President Ranil Wickremesinghe, in his capacity as the Minister of Finance, Economic Stabilization, and National Policies, has issued a Gazette notification to carry out a comprehensive census of population and housing in Sri Lanka for the years 2023 and 2024. 

This directive, authorized under Section 2 of the Census Ordinance (Chapter 143), aims to collect vital demographic and housing data.

The Department of Census and Statistics (DCS) had initially planned to organise the 15th population and housing census in 2021. 

However, in light of the Covid-19 pandemic, the government decided to postpone the census.

The upcoming census will mark the continuation of a long-standing tradition, with the first population and housing census conducted in Sri Lanka dating back to 1871. 

Subsequently, census exercises were conducted every ten years, with the most recent census taking place in 2012.

The census will play a crucial role in providing accurate and up-to-date information on population size, distribution, socio-economic characteristics, and housing conditions throughout the country. 

The data collected will facilitate evidence-based decision-making, policy formulation, and resource allocation in various sectors, such as healthcare, education, and infrastructure development.