Political Divisions and Demographics
In the 1881 census, Sri Lankan Tamils numbered 687,200 constituting 25% of the total population.The Tamil-speaking Muslim community who used to live largely in the Northern and the Eastern provinces comprised another 6% of the population.
Following the independence which saw large scale movements in search of better economic opportunities all over the country and the several state sponsored Sinhala colonization in Tamil territories, the demographics of the state had been heavily altered.
The three decade Civil war that followed the anti-Tamil policies further affected the North and the East with over 80,000-100,000 people estimated to have been killed and over 400,000 Tamils fleeing their homes for refuge.Many people still live in IDP camps in the North and the East and the present-day demographics of the region has been changing due to more and more Sinhalese settling in these territories.
| Province | District | Population | % Sri Lankan Tamil | % Indian Tamil | % Sri Lankan Moor | Sinhalese |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northern Province | Jaffna District | 831,112 | 97% | 0.4% | 1.6% | 0.5% |
| Kilinochchi District | 91,641 | 97% | 1.7% | 0.8% | ||
| Mannar District | 106,940 | 63.7% | 26.6% | 8.1% | ||
| Mullaitivu District | 77,152 | 89.8% | 4.8% | 5% | ||
| Vavuniya District | 95,904 | 76.2% | 6.9% | 16.5% | ||
| Eastern Province | Amparai District | 388,970 | 20.0% | 0.36% | 41.5% | 37.7% |
| Batticaloa District | 330,333 | 72% | 0.1% | 23% | 3.4% | |
| Trincomalee District | 255,948 | 36.4% | 0.1% | 29.3% | 33.4% | |
| North-Western Province | Puthalam district | 709,677 | 6.8% | 0.3% | 18.8% | 73.7% |
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