Ethnic composition of Sri Lanka 1953

	Total	Low Country Sinhalese	Kandyan Sinhalese	Ceylon Tamils	Indian Tamils	Ceylon Moors	Indian Moors	Burghers & Eurasians	Malays	Veddahs	Europeans	Others
Ceylon	8097895	3469512	2147193	884703	974098	463963	47462	45950	25464	803	6508	32239
Anuradhapura	229282	38738	152192	13860	3378	18642	1209	345	178	321	24	395
Anuradhapura UC	18390	7502	3752	4003	1040	1083	504	235	117	-	6	148
rural	207187	30351	147044	9065	1790	17483	702	110	60	321	18	243
estates	3705	885	1396	792	548	76	3	-	1	-	-	4
Badulla	466896	38303	228163	13961	166265	13380	2199	1281	1235	370	437	1302
Badulla UC	17043	3795	6961	1938	1517	1775	324	232	356	-	8	137
Bandarawela UC	3307	1045	566	449	614	352	77	91	41	1	42	29
Haputale UC	1732	537	250	126	407	305	48	17	23	-	3	16
rural	268852	28449	213376	7069	6807	10088	898	667	499	369	90	540
estates	175962	4477	7010	4379	156920	860	852	274	316	-	294	580
Batticaloa	270493	11675	19499	128556	1825	105960	746	1695	163	30	55	289
Batticaloa UC	17439	1474	330	12678	611	1000	197	1028	32	-	12	77
rural	252651	10159	19164	115550	1206	104949	549	663	127	30	42	212
estates	403	42	5	328	8	11	-	4	4	-	1	-
Chilaw	170072	143097	4825	8679	6115	4979	631	269	248	-	25	1204
Chilaw UC	11392	8208	223	940	549	784	299	86	149	-	3	151
rural	154575	131685	4503	7356	5210	4180	332	168	91	-	16	1034
estates	4105	3204	99	383	356	15	-	15	8	-	6	19
Colombo	1708726	1334798	40885	89882	72382	78756	21008	31977	15755	-	3723	19560
Colombo MC	426127	190212	11685	53757	50153	57508	18050	16940	11689	-	2906	13227
Negombo MC	38628	27981	506	4125	1441	3013	404	445	256	-	127	330
Avissawella UC	3205	2239	437	280	149	43	17	12	16	-	-	12
Dehiwala-Mt.Lavinia UC	78213	60351	2536	5201	2089	1124	376	5432	349	-	159	596
Gampaha UC	7496	6410	459	187	269	35	22	67	23	-	1	23
Jaela UC	3777	3122	67	176	252	11	-	45	-	-	2	102
Kolonnawa UC	21384	16239	763	1907	1008	444	98	504	283	-	6	132
Kotte UC	54381	44059	1861	2953	1900	669	229	1972	384	-	20	334
Moratuwa UC	60215	56036	1015	871	852	566	276	293	94	-	36	176
Wattala-Mabole-Peliyagoda UC	15996	11202	401	1405	1151	796	150	484	191	-	3	213
rural	986797	910928	20759	17995	8410	14520	1359	5721	2393	-	443	4269
estates	12507	6019	396	1025	4708	27	27	62	77	-	20	146
Galle	524369	490253	2997	3036	11237	15202	203	795	239	-	103	304
Galle MC	55848	42189	449	974	805	10484	101	563	158	-	64	61
Ambalangoda UC	10554	9945	166	80	208	68	47	3	2	-	-	35
rural	435836	427255	2159	863	612	4593	21	168	73	-	13	79
estates	22131	10864	223	1119	9612	57	34	61	6	-	26	129
Hambantota	191508	184284	967	1193	261	3139	43	81	1491	-	8	41
Hambantota UC	4299	1985	41	112	17	1137	31	22	947	-	3	4
Tangalla UC	6823	5922	49	134	26	614	5	45	18	-	4	6
rural	179934	175961	858	936	217	1388	7	11	524	-	1	31
estates	452	416	19	11	1	-	-	3	2	-	-	-
Jaffna	491849	4535	1648	469715	7589	6265	818	407	80	-	78	714
Jaffna MC	77181	1895	574	63330	4367	5512	610	312	42	-	50	489
rural	414668	2640	1074	406385	3222	753	208	95	38	-	28	225
Kalutara	523550	446587	5621	5973	34308	28534	516	667	455	-	100	789
Beruwala UC	12498	5165	65	79	126	7004	21	15	19	-	1	3
Horana UC	4827	4329	98	82	225	55	15	6	1	-	1	15
Kalutara UC	20323	15028	334	571	586	3389	124	178	59	-	6	48
Panadura UC	20395	18234	479	517	660	191	81	84	89	-	11	49
rural	420829	393828	4235	2023	1895	17702	178	292	216	-	15	445
