In 1978, Kumaranatunga married Chandrika Bandaranaike, daughter of the late Sri Lankan Prime Minister S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike and former Prime Minister Sirimavo Bandaranaike. Vijaya Kumaranatunga and Chandrika Bandaranaike had two children, Yasodhara Kumaranatunga Walker (MD) and Vimukthi Kumaranatunga (Vet) in UK.