The following lists notable events that occurred during 1980 in Sri Lanka.

• President – J. R. Jayewardene
• Prime Minister – Ranasinghe Premadasa
• Chief Justice – Neville Samarakoon

• Sri Lanka competed at the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow, USSR. From 1948 to 1972, the nation was known as Ceylon at the Olympic Games.^[1]

• 11 January – Mayantha Dissanayake, politician.
• 13 January – Niru, musician.
• 19 January – Michael Vandort, cricketer.
• 1 February – Janaka Thissakuttiarachchi, politician.
• 27 February – Harshana Rajakaruna, politician.
• 25 March – Kasun Jayasuriya, footballer.
• 6 April – Sameera Ekanayake, gymnast.
• 17 April – Prasad Jayawardene, cricketer.
• 30 May – Gihan Premachandra, cricketer.
• 3 July – Dilhara Lokuhettige, cricketer.
• 11 July – Indika Ruwanpura, cricketer.
• 22 August – Charitha Buddhika, cricketer.
• 4 October – Praba Udawatte, cricketer.
• 5 October – Malintha Gajanayake, cricketer.
• 24 October – Umayangana Wickramasinghe, actress.
• 25 October – Prabath Nissanka, cricketer.
• 31 October – Tharanath Basnayaka, politician.
• 8 November – Mohamed Ramees, footballer.
• 11 December – Nuwan Ekanayake, cricketer.
• 16 December – Waruna Shantha, cricketer.
• Unknown date
  • Ida Carmelitta, gang rape and murder victim.
  • Mohanarajah Gajamohan, scientist.
  • Suresh Sriskandarajah, militant.

• 1 March – R. A. Chandrasena, musician (b. 1924).
• 12 April – Stanley de Silva, cricketer (b. 1956).
• 20 April – M. Canagaratnam, politician (b. 1924).^[2][3]
• May – Edward Buultjens, cricketer (b. 1913).
• 28 August – A. P. Jayasuriya, politician (b. 1897)
• 1 September – Xavier Thaninayagam, academic (b. 1913).
• 2 October – John Kotelawala, politician (b. 1895).
• 4 December – Hamilton Shirley Amerasinghe, diplomat and civil servant (b. 1913).
• Unknown date
  • Oliver Weerasinghe, architect and diplomat.