The Sri Lankan

diaspora A diaspora ( ) is a population that is scattered across regions which are separate from its geographic place of birth, place of origin. The word is used in reference to people who identify with a specific geographic location, but currently resi ...

are Sri Lankan emigrants and

expatriates An expatriate (often shortened to expat) is a person who resides outside their native country. The term often refers to a professional, skilled worker, or student from an affluent country. However, it may also refer to retirees, artists and ...

from

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...

that reside in a foreign country. An estimate in 2013 by the United Nations concluded that the diaspora numbered around three million, with large concentrations in Europe, Middle East, East Asia, Australia and North America. Note that population statistics may not include those that were born outside Sri Lanka or do not hold Sri Lankan citizenship, and large populations of ethnic Tamils and Sinhalese exist outside Sri Lanka which are not covered by this article. A publication by the Australian National University noted that while most of the diaspora in the Western World and East Asia were long term residents with a large percentage having local citizenship and children born in their host country, most of the diaspora in the Middle East were temporary workers with little roots in said countries; it is near impossible for Sri Lankans to obtain citizenship of Middle Eastern countries.

Expatriate workers

Expatriate workers to Sri Lanka have been a valuable export for the country. The number of expatriate workers has been ever growing as well as the remittances they send back. In 2009 Sri Lankans sent home US$3.3 billion, a US$400 million increase from the year before. It is expected that 2010 would exceed US$4 billion. In mid-2010 there were more than 1.8 million Sri Lankan expatriate workers.

Diaspora experience

Discrimination

In Australia, under the White Australia policy, immigration was negligible. It resumed after the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

primarily involving migration of Burghers, who fulfilled the then criteria that they should be of predominantly European ancestry and that their appearance should be European. Sinhalese migration began in the 1960s but it was after the mid-1970s that large groups arrived, which also included Christians and Buddhists. Sri Lankan students undertook courses in Australia as part of the

Colombo Plan The Colombo Plan is a regional intergovernmental organization that began operations on 1 July 1951. The organization was conceived at an international conference, The Commonwealth Conference on Foreign Affairs held in Colombo, Ceylon (now Sri ...

prior to the formal dismantling of the White Australia policy, and after 1973, Sinhalese, Tamil and Moor migration resumed.

Assimilation

The rate of assimilation among Sri Lankan Australians is fairly high: among second-generation immigrants, the 'in-marriage' rate was extremely low - 5.6% for women and 3.0% for men.

Abuses against migrant workers in the Middle East

There have long been complaints about the hardship and human rights abuses of migrant workers living in the Middle East. Domestic workers in the Middle East often face arbitrary torture and indefinite detention amounting to cruel and inhumane treatment.

Distribution by continent

Africa

Botswana

According to The United Nations, there were 110,596 international migrants in Botswana and in that number 992 of them were from Sri Lanka.

Libya

Libya's 2007 census says that there are over 15,010 workers from Sri Lanka. Sri Lankan Sinhalese make up two-thirds of the buddhist population of Libya.

Mauritius

Sri Lanka (Ceylon) and

Mauritius Mauritius, officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island country in the Indian Ocean, about off the southeastern coast of East Africa, east of Madagascar. It includes the main island (also called Mauritius), as well as Rodrigues, Ag ...

were former British and Dutch colonies but the presence of Sri Lankans in Mauritius goes back to between 1819 and 1832 during the British Period when Sinhalese nobles were exiled to Mauritius from the result of the

Kandyan wars The Kandyan Wars (or the Kandian Wars) refers generally to the period of warfare between the British colonial forces and the Kingdom of Kandy, on the island of what is now Sri Lanka, between 1796 and 1818. More specifically it is used to descri ...

. The total number of Mauritians with Sri Lankan descent is 5,000 which 80% of them are Sinhalese.

