Sri Lanka: Heads of State: 1972-2024

Śrī Laṃkā Janarajaye Janādhipati (ශ්‍රී ලංකා ජනරජයේ ජනාධිපති) \| President of the Republic of Sri Lanka
22 May 1972 - 3 Feb 1978	Viliyam Gŏpallava (විලියම් ගොපල්ලව) (William Gopallawa)
4 Feb 1978 - 7 Sep 1978	Juniyas Ricaḍ Jayavardhana (ජුනියස් රිචඩ් ජයවර්ධන) (Junius Richard Jayewardene)
Śrī Laṃkā Prajātāntrika Samājavādī Janarajaye Janādhipati (ශ්‍රී ලංකා ප්‍රජාතාන්ත්‍රික සමාජවාදී ජනරජයේ ජනාධිපති) = (from 17 Nov 1987) Ilaṅkai Jaṉanāyaka Cocalicak Kuṭiyaraciṉ Jaṉātipati (இலங்கை ஜனநாயக சோசலிசக் குடியரசின் ஜனாதிபதி) \| President of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka
7 Sep 1978 - 2 Jan 1989	Juniyas Ricaḍ Jayavardhana (ජුනියස් රිචඩ් ජයවර්ධන) = Jūṉiyas Riccaṭ Jayavartaṉā (ஜூனியஸ் ரிச்சட் ஜயவர்தனா) (Junius Richard Jayewardene)
2 Jan 1989 - 1 May 1993	Raṇasiṃha Premadāsa (රණසිංහ ප්‍රේමදාස) = Raṇaciṅka Pirematācā (ரணசிங்க பிரேமதாசா) (Ranasinghe Premadasa)
Śrī Laṃkā Prajātāntrika Samājavādī Janarajaye Væḍa Balana Janādhipati (ශ්‍රී ලංකා ප්‍රජාතාන්ත්‍රික සමාජවාදී ජනරජයේ වැඩ බලන ජනාධිපති) = Ilaṅkai Jaṉanāyaka Cocalicak Kuṭiyaraciṉ Patil Jaṉātipati (இலங்கை ஜனநாயக சோசலிசக் குடியரசின் பதில்‌ ஜனாதிபதி) \| Acting President of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka
1 May 1993 - 7 May 1993	Ḍiṃgiri Baṇḍā Vijetuṃga (ඩිංගිරි බණ්ඩා විජේතුංග) = Ṭiṅkiri Paṇṭa Vijetuṅka (டிங்கிரி பண்ட விஜேதுங்க) (Dingiri Banda Wijetunga)
Śrī Laṃkā Prajātāntrika Samājavādī Janarajaye Janādhipati (ශ්‍රී ලංකා ප්‍රජාතාන්ත්‍රික සමාජවාදී ජනරජයේ ජනාධිපති) = Ilaṅkai Jaṉanāyaka Cocalicak Kuṭiyaraciṉ Jaṉātipati (இலங்கை ஜனநாயக சோசலிசக் குடியரசின் ஜனாதிபதி) \| President of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka
7 May 1993 - 12 Nov 1994	Ḍiṃgiri Baṇḍā Vijetuṃga (ඩිංගිරි බණ්ඩා විජේතුංග) = Ṭiṅkiri Paṇṭa Vijetuṅka (டிங்கிரி பண்ட விஜேதுங்க) (Dingiri Banda Wijetunga)
12 Nov 1994 - 19 Nov 2005	Candrikā Baṇḍāranāyaka Kumāratuṃga (චන්ද්‍රිකා බණ්ඩාරනායක කුමාරතුංග) = Cantirikā Paṇṭāranāyakka Kumāratuṅka (சந்திரிகா பண்டாரநாயக்க குமாரதுங்க) (Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga) [1]
19 Nov 2005 - 9 Jan 2015	Mahinda Rājapakṣa (මහින්ද රාජපක්ෂ) = Mahinta Rājapakṣa (மஹிந்த ராஜபக்ஷ) (Mahinda Rajapaksa) [2][3]
9 Jan 2015 - 17 Nov 2019	Pallĕvatta Gamarāl̤alāge Maitrīpāla Yāpā Sirisena (පල්ලෙවත්‍ත ගමරාළලාගේ මෛත්‍රීපාල යාපා සිරිසේන) = Pallevatta Kamarāl̤alāke Maittiripāla Yāppā Ciṟiceṉa (பல்லேவத்த கமராளலாகே மைத்திரிபால யாப்பா சிறிசேன) (Pallewatte Gamaralalage Maithripala Yapa Sirisena)
