SLAS Promotion Velocity Analysis
How long do officers spend in each grade before promotion? This analysis computes the time span between grade transitions for all officers where the relevant dates are available.
8.2y
Grade III → Grade II
(1972 officers)
2y
Grade II → Grade I
(1319 officers)
9.7y
Grade I → Special Grade
(376 officers)
20y
Entry → Special Grade (Total)
(376 officers)
Data Coverage: GIII\u2192GII spans available for 1972 officers (SP + GI + GII); GII\u2192GI for 1319 (SP + GI); GI\u2192SP for 376 (SP only). — as at 01.01.2026
Promotion Time Distribution
Avg: 8.2y | Median: 8.2y | Range: 6y–24.7y
6-8y
1101 (55.8%)
9-11y
841 (42.6%)
12-14y
25 (1.3%)
15-17y
3 (0.2%)
18-20y
1 (0.1%)
24-26y
1 (0.1%)
Promotion Speed by Entry Cohort
| Entry Cohort | Officers | Avg Years | Median Years | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990-1994 | 1 | 10y | 10y | |
| 1995-1999 | 58 | 10.6y | 10y | |
| 2000-2004 | 368 | 10.3y | 10y | |
| 2005-2009 | 441 | 10.1y | 10y | |
| 2010-2014 | 642 | 7.1y | 7.2y | |
| 2015-2019 | 462 | 6y | 6y |
Fastest Promotions to Special Grade
| # | Name | Entry Year | SP Year | Total Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mr. M.M.S.S.B. Yalegama | 1998 | 2016 | 18.3y |
| 2 | Mr. Gunadasa Samarasinghe | 1998 | 2016 | 18.3y |
| 3 | Mr. M.H.M. Zammeel | 1998 | 2016 | 18.3y |
| 4 | Mr. C. Jayasuriya | 1998 | 2016 | 18.3y |
| 5 | Mr. A. Vimalenthirarajah | 1998 | 2016 | 18.3y |
| 6 | Mr. A.B.I. De silva | 1998 | 2016 | 18.3y |
| 7 | Mr. A.W.R. Wimalaweera | 1998 | 2016 | 18.3y |
| 8 | Mr. G.H.M.A. Premasinghe | 1998 | 2016 | 18.3y |
| 9 | Mrs. P.P. Damayanthi | 1998 | 2016 | 18.3y |
| 10 | Mr. P.S.P. Abeywardhana | 1998 | 2016 | 18.3y |
Time in Current Grade
Special Grade
4.5y
avg (376 officers)
median: 4.2y
Grade I
5.1y
avg (943 officers)
median: 3.3y
Grade II
3.9y
avg (653 officers)
median: 4.3y
Grade III
3.9y
avg (641 officers)
median: 4.4y
Data Notes
- Grade III → II spans are available for SP, GI, and GII officers (1,972 of 2,616)
- Grade II → I spans are available for SP and GI officers (1,319 of 2,616)
- Grade I → SP spans are available only for SP officers (376 of 2,616)
- Officers still in their entry grade (GIII) have no promotion dates to compute spans from
- "Time in current grade" measures how long each officer has held their current grade as of 01.01.2026