Seychelles

Sri Lankans make up around 2.5% of the population in the Seychelles where the number is at 2,200. It is said that the first Sri Lankans to reach the Seychelles was in 1967 where 6 fisherman from Sri Lanka came to the Seychelles on a sailing vessel. Today, many Sri Lankans in the Seychelles are working as professionals.

South Africa

During the era of The

Dutch Empire The Dutch colonial empire () comprised overseas territories and trading posts under some form of Dutch control from the early 17th to late 20th centuries, including those initially administered by Dutch chartered companies—primarily the Du ...

, both

(Ceylon) and

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

had its connection. In the 17th and 18th centuries, the Dutch brought slaves from Ceylon and those slaves mixed with the population. In the Cape during the early 18th century about half of the slaves came from India and Ceylon. The ethnic groups which have roots of descent from Ceylon are the

Cape Malays Cape Malays (, in Arabic script) also known as Cape Muslims or Malays, are a Muslim community or ethnic group in South Africa. They are the descendants of enslaved and free Muslims from different parts of the world, specifically Indonesia (a ...

and the

Cape coloured Cape Coloureds () are a South African group of Coloured people who are from the Cape region in South Africa which consists of the Western Cape, Northern Cape and the Eastern Cape. Their ancestry comes from the interracial mixing between th ...

. The number of Sri Lankans in South Africa is unknown.

Tanzania

Sri Lankan people have came to work in Tanzania during the British colonial rule of the early 20th Century. The workers from Sri Lanka (then Ceylon) established the first buddhist temple in the country.

Americas

Bermuda

In 1979 there were only six Sri Lankans living in Bermuda. As of 2005 there are an estimated 400 living and working there mainly as professionals

Canada

Sri Lankan Canadians include members from all ethnicities of Sri Lanka, they are mainly concentrated in the cities of

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

and

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

, in the provinces of

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

and

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

. As of 2006 there are 103,625 Sri Lankans in Canada.

United States

There are tens of thousands of Sri Lankans in the United States from all different backgrounds. In the 1990s the number was about 14,448, however this has grown significantly. Sri Lankan American communities are mainly situated in large metropolitan areas. The

New York City Metropolitan Area The New York metropolitan area, also called the Tri-State area and sometimes referred to as Greater New York, is the List of cities by GDP, largest metropolitan economy in the world, with a List of U.S. metropolitan areas by GDP, gross metropo ...

contains the largest Sri Lankan community in the United States, receiving the highest legal permanent resident Sri Lankan immigrant population, followed by

Central New Jersey Central Jersey, or Central New Jersey, is the middle region of the U.S. state of New Jersey. The designation Central Jersey is a distinct administrative division, administrative toponymy, toponym. While New Jersey is often divided into North Je ...

and the

Los Angeles metropolitan area Greater Los Angeles is the most populous metropolitan area in the U.S. state of California, encompassing five counties in Southern California extending from Ventura County in the west to San Bernardino County and Riverside County in the east, ...

. The Little Sri Lanka in the

Tompkinsville Tompkinsville may refer to: *Tompkinsville, Kentucky *Tompkinsville, Maryland *Tompkinsville, Staten Island, New York ** Tompkinsville (Staten Island Railway station) {{geodis ...

neighborhood of the

borough A borough is an administrative division in various English language, English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. History ...

Staten Island Staten Island ( ) is the southernmost of the boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Richmond County and situated at the southernmost point of New York (state), New York. The borough is separated from the ad ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

is one of the largest Sri Lankan communities outside of the country of Sri Lanka itself.

Asia

India

There are an estimated 200,000 Sri Lankans in India, most of them being refugees. Nearly all of them are

Sri Lankan Tamils Sri Lankan Tamils ( or ), also known as Ceylon Tamils or Eelam Tamils, are Tamils native to the South Asian island state of Sri Lanka. Today, they constitute a majority in the Northern Province, Sri Lanka, Northern Province, form the pluralit ...

but there are also a small amount of Sinhalese as well. Most Sri Lankans in India reside in and around the southern state of

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is the southernmost States and union territories of India, state of India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of Indi ...

with some small populations in the big cites like

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, but spread chiefly to the west, or beyond its Bank (geography ...

and

Chennai Chennai, also known as Madras (List of renamed places in India#Tamil Nadu, its official name until 1996), is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Tamil Nadu by population, largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost states and ...