17 Nov 2019 - 15 Jul 2022	Nandasena Goṭhābhaya Rājapakṣa (නන්දසේන ගෝඨාභය රාජපක්ෂ) = Nantaceṉa Koṭṭāpaya Rājapakṣa (நந்தசேன கோட்டாபய ராஜபக்ஷ) (Nandasena Gotabaya Rajapaksa) [4]
Śrī Laṃkā Prajātāntrika Samājavādī Janarajaye Væḍa Balana Janādhipati (ශ්‍රී ලංකා ප්‍රජාතාන්ත්‍රික සමාජවාදී ජනරජයේ වැඩ බලන ජනාධිපති) = Ilaṅkai Jaṉanāyaka Cocalicak Kuṭiyaraciṉ Patil Jaṉātipati (இலங்கை ஜனநாயக சோசலிசக் குடியரசின் பதில்‌ ஜனாதிபதி) \| Acting President of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka
15 Jul 2022 - 21 Jul 2022	Ranil Vikramasiṃha (රනිල් වික්‍රමසිංහ) = Raṇil Vikkiramaciṅka (ரணில் விக்கிரமசிங்க) (Ranil Wickremesinghe)
Śrī Laṃkā Prajātāntrika Samājavādī Janarajaye Janādhipati (ශ්‍රී ලංකා ප්‍රජාතාන්ත්‍රික සමාජවාදී ජනරජයේ ජනාධිපති) = Ilaṅkai Jaṉanāyaka Cocalicak Kuṭiyaraciṉ Jaṉātipati (இலங்கை ஜனநாயக சோசலிசக் குடியரசின் ஜனாதிபதி) \| President of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka
21 Jul 2022 - 23 Sep 2024	Ranil Vikramasiṃha (රනිල් වික්‍රමසිංහ) = Raṇil Vikkiramaciṅka (ரணில் விக்கிரமசிங்க) (Ranil Wickremesinghe)
23 Sep 2024 -	Anura Kumāra Disānāyaka (අනුර කුමාර දිසානායක) = Anura Kumāra Ticānāyakka (அநுர குமார திசாநாயக்க) (Anura Kumara Dissanayake) [8]

Née Candrikā Baṇḍāranāyaka (චන්ද්‍රිකා බණ්ඩාරනායක) = Cantirikā Paṇṭāranāyakka (சந்திரிகா பண்டாரநாயக்க).
Original name: Parsi Mahendra Rājapakṣa (පර්සි මහේන්ද්‍ර රාජපක්ෂ) = Perci Makentirā Rācapakca (பேர்சி மகேந்திரா ராசபக்ச).
A notice signed by the Secretary to the President and published in Sri Lanka Gazette, No. 1419/12, Part I, Extra, 19 Nov 2005, defined that the term of Rajapaksa commenced on the day when his election was declared (18 Nov 2005). As required by the Constitution, his predecessor continued in office until the assumption of office by Rajapaksa on 19 Nov 2005.
A notice signed by the Secretary to the President and published in Sri Lanka Gazette, No. 2150/41, Part I, Extra, 21 Nov 2019, defined that the term of Rajapaksa commenced on the day when his election was declared (17 Nov 2019). As required by the Constitution, his predecessor continued in office until the assumption of office by Rajapaksa on 18 Nov 2019.
A notice signed by the Secretary to the President and published in Sri Lanka Gazette, No. 2403/01, Part I, Extra, 23 Sep 2024, defined that the term of Dissanayake commenced on the day when his election was declared (22 Sep 2024). As required by the Constitution, his predecessor continued in office until the assumption of office by Dissanayake on 23 Sep 2024.