Microplastic (MP) pollution is a growing issue in Sri Lanka. However, few findings have been reported in the Northern coastal belt of Sri Lanka. This study provides the first evidence of the prevalence and abundance of MPs in the Northern Sri Lankan coastal waters of Mathagal, Point Pedro and Charty Beach in Jaffna. Floating MPs were collected using a plankton net with a mesh size of 153 µm horizontally at the surface once a month from August 2020 to January 2022. The MPs were characterized based on their physical morphology; size, shape and colour by stereo microscope and chemical composition by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). MPs (1-5 mm) were found in each site studied. The MP abundance was significantly varied both spatially and temporally (p