. The vast majority of the population however, mostly Sri Lankan Tamils, live in refugee camps due to the Sri Lankan Civil War.

Japan

As of December 2022 there were 37,251 Sri Lankan nationals residing in Japan.

Malaysia and Singapore

Ceylonese Tamils made up an overwhelming majority in the civil service of

British Malaya The term "British Malaya" (; ) loosely describes a set of states on the Malay Peninsula and the island of Singapore that were brought under British Empire, British hegemony or control between the late 18th and the mid-20th century. Unlike the ...

and

Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...

prior to independence. It was in

Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...

and

, that the term Ceylonese and Jaffnese were popularly used by the Sri Lankan Tamils to differentiate themselves from the larger

Malaysian Indian Indo-Malaysians are Malaysian of South Asian ancestry. Most are descendants of those who migrated from India to British Malaya from the mid-19th to the mid-20th centuries. Most Malaysian Indians are ethnic Tamils; smaller groups include the ...

population who were predominantly of Tamil origin. After the

Pangkor Treaty of 1874 The Pangkor Treaty of 1874 was a treaty signed between Great Britain and the Sultan of Perak on 20 January 1874, on the Colonial Steamer ''Pluto'', off the coast of Perak. The treaty is significant in the history of the Malay states as it legit ...

, the British embarked upon the construction of roads, railways, schools, hospitals, and government offices in the Malay Peninsula, to develop the country and to increase its revenue. "It was to meet those early problems that

Malaya Malaya refers to a number of historical and current political entities related to what is currently Peninsular Malaysia in Southeast Asia: Political entities * British Malaya (1826–1957), a loose collection of the British colony of the Straits ...

looked to its older sister

Ceylon Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...

for help and probably, the then Governor of the Straits Settlements secured the despatch to

Perak Perak (; Perak Malay: ''Peghok'') is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia on the west coast of the Malay Peninsula. Perak has land borders with the Malaysian states of Kedah to the north, Penang to the northwest, Kel ...

of the 2nd division of the Ceylon Pioneer Corp. "So it fell to the Ceylonese to survey the railways and to build and man them, to be apothecaries in the hospitals, to be technical assistants to qualified engineers and to staff the clerical services on which an expanding government was bound increasingly to depend. In

Kuala Lumpur Kuala Lumpur (KL), officially the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, is the capital city and a Federal Territories of Malaysia, federal territory of Malaysia. It is the largest city in the country, covering an area of with a census population ...

, the Ceylon Tamil population was mainly concentrated in

Brickfields A brickfield is an open site where bricks are made. Place names are often formed from the word. Brickfield, Brickfields, or Brickfielder may also refer to: Australia * Brickfielder, an arid wind * Brickfield Hill, an area of Sydney * Brickfields ...

and

Sentul Sentul may refer to: Plants * Sandoricum koetjape, a tropical fruit grown in Southeast Asia In Indonesia * Sentul, Indonesia * Sentul International Circuit, a motor racing circuit In Malaysia *Sentul, Kuala Lumpur, a suburb * Sentul Komuter stat ...

because of the proximity of the Administrative Centre of the

Malayan Railway Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTMB) (; Jawi script, Jawi: ) or colloquially referred to simply as KTM, is the main rail operator in Peninsular Malaysia. The railway system dates back to the British colonial era, when it was first built to tra ...

