Sri Lanka Internal Displacement Data: New Displacements and IDP Stock

Annual estimates of internal displacement in Sri Lanka, provided by the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC). The dataset tracks two primary metrics: the year-end stock of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and the count of new displacement incidents, which may include multiple displacements of the same individuals. It is maintained according to the 1998 Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement and was last updated in March 2026.

Use Cases

• Modeling displacement trends over time based on annual estimates.
• Analyzing the impact of conflict and natural disasters on internal displacement flows.
• Estimating the long-term population stock of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).
• Comparing displacement incidents versus unique individuals displaced, as the data accounts for multiple displacements.

Strengths

• Data is validated and provided by the authoritative Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC).
• Distinguishes between population stock and new displacement flows, a key methodological feature.
• Adheres to the internationally recognized 1998 Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data may reflect geographic or temporal bias inherent to the source platform.

Provenance

Source

Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC) via the Global Internal Displacement Database (GIDD).

Collection Method

Comprehensive, validated annual estimates.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-18 23:34:33.818080; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Sri Lanka