Ja-Ela (Sinhala: ජා-ඇල, Tamil: ஜா-எல) is a town, located approximately 20 km (12 mi) north of the city centre of Colombo, Sri Lanka.

"Ja" and "Javan" are referential terms used by the Sinhalese, Moors & Tamils to address the Malays/Javanese or those of Indonesian descent and the term "Ela" is derived from Sinhala language meaning stream, lake or canal.

32,175 Majority of the people from Ja-Ela are generally Sinhalese, along with other minority communities such as Tamils, Muslims and Burghers.

The following table summarises the population of Ja-Ela DS Area which covers both urban sectors and rural sectors, according to ethnicity (2011 Census) Source: Department of Census and Statistics, 2012[2] This suburb is situated on the main road A3, between Colombo municipality and Negombo municipality.

There is also a bus stand in Ja-Ela which provides access to Colombo, Negombo, Gampaha.