(opposite the railway station) and the Sentul Workshop. The Government provided accommodation for the white and the blue collar workers in these areas. The Ceylon Tamils living in both these areas were devout Saivites and as they fervently believed that "no one should live in a place that has no Temple", they soon began to organize themselves into Associations. This gave birth to the Sri Kandaswamy Kovil, Brickfields, which has become a landmark and tourist attraction in the city, showcasing Sri Lankan Tamil and Hindu architecture at its finest. Many of the first Asian and non-white doctors and engineers in

and

were of Sri Lankan Tamil descent. The world's first Asian

surgeon In medicine, a surgeon is a medical doctor who performs surgery. Even though there are different traditions in different times and places, a modern surgeon is a licensed physician and received the same medical training as physicians before spec ...

was Dr S.S. Thiruchelvam, a Malayan of Ceylonese Tamil origin. Former Singaporean Prime Minister

Lee Kuan Yew Lee Kuan Yew (born Harry Lee Kuan Yew; 16 September 1923 – 23 March 2015), often referred to by his initials LKY, was a Singaporean politician who ruled as the first Prime Minister of Singapore from 1959 to 1990. He is widely recognised ...

once said: The Ceylonese community established many schools, banks, cultural societies, cooperatives and temples in

and

. Some good examples would be the Jaffnese Cooperative Society, Vivekananda Ashrama and the Vivekananda Tamil School in

. In 1958 The Malaysian Ceylonese Congress was established as a political party with the aim of giving support to the then Alliance party. MCC has continuously supported the Barisan Nasional and the Government. It was formed to promote and preserve the Political, Educational, Social and Cultural aspects of the Malaysian Ceylonese Community. To date MCC has seen six President's: * 1. Mr. M.W Navaratnam AMN,JP (1958–1969) * 2. Senator Tan Sri Datuk Dr. C.Sinnadurai PSD,PNBS,DPMP,MN,SMK,SMB,PJK (1970–1983) * 3. Tan Sri Dato' Seri V.Jeyaratnam PSM,SPM,STP,JP (1983–1987) * 4. Dato' Dr N.Arumugasamy DSIJ,JSM (1988–1995) * 5. Dato' Dr D.M.Thuraiappah SPM,AMN,ASA (1996–2003) * 6. Dato 'Dr NKS Tharmaseelan DPTJ,PMC,ANS (2004 – present) Today MCC makes its way in this ever-changing globe under the dynamic leadership of Dato Dr NKS Tharmaseelan. After 50 years of hibernation MCC has now become visible. The MCC was formally registered with the Malaysian Election's Commission (SPR) on 27 February 2009. Many Ceylonese were also involved in the independence movements in

and

. In Singapore, there are many current and past ministers who are of Ceylonese Tamil in origin and

Tamil Tamil may refer to: People, culture and language * Tamils, an ethno-linguistic group native to India, Sri Lanka, and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka ** Myanmar or Burmese Tamils, Tamil people of Ind ...

is a national language.

Sinnathamby Rajaratnam Sinnathamby Rajaratnam (; 25 February 1915 – 22 February 2006), better known as S. Rajaratnam, was a Singaporean statesman, journalist and diplomat who served as the first Minister for Foreign Affairs between 1965 and 1980, and 2nd De ...

was the former foreign minister and deputy prime minister of Singapore and regarded as one of the founding fathers of Singapore. His death in 2006 was marked with a state funeral by the government of Singapore. The Singapore flag was flown at half mast at all public buildings and former Prime Minister and friend

cried when giving his eulogy. Even today, the Sri Lankan community in Malaysia and Singapore is an upwardly mobile community taking up many professional and government posts. One of Malaysia's and South East Asia's richest men is

billionaire A billionaire is a person with a net worth of at least 1,000,000,000, one billion units of a given currency, usually of a major currency such as the United States dollar, euro, or pound sterling. It is a sub-category of the concept of the ultr ...

Tan Sri Ananda Krishnan, who regularly makes it to ''

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine founded by B. C. Forbes in 1917. It has been owned by the Hong Kong–based investment group Integrated Whale Media Investments since 2014. Its chairman and editor-in-chief is Steve Forbes. The co ...

'' magazine's billionaire list.

Philippines

According to the 2010 census, there are about 146 Sri Lankan expats in the Philippines. During the age of Spanish colonialism in the Philippines, Sri Lankans were used as imported slave labour and those slaves interacted with the Minnanese, Tagalogs and Kampaganans of Central Luzon.

Middle East

Sri Lankans generally go to the Middle East to find work. For Sri Lankans

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in West Asia. Located in the centre of the Middle East, it covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries ...

is the largest "unskilled and semi-skilled labour" importing country, ahead of

Qatar Qatar, officially the State of Qatar, is a country in West Asia. It occupies the Geography of Qatar, Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it shares Qatar–Saudi Arabia border, its sole land b ...

Kuwait Kuwait, officially the State of Kuwait, is a country in West Asia and the geopolitical region known as the Middle East. It is situated in the northern edge of the Arabian Peninsula at the head of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to Iraq–Kuwait ...

and the

United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE), or simply the Emirates, is a country in West Asia, in the Middle East, at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is a Federal monarchy, federal elective monarchy made up of Emirates of the United Arab E ...

Lebanon

There are approximately 80,000 to 90,000 Sri Lankans in Lebanon. There is a large domestic labour population in

Lebanon Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...

Qatar

As of 2016 December, there are 145,256 Sri Lankans living and working in

Saudi Arabia

As of 2007 there were approximately 400,000 Sri Lankans in

. During January 2010 up until October 56,000 workers have left for Saudi Arabia, however thousands have run away or escaped from their employers due to ill-treatment or when found that they had been duped by unscrupulous job agents.

United Arab Emirates

There are an estimated population of over 300,000 they mostly form the country's large foreign labour force. Most expatriates from Sri Lanka, along with other immigrants from the

Indian subcontinent The Indian subcontinent is a physiographic region of Asia below the Himalayas which projects into the Indian Ocean between the Bay of Bengal to the east and the Arabian Sea to the west. It is now divided between Bangladesh, India, and Pakista ...

, tend to be found in

Dubai Dubai (Help:IPA/English, /duːˈbaɪ/ Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''doo-BYE''; Modern Standard Arabic, Modern Standard Arabic: ; Emirati Arabic, Emirati Arabic: , Romanization of Arabic, romanized: Help:IPA/English, /diˈbej/) is the Lis ...

, although sizeable communities are existent in

Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi is the capital city of the United Arab Emirates. The city is the seat of the Abu Dhabi Central Capital District, the capital city of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, and the UAE's List of cities in the United Arab Emirates, second-most popu ...

Sharjah Sharjah (; ', Gulf Arabic: ''aš-Šārja'') is the List of cities in the United Arab Emirates, third-most populous city in the United Arab Emirates, after Dubai and Abu Dhabi. It is the capital of the Emirate of Sharjah and forms part of the D ...

Al-Ain Al Ain () is a city in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, and the seat of the administrative division of the Al Ain Region. The city is bordered to the east by the Omani town of Al-Buraimi. Al Ain is the largest inland city in ...

and

Ras al-Khaimah Ras Al Khaimah (; ), often referred to its initials RAK, is the largest city and capital of the Emirate of Ras Al Khaimah in the U.A.E. The city had a population of 191,753 in 2025, and is the sixth-most populous city in UAE after Dubai, Abu ...

Europe

Denmark

Denmark has 11,700 Sri Lankans residing in its borders as of 2017. Additionally 2,593 Sri Lankan nationals were living in Denmark as of 2010.