estates	44678	10003	410	2701	30816	193	97	92	71	-	66	229
Kandy	840382	86278	401138	24885	255914	56644	6279	3694	2495	18	676	2361
Kandy MC	57200	19956	17188	4676	3902	7205	1207	1576	647	3	181	659
Gampola UC	10773	2625	1980	1174	724	3511	350	84	263	13	9	40
Hatton-Dickoya UC	10242	2086	785	929	4988	828	272	92	85	-	46	131
Kadugannawa UC	1168	357	411	127	53	106	58	22	11	-	-	23
Nawalapitiya UC	9862	2709	1594	1608	1108	2081	201	305	161	1	21	73
Wattegama UC	1162	281	203	220	209	107	116	10	8	-	1	7
rural	472506	49243	354375	10403	12713	41086	1839	1166	852	-	38	791
estates	277469	9021	24602	5748	232217	1720	2236	439	468	1	380	637
Kegalla	471605	44989	341890	5294	58247	17866	1571	434	255	13	122	924
Kegalla UC	5510	1859	2472	384	269	279	72	92	45	-	10	28
rural	392280	34843	332644	3148	2702	17285	999	181	132	11	16	319
estates	73815	8287	6774	1762	55276	302	500	161	78	2	96	577
Kurunegala	626336	114429	461187	9673	9892	25397	3374	773	826	22	45	718
Kurunegala MC	17505	7370	4389	1608	681	1866	835	274	417	-	20	45
Kuliyapitiya UC	3002	1403	702	311	314	139	80	25	18	-	-	10
rural	586822	97029	452387	6602	3689	23316	2434	405	354	-	9	597
estates	19007	8627	3709	1152	5208	76	25	69	37	22	16	66
Mannar	43689	1765	354	20235	7979	10872	2258	51	34	1	13	127
rural	43589	1762	352	20149	7970	10872	2258	51	34	1	13	127
estates	100	3	2	86	9	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Matale	201049	21670	117205	7857	40655	11052	1472	441	321	2	61	313
Matale UC	17244	4284	5130	2676	812	3410	498	192	182	-	5	55
rural	139118	15499	108797	3195	3413	7338	587	151	62	2	12	62
estates	44687	1887	3278	1986	36430	304	387	98	77	-	44	196
Matara	413431	387227	1685	2489	11487	9815	104	323	43	-	32	226
Matara UC	27641	23842	206	380	420	2466	49	216	13	-	19	30
Weligama UC	12834	10312	111	101	45	2257	2	3	2	-	-	1
rural	353932	346469	1212	609	476	5004	17	84	22	-	6	33
estates	19024	6604	156	1399	10546	88	36	20	6	-	7	162
Nuwara Eliya	325254	22858	93642	7067	192578	4665	1605	869	656	5	714	595
Nuwara Eliya MC	14405	3503	2789	1551	4628	686	273	347	240	3	261	124
Talawakele-Lindula UC	3444	1159	549	403	1093	137	65	17	12	-	6	3
rural	102531	13353	79084	1794	4333	3018	450	223	103	2	56	115
estates	204874	4843	11220	3319	182524	824	817	282	301	-	391	353
Puttalam	58820	18670	12917	7933	1077	17023	595	119	287	-	2	197
Puttalam UC	10237	1917	126	1260	273	6128	141	63	233	-	2	94
rural	47770	16138	12768	6565	781	10870	452	52	43	-	-	101
estates	813	615	23	108	23	25	2	4	11	-	-	2
Ratnapura	421555	67473	251045	6838	87088	5174	1793	509	220	20	129	1266
Balangoda UC	2477	886	602	190	414	280	50	28	7	-	1	19
Ratnapura UC	16598	6091	7355	862	615	1186	234	119	47	-	17	72
rural	297752	49243	239596	2545	2187	3173	314	219	73	-	17	385
estates	104728	11253	3492	3241	83872	535	1195	143	93	20	94	790
Trincomalee	83917	10262	5034	34035	3482	27748	868	1114	468	-	161	745
Trincomalee UC	26356	4846	878	13633	2489	2060	469	895	304	-	149	633
rural	57445	5404	4147	20325	989	25674	399	219	164	-	12	112
estates	116	12	9	77	4	14	-	-	-	-	-	-
Vavuniya	35112	1621	4299	23542	2339	2850	170	106	15	1	-	169
rural	35035	1619	4297	23476	2333	2849	170	106	15	1	-	169
estates	77	2	2	66	6	1	-	-	-	-	-	-

Source: Census of Ceylon 1953. Volume I: General report by H.E.Peries M.A.(Cantab), Director of Census & Statistics and Superintendent of Census. Department of census and statistics, Colombo, 1957