Sri Lanka Factbook

Sri Lanka has been ravaged by nearly 20 years of guerilla war. Buddhism is the dominant religion. Evangelicals are few in number but growing in number and influence.

Sri Lanka is an island off the southern tip of India. The climate is tropical with annual monsoon seasons.

Over 15 million people live in Sri Lanka. Approximately 75% of the population is Sinhalese. Another 15% is Tamil. Differences between these two groups has brought about the ongoing war.

Years of war have hampered the economy. Industrialization has increased, but unemployment and poverty remains high. Poverty is disproportionately large among the Tamils.

The Sinhalese settled in Sri Lanka before the time of Christ. The Tamils arrived in the 14th century. Sri Lanka was conquered by the Portuguese in the 16th century. Control passed to the Dutch in the 17th century and the British in the late 18th century. The British named the island Ceylon. Ceylon gained independence in 1948 and changed its name to Sri Lanka in 1972. The majority Sinhalese controls the government. Tamil separatists started a guerilla war in the mid-1980s which has lasted to this day. Tens of thousands have died in the fighting.

Buddhism was introduced to the Sinhalese shortly after they arrived in Sri Lanka, and it remains the official state religion. The Tamils are predominantly Hindu. The constitution guarantees freedom for religions other than Buddhism, but there has been an increasing amount of discrimination. Discrimination against Christians has been on the rise since the late 1980s.

Christianity was originally introduced to Sri Lanka by the Portuguese in the 16th century, but following early growth, the church steadily declined over the years. However, there has been new growth among evangelicals.

The number of evangelical Christians is still small but has been steadily increasing over the last 20 years. Many Christians have fled the country because of the war, yet the total number of Christians has increased and now accounts for more than 1% of the population. Many new churches have been planted over the last 20 years as well. Bible training has improved, and the church in Sri Lanka has produced some highly talented Christians who have ministered around the world.

There are many challenges. The war has left deep physical and emotional scars. The church needs to find effective ways to respond to this need. Large areas of the country do not have an evangelical witness. Persecution is increasing. Missionary visas are now very difficult to obtain as the government seeks to limit missions work. Pray that the Lord would break down all of the barriers to the gospel and save large numbers of Buddhists and Hindus. Pray that peace and stability would be restored to this war-torn land.

Copyright 2006 by Brad Garrison

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