France

As of 2017 estimation, there are 52,300 Sri Lankan born population live in France. In only 10 years, "Little Jaffna", located at the last stretch of the winding street of Rue du Faubourg Saint-Denis in the 10th arrondissement, between metros Gare du Nord and La Chapelle, has sprung to life and begun to truly flourish. It is commonly mistakenly called by the average Parisian as Little Bombay

The vast majority of Parisian Tamils fled

as refugees in the 1980s, escaping the violent civil conflict. The French Prefecture was initially quite reluctant about granting Right of Asylum#Right of Asylum in France, asylum to Tamils. In 1987, the Office for the Protection of Refugees (OFPRA) gained in power and opened up a period of nearly systematic asylum. This liberal period eventually tapered off in the 90s as a result of new European measures designed against an influx in immigration. Little Jaffna is also famous for the annual

chariot A chariot is a type of vehicle similar to a cart, driven by a charioteer, usually using horses to provide rapid Propulsion, motive power. The oldest known chariots have been found in burials of the Sintashta culture in modern-day Chelyabinsk O ...

procession held during Ganesha Chathurthi. Both the area and event have become popular tourist attractions.

Germany

There are about 25,900 Sri Lankans living Germany as of 2019. Religious fervor among Tamil Germans intensified as their numbers swelled. Due to the inspirational encouragement of Hawaii Subramaniaswami – the disciple of Yoga Swamigal – two well-organized Hindu temples – Sidhivinayagar Kovil and the kamadchi Amman Kovil – having place in the city of

Hamm Hamm may refer to: Places ;Germany: * Hamm, North Rhine-Westphalia, a city north-east of Dortmund * Hamm (Sieg), a municipality in the eponymous ''Verbandsgemeinde'' in the district of Altenkirchen, Rhineland-Palatinate * Hamm, Bitburg-Prüm, part ...

since 1984. According to the journal

Hinduism Today ''Hinduism Today'' is a quarterly magazine published by the Himalayan Academy, a nonprofit educational institution, in Kapaʻa, Hawaiʻi, USA. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally, currently in 60 nations. Founded b ...

, the youth are being well trained in their religion and culture at home and in weekend schools in rented halls using texts from Sri Lanka. They even wear Hindu symbols of Vibuthi and Tilakam

The second and third generations of Tamils have integrated very well into the German society, contributing in all skilled professions. Tamils are known as hard workers. The identity of Hindus can be seen in city Hamm, where the temple was built with 17-meter-high Gopuram and the layout rebuilt in Germany after Kamadchi-Ampal Temple in South India.

Italy

There have been sources of Sri Lankan presence in Italy since the Roman times as according to historian Pliny, 4 people from Sri Lanka was said to have visited the court of Emperor

Claudius Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus ( ; ; 1 August 10 BC – 13 October AD 54), or Claudius, was a Roman emperor, ruling from AD 41 to 54. A member of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, Claudius was born to Nero Claudius Drusus, Drusus and Ant ...

in AD 50 while another delegation was sent from Sri Lanka to Rome under the reign of Emperor Julian in 375 AD. It is estimated that there are 110,000 Sinhalese in Italy in 2019 (tuttitalia site). The major Sinhalese communities in Italy are located in

Lombardia The Lombardy Region (; ) is an administrative regions of Italy, region of Italy that covers ; it is located in northern Italy and has a population of about 10 million people, constituting more than one-sixth of Italy's population. Lombardy is ...

(In the districts Loreto and

Lazzaretto A lazaretto ( ), sometimes lazaret or lazarette ( ), is a quarantine station for maritime travelers. Lazarets can be ships permanently at anchor, isolated islands, or mainland buildings. In some lazarets, postal items were also disinfected, usu ...

Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...

Lazio Lazio ( , ; ) or Latium ( , ; from Latium, the original Latin name, ) is one of the 20 Regions of Italy, administrative regions of Italy. Situated in the Central Italy, central peninsular section of the country, it has 5,714,882 inhabitants an ...

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

Naples Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...

and

Southern Italy Southern Italy (, , or , ; ; ), also known as () or (; ; ; ), is a macroregion of Italy consisting of its southern Regions of Italy, regions. The term "" today mostly refers to the regions that are associated with the people, lands or cultu ...

