Sri Lanka at its true size
Sri Lanka covers 65,610 km², number 120 of 194 countries by area. Home to 21,756,000 people (2025). Sitting near the equator, it is one of the few places Mercator gets almost right.
Equal-area projection · Natural Earth 50m
| Area | 65,610 km² Wikidata |
|---|---|
| Population | 21,756,000 World Bank, 2025 |
| Density | 332 per km² |
| Capital | Colombo |
| Local time in Colombo | |
| Time zone | UTC+5:30 IANA |
| Currency | Sri Lankan rupee (LKR) Wikidata |
| Languages | Tamil, Sinhala |
| Traffic | On the left |
| Region | Southern Asia, Asia |
| Status | Independent state |
| Coast | Has a coastline |
| Calling code | +94 |
| Codes | LK · LKA · 144 |
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Where Sri Lanka ranks
Among the independent states, in 44 rankings. Each links to its table.
People
- Population#63 of 19422 million people#24 of 48 in Asia
- Population density#25 of 194332 people per km²#11 of 48 in Asia
- Urban population#187 of 19221% urban#47 of 47 in Asia
- Fertility rate#99 of 1921.95 births per woman#25 of 47 in Asia
- Population growth#186 of 192−0.73% a year#47 of 47 in Asia
- Birth rate#138 of 19210.1 births per 1,000 people#38 of 47 in Asia
- Death rate#76 of 1927.8 deaths per 1,000 people#7 of 47 in Asia
- Children under 15#106 of 19221.7% under 15#28 of 47 in Asia
- People over 65#68 of 19212.5% aged 65 and over#11 of 47 in Asia
- Net migration#126 of 192−1.4 per 1,000 people#34 of 47 in Asia
- Refugees abroad#24 of 1906.82 refugees abroad per 1,000 people#6 of 47 in Asia
Health & education
- Life expectancy#62 of 19277.7 years#18 of 47 in Asia
- Infant mortality#142 of 1915.2 infant deaths per 1,000 live births#37 of 47 in Asia
- Doctors#104 of 1781.14 doctors per 1,000 people#30 of 46 in Asia
- University enrolment#116 of 14520.7% gross enrolment#37 of 42 in Asia
- Human Development Index#88 of 190an index of 0.776#22 of 46 in Asia
Economy
- GNI per capita#117 of 185$4,670 a person#29 of 45 in Asia
- Internet users#141 of 18455% online#38 of 43 in Asia
- GDP per capita (PPP)#102 of 184$17,065 a person#28 of 45 in Asia
- GDP growth#45 of 187+5.0% a year#17 of 45 in Asia
- Inflation#175 of 176−4.8% a year#41 of 42 in Asia
- Unemployment#113 of 1784.0% of the labour force#24 of 47 in Asia
- Extreme poverty#65 of 1492.7% under $3.00 a day#11 of 33 in Asia
- Income inequality (Gini)#54 of 149a Gini index of 37.7#5 of 33 in Asia
- Jobs in agriculture#71 of 17825.9% of jobs#19 of 47 in Asia
- Jobs in industry#33 of 17826.3% of jobs#14 of 47 in Asia
- Jobs in services#129 of 17847.8% of jobs#34 of 47 in Asia
- Foreign investment#126 of 1841.0% of GDP#27 of 44 in Asia
- Exports#136 of 16819.0% of GDP#34 of 42 in Asia
- Military spending#97 of 1551.3% of GDP#30 of 38 in Asia
- Mobile subscriptions#45 of 191133 subscriptions per 100 people#18 of 47 in Asia
Energy & environment
- CO₂ per person#128 of 1851.06 tonnes a person#39 of 47 in Asia
- Forest area#87 of 19234% forest#16 of 47 in Asia
- Renewable energy#51 of 19048.8% renewable#6 of 47 in Asia
- Access to electricity#1 of 192100.0% with electricity#1 of 47 in Asia
- Air pollution (PM2.5)#68 of 19122.7 µg/m³#31 of 47 in Asia
- Protected land#31 of 19130.8% of the land protected#6 of 47 in Asia
- Arable land#46 of 19022.2% of the land arable#9 of 47 in Asia
- Water stress#19 of 17690.8% of its available fresh water#14 of 47 in Asia
- Precipitation#45 of 1801,712 mm a year#13 of 47 in Asia
Governance & safety
Countries of a similar size
Every country within 25% of Sri Lanka’s area, lit up on the map →
- Lithuania1.0×Sri Lanka and Lithuania are almost exactly the same size.
- Latvia1.02×Sri Lanka and Latvia are almost exactly the same size.
- Georgia0.94×Sri Lanka is 6% smaller than Georgia.
- Ireland0.94×Sri Lanka is 6% smaller than Ireland.
- Sierra Leone0.91×Sri Lanka is 9% smaller than Sierra Leone.
- Panama0.88×Sri Lanka is 12% smaller than Panama.
How many times does Sri Lanka fit into…
- Russia: about 260 times
- Canada: about 152 times
- United States: about 150 times
The land itself
Rivers, summits and lakes Sri Lanka shares with the rest of the world. Turn on “Rivers & lakes” and “Physical names” in the atlas to see them on the map.
Summits
- Pidurutalagala2,524 m
Rivers are listed by the published length of their whole course, not the part inside Sri Lanka. Figures from Wikidata, features from Natural Earth.
Questions about Sri Lanka
- How big is Sri Lanka?
- Sri Lanka covers 65,610 km², which makes it number 120 of 194 countries by area. About 21,756,000 people live there (2025), 332 per km².
- Is Sri Lanka bