The total fertility rate in Sri Lanka had increased to 2.4 in 2011 from 1.9 in 1998 with experts arguing that if strategies are not implemented to curb fertility rates then the country’s population could even rise to 27 million in the next few decades.

Sri Lanka’s population is expected to increase to 23.8 million in 2032 and 24.9 million in 2042.

By 2000, 70 percent of married women between the ages of 15-49 were using contraceptives and by 2012 the percentage was 70.2 percent. But over the past few decades, the percentage of females using contraceptives has been stagnant. There is also reportedly an increased use of traditional methods of contraception prevalent in the island.