Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka has not signed the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol nor does it possess a legal framework, or a State-led process governing asylum-seekers and refugees.

 

$1.2 million

are urgently needed from January to December 2024

Check the latest Funding Update

A chef standing
Sri Lankan refugee chef, Thambithurai Sritharan, serves up culinary delights to guests attending the reception of the 2022 Nansen Refugee Award ceremony, which took place at the HEAD (Haute Ecole d’Art et de Design) building in Geneva, Switzerland. © UNHCR/Mark Henley
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The Sri Lanka page will no longer be updated as of 2025.

For more than 35 years, UNHCR assisted people forced to flee throughout a prolonged conflict in Sri Lanka. Most internally displaced people were able to return to their places of origin and many Sri Lankan refugees repatriated voluntarily from India and elsewhere. UNHCR assistance helped many internally displaced people to rebuild their lives and most refugees find durable solutions.

Sri Lanka has not ratified the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol. UNHCR continues to advocate with the authorities for them to ratify the 1951 Convention, develop a national asylum system in the country and ensure the rights of asylum-seekers and refugees are respected.

UNHCR liaises with the Sri Lankan authorities to ensure that all persons in need of international protection are protected against refoulement to a place where they may face persecution or other serious human rights violations, in line with the country’s obligation under customary international refugee and human rights law.

Explore the UNHCR Sri Lanka website for more information.
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Populations

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nbTotalPoc
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Population types

Note: The "Stateless" category does not include stateless people who are also in other categories, to avoid double counting. The total number of stateless, across all categories, is  .

NB: 2025 figures are planning figures.

Source: UNHCR Refugee Data Finder for years until 2022, UNHCR planning figures (COMPASS) otherwise.

Population by country

NB: 2025 figures are planning figures.

Source: UNHCR Refugee Data Finder for years until 2022, UNHCR planning figures (COMPASS) otherwise.

Population by origin

NB: 2025 figures are planning figures.

Source: UNHCR Refugee Data Finder for years until 2022, UNHCR planning figures (COMPASS) otherwise.

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Financials

Budget and expenditure trend

Source: 2025 budget was approved by ExCom in October 2024 while the 2024 budget figures include the latest supplementary appeals and are updated on a monthly basis.

Budget by pillar

Budget by objective

Note: The table presents the  budget for this operation broken down at the objective level. Resource allocation at the objective level is subject to change during the course of the year as the operational situation evolves and priorities shift. The current budget, reflected in the bottom line of this table, is updated on a monthly basis and is replaced by the final budget at year-end.

Expenditure by Outcome Area

Budget by Impact Area

Protect: Attaining favourable protection environments
Respond: Realizing rights in safe environments
Empower: Empowering communities and achieving gender equality
Solve: Securing solutions

Source: 2023 budget as approved by the Executive Committee in October 2022.
2022 current budget as approved by the High Commissioner as of October 2022; pending presentation to the ExCom's Standing Committee.

Budget by Outcome and Enabling Areas

Source: 2023 budget as approved by the Executive Committee in October 2022.
2022 current budget as approved by the High Commissioner as of October 2022; pending presentation to the ExCom's Standing Committee.

Budget by Impact Area

Protect: Attaining favourable protection environments
Respond: Realizing rights in safe environments
Empower: Empowering communities and achieving gender equality
Solve: Securing solutions

Source: 2024 budget and 2023 current budget are taken from the budget document approved by UNHCR's Executive Committee in October 2023.

Budget by Impact Area

Protect: Attaining favourable protection environments
Respond: Realizing rights in safe environments
Empower: Empowering communities and achieving gender equality
Solve: Securing solutions

Source: 2025 budget was approved by ExCom in October 2024 while the 2024 budget figures include the latest supplementary appeals and are updated on a monthly basis.

Budget by Outcome and Enabling Areas

Budget by Outcome and Enabling Areas

Source: 2025 budget was approved by ExCom in October 2024 while the 2024 budget figures include the latest supplementary appeals and are updated on a monthly basis.

Budget by Impact Area

Protect: Attaining favourable protection environments
Respond: Realizing rights in safe environments
Empower: Empowering communities and achieving gender equality
Solve: Securing solutions

Budget by Outcome and Enabling Areas

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Strategy
Strategy - Country
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Latest updates

Sri Lanka Funding Update - 2024
30-Nov-24
published
1 week ago
04-Mar-24
published
9 months ago
31 December 2023
published
11 months ago
Sri Lanka Funding Update - 2022
28-Feb-23
published
1 year ago
Sri Lanka Funding Update - 2021
31 December 2021
published
2 years ago
30 November 2020
published
4 years ago
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The boundaries and names shown and the designations used on this map do not imply official endorsement or acceptance by the United Nations.
UNHCR GIS data is publicly accessible in the Operational Data Portal