(Particularly

Palermo Palermo ( ; ; , locally also or ) is a city in southern Italy, the capital (political), capital of both the autonomous area, autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the city's surrounding metropolitan province. The ...

Messina Messina ( , ; ; ; ) is a harbour city and the capital city, capital of the Italian Metropolitan City of Messina. It is the third largest city on the island of Sicily, and the 13th largest city in Italy, with a population of 216,918 inhabitants ...

and

Catania Catania (, , , Sicilian and ) is the second-largest municipality on Sicily, after Palermo, both by area and by population. Despite being the second city of the island, Catania is the center of the most densely populated Sicilian conurbation, wh ...

). Most Italian Sinhalese work as domestic workers. But they have also opened businesses such as restaurants, cleaning enterprises (e.g. Cooperativa Multietnica di Pulizie Sud-Est), call centres, video-shops, traditional food shops and minimarkets. Nadeesha Uyangoda is a Sri Lanka-born journalist who has called for second-generation Italian immigrants to be better represented at all levels of politics. Many Sinhalese have migrated to Italy since the 1970s. Italy was attractive to the Sinhalese due to perceived easier employment opportunities and entry, compared to other European countries. In the late 70's, Sinhalese Catholic women migrated to Italy to work in elderly homes. This was followed by a wave of Sinhalese migrants who worked for Italian entrepreneurs in the early 80s. Italy was often seen as a temporary destination, but many Sinhalese decided to settle there. Many Sinhalese have also illegally migrated to Italy, mainly through the

Balkans The Balkans ( , ), corresponding partially with the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throug ...

and Austria. Admission acts also encouraged more Sinhalese to migrate to Italy. For example, the Dini Decree in 1996 made it more easier for Sinhalese workers to bring their family to Italy. In

and

, the Sinhalese have built up "enlarged families", where jobs are exchanged among relatives and compatriots. The Sinhalese prefer to send their children to English speaking countries for their education and consider Italian education mediocre. The major organisation representing the Sinhalese in Italy is the Sri Lanka Association Italy. Ranjith Henayaka-Lochbihler & Miriam Lambusta. (2004). The Sri Lankan Diaspora in Italy. Available: http://www.berghof-center.org/uploads/download/sri_lankan_diaspora_in_italy.pdf. Last accessed 3 April 2010. The Sri Lanka - Italy Business Council - Ceylon Chamber of Commerce is an organization in Italy for promoting investment, trade and joint venture between the two countries.

Netherlands

In 2017, there were 12,696 Sri Lankans in the Netherlands, with just over 5,700 of them second generation Sri Lankans in the Netherlands. There were 5,500 men and a thousand less women in 2010.

Norway

As of 1 January 2010

Statistics Norway Statistics Norway (, abbreviated to ''SSB'') is the Norwegian statistics bureau. It was established in 1876. Relying on a staff of about 1,000, Statistics Norway publish about 1,000 new statistical releases every year on its web site. All rele ...

recorded 13,772 Sri Lankans living in Norway, an increase of 339 from the year before. The capital city

Oslo Oslo ( or ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of 1,064,235 in 2022 ...

is home to about 7,000 Sri Lankans while Norway's second largest city

Bergen Bergen (, ) is a city and municipalities of Norway, municipality in Vestland county on the Western Norway, west coast of Norway. Bergen is the list of towns and cities in Norway, second-largest city in Norway after the capital Oslo. By May 20 ...

has about a thousand Sri Lankan residents.

Romania

In December 2023, it was reported that Romania has attracted increased numbers of immigrants from South Asia, including Nepalis and Sri Lankans. Sri Lankans in Romania made up the second largest expatriate force of non-European Union origin, with a total of 15,807 people.

Sweden

Sweden has a Sri Lankan population of about 6,733 as of 2010. There were 2,948 men and 3,774 women.

Switzerland

There are about 46,000 to 55,000 Swiss of Sri Lankan origin and Sri Lankan expatriates are living in Switzerland, with around 32,000 to 42,000 home to Sri Lanka Tamils.

United Kingdom

Sri Lankans have been migrating to Britain for several generations, up from the time of British ruled Ceylon (started in the 19th century). They include Sri Lankans of all ethnicities and backgrounds and boast a large population in the country. In 2021, the estimated population of the UK born in Sri Lanka was 131,000. Most Sri Lankans live in London, South East England, East England and The Midlands. However, the number of people of Sri Lankan descent might be around 300,000-400,000.

Oceania

Australia

The 2006 Census in Australia found that there were approximately 29,055 Sinhalese Australians (0.1 percent of the population). That was an addition of 8,395 Sinhalese Australians (a 40.6 percent increase) from the 2001 Census. There are 73,849 Australians (0.4 of the population) who reported having Sinhalese ancestry in 2006. This was 26 percent more in 2001, in which 58,602 Australia reported having Sinhalese ancestry. The census is counted by Sri Lankans who speak the Sinhalese language at home. Because the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) uses Sinhalese as opposed to Sri Lankan as the category to define ancestry, it is hard to estimate the number of Tamil Sri Lankans currently living in Australia

New Zealand

The early arrivals to come to New Zealand from what was then

British Ceylon British Ceylon (; ), officially British Settlements and Territories in the Island of Ceylon with its Dependencies from 1802 to 1833, then the Island of Ceylon and its Territories and Dependencies from 1833 to 1931 and finally the Island of Cey ...

were a few prospectors attracted to the gold rushes. By 1874 there were a mere 33 New Zealand residents born in Ceylon. The numbers arriving continued to increase, and at the 2013 census there were over 11,000 Sri Lankans living in New Zealand. Sri Lankan New Zealanders comprised 3% of the Asian population of New Zealand in 2001. Out of the Asians, the Sri Lankans were the most likely to hold a formal qualification and to work in white-collar occupations. Sri Lankans mainly worked in health professions, business and property services, and the retail and manufacturing sectors, in large numbers. Most lived in

Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...

and

Wellington Wellington is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the third-largest city in New Zealand (second largest in the North Island ...

, with smaller populations in

Waikato The Waikato () is a region of the upper North Island of New Zealand. It covers the Waikato District, Waipā District, Matamata-Piako District, South Waikato District and Hamilton City, as well as Hauraki, Coromandel Peninsula, the nort ...

, Manawatu,

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, in the county of Kent, England; it was a county borough until 1974. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour. The city has a mild oceanic climat ...

and others.

Returning

Sri Lankan expatriates have a low rate of return migration to Sri Lanka, even though many continue to maintain close ties with their home country. Though there have been cases where most migrated back to their homeland at least some point in their life.

Notable members of the diaspora

* List of Sri Lankan Americans * List of Sri Lankan Australians *

List of Sri Lankan Britons This is a list of notable people of Sri Lankan descent living in the United Kingdom. The term "Sri Lankan Britons" refers to Sri Lankans of all ethnic groups. Academic * Nishan Canagarajah - British Tamil academic and the current president an ...

* List of Sri Lankan Canadians * List of Sri Lankan Indians * List of Sri Lankans in Singapore * List of Sri Lankan New Zealanders

References

External links

International Network of Sri Lankan diaspora
{{Overseas Asians

Expatriate workers

Diaspora experience

Discrimination

Assimilation

Abuses against migrant workers in the Middle East

Distribution by continent

Africa

Botswana

Libya

Mauritius

Seychelles

South Africa

Tanzania

Americas

Bermuda

Canada

United States

Asia

India

Japan

Malaysia and Singapore

Philippines

Middle East

Lebanon

Qatar

Saudi Arabia

United Arab Emirates

Europe

Denmark

France

Germany

Italy

Netherlands

Norway

Romania

Sweden

Switzerland

United Kingdom

Oceania

Australia

New Zealand

Returning

Notable members of the diaspora

See also

References

External links