Religion in Sri Lanka
Distribution of religious groups
The census 2001 covered 18 districts only. The district percentages shown are from 2001 census except where the numbers are italic, which are from 1981 census. Population movements have occurred after 1981, and accurate statistics did not exist for districts which were not covered in 2001 census until the 2011 census.[7]
-
Buddhists
-
Hindus
-
Muslims
-
Christians
Religion by Province
Province | Buddhism | % | Hinduism | % | Islam | % | Christianity | % | Others | % | Total | % |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Central Province | 1,672,625 | 65.05% | 540,339 | 21.01% | 263,874 | 10.26% | 94,402 | 3.67% | 317 | 0.01% | 2,571,557 | 100% |
Eastern Province | 354,772 | 22.87% | 539,570 | 34.78% | 575,936 | 37.12% | 80,801 | 5.21% | 302 | 0.02% | 1,551,381 | 100% |
North Central Province | 1,139,595 | 90% | 10,117 | 0.79% | 101,958 | 8.03% | 14,875 | 1.17% | 188 | 0.01% | 1,266,663 | 100% |
Northern Province | 30,387 | 2.87% | 789,362 | 74.56% | 34,040 | 3.22% | 204,005 | 19.27% | 968 | 0.09% | 1,058,762 | 100% |
North Western Province | 1,761,337 | 73.98% | 43,532 | 1.83% | 268,709 | 11.28% | 305,951 | 12.85% | 1,332 | 0.06% | 2,380,861 | 100% |
Sabaragamuwa Province | 1,653,381 | 85.73% | 156,312 | 8.1% | 85,610 | 4.44% | 33,219 | 1.72% | 133 | 0.006% | 1,928,655 | 100% |
Southern Province | 2,345,314 | 94.68% | 33,227 | 1.34% | 80,085 | 3.23% | 18,201 | 0.73% | 458 | 0.02% | 2,477,285 | 100% |
Uva Province | 1,018,561 | 80.43% | 169,605 | 13.39% | 57,001 | 4.5% | 21,095 | 1.66% | 201 | 0.02% | 1,266,463 | 100% |
Western Province | 4,088,797 | 70.67% | 274,336 | 4.71% | 709,992 | 10.81% | 752,993 | 12.93% | 4,592 | 0.08% | 5,830,710 | 100% |
Buddhism
From then on, the royal families had helped to encourage the spread of Buddhism, aiding Buddhist missionaries and building monasteries. Around 200 BCE, Buddhism became the official religion of Sri Lanka. The Sacred Tooth Relic was brought to Sri Lanka in 4th century by Prince Danta and Princess Hemamala. Sri Lanka has the longest continuous history of Buddhism of any Buddhist nation. During the periods of decline, the Sri Lankan monastic lineage was revived through contacts with Myanmar and Thailand. Later on, however, Hindu invasions and European colonial influences contributed to the decline of Buddhism in Sri Lanka.
But toward the end of the European colonial period and during the post-colonial period, Buddhism has regained prominence in Sri Lanka. As of the 1881 census, 61.57% of Sri Lankans followed Buddhism. That number has steadily increased to 70.2% as of 2012.[8]
In the mid 18th century the higher ordination of Buddhist monks known as Upasampada, which was defunct at the time, was revived with the help of Siamese Buddhist monks on the initiatives taken by Weliwita Sri Saranankara Thero during the reign of king Kirti Sri Rajasinha of Kandy. By the mid-19th century, Buddhist leaders such as Migettuwatte Gunananda Thera, Hikkaduwe Sri Sumangala Thera, Colonel Henry Steel Olcott and Anagarika Dharmapala started a successful national Buddhist movement for the revival of Buddhism in Sri Lanka.
Year | Buddhism | % |
---|---|---|
1881 census[8] | 1,698,100 | 61.57% |
1891 census[8] | 1,877,000 | 62.40% |
1901 census[8] | 2,141,400 | 60.06% |
1911 census[8] | 2,474,200 | 60.25% |
1921 census[8] | 2,769,800 | 61.57% |
1931 census[8] | 3,266,600 | 61.55% |
1946 Estimation[8] | 4,294,900 | 64.51% |
1953 census[8] | 5,209,400 | 64.33% |
1963 census[8] | 7,003,300 | 66.18% |
1971 census[8] | 8,536,868 | 67.27% |
1981 census[9] | 10,288,325 | 69.30% |
2012 census[2][9] | 14,272,056 | 70.20% |
Hinduism
Hindus make up 12.6% of Sri Lanka's population.[3] Hinduism was practiced by Native Kings before their conversion to Buddhism. The origins of the religion are linked to early Tamil immigration into the island since the Chola conquests in the 10th century or even earlier with the Saivite devotional movement that swept South India.
Hinduism in Sri Lanka is largely identified with the Tamil population and is concentrated in the Northern, Eastern and Central Provinces. The population declined since the 1981 census on account of Sri Lankan Tamil emigration overseas and the repatriation of 'Indian' Tamils.
A significant Hindu religious figure in Sri Lankan modern history is
Islam
By the 7th century,
In modern times, Muslims in Sri Lanka have the Muslim Religious and Cultural Affairs Department, which was established in the 1980s to prevent the continual isolation of the Muslim community from the rest of Sri Lanka. Today, about 9.7% of Sri Lankans adhere to Islam;[3] mostly from the Moor and Malay ethnic communities on the island.
Christianity
According to a
In 1796 the Dutch were displaced by the British and in 1802 Ceylon became a Crown colony.
The percentage of Christians has slowly declined from the height of 13% in 1891 they were 12.6% and numbered were 302,000. In 2012 they 7.4%. By the 1980s, the population of Christians was mostly concentrated in the northwest of Sri Lanka and in the capital where they are 10% of the population. Of these Christians, over 80% are
Baháʼí Faith
Adherents of the Baháʼí Faith have been present in Sri Lanka since 1949. The first Baháʼí resident in Colombo was a physician from India, M.E. Lukmani. Its population grew in the 1950s and by 1962, its first administrative body for the national level (the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baháʼís of Sri Lanka) was elected.[12]
See also
References
- ^ "Population by religion and district, Census 1981, 2001, 2012" (PDF). Department of Census and Statistics of Sri Lanka. Retrieved 20 February 2016.
- ^ a b c d "A3 : Population by religion according to districts, 2012". Census of Population & Housing, 2011. Department of Census & Statistics, Sri Lanka.
- ^ a b c "Census of Population and Housing 2011". Department of Census and Statistic. Retrieved 13 October 2019.
- ^ "Religious Beliefs In Sri Lanka". WorldAtlas. 25 April 2017. Retrieved 2021-06-07.
- ^ "Sri Lanka".
- ^ "What Alabamians and Iranians Have in Common". 9 February 2009.
- ^ Department of Census and Statistics, Percentage distribution of population by religion and district, Census 1981, 2001 Archived 2013-01-08 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "Table 2.13: Population by religion and census years" (PDF). Statistical Abstract 2013. Department of Census & Statistics, Sri Lanka. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-04-02.
- ^ a b "Population by religion and district, census 1981,2001,2012". Department of Census & Statistics, Sri Lanka.
- ^ "Shivaya subramaniam". himalayanacademy.
- ^ Sri Lanka, Christianity in The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church | 2000 | E. A. Livingstone
- ^ "Bahá'ís of Sri Lanka". www.bahai.lk.