Sri Lanka’s religious demographics are contested, and
due to inaccessibility of areas formerly under the control
of Tamil rebels, official census results do not exist for the
entire island. Estimates generally state that Sinhalese Buddhists
make up approximately 74 percent of the national
population. The Tamil minority is actually divided ethnically
between Tamils of Sri Lankan descent (4 to 12 percent)
and Tamils of Indian decent, who were brought from
the mainland to work on plantations during British rule.
The Indian Tamil estimate is likely accurate because this
ethnic group lives primarily in regions of the country under
government control. The Sri Lankan Tamil estimate is
more disputed because it is unknown how many may have
fled the country since hostilities broke out between the
LTTE and the government in 1983.