamil > 90%: Jaffna and Kilinochchi

There is no district, where more than 50% of the population is Muslim. Trincomalee and Ampara have a…