Smartphones dominate internet access in Sri Lanka as computer literacy lags

Smartphones accounted for more than 80 per cent of the devices used by Sri Lankans to access the internet or email in 2025, highlighting the country’s growing reliance on mobile technology.

According to the Department of Census and Statistics, smartphones made up 80.6 per cent of devices used for internet or email access, compared with 17.4 per cent for desktops or laptops. Tablets accounted for 1.1 per cent and other mobile phones 0.9 per cent.

The dependence on smartphones was particularly high outside urban areas. Smartphones accounted for 82.5 per cent of internet access devices in rural areas and 94 per cent in the estate sector, compared with 72.2 per cent in urban areas.

Among people aged 60 to 69, smartphones accounted for 89.1 per cent of devices used to access the internet or email. The figure was 89.2 per cent among children aged five to nine.

The trend helps explain the wide gap between Sri Lanka’s digital literacy rate of 72 per cent and computer literacy rate of 39.2 per cent.

The Department said the figures reflected a shift from personal computers towards smartphones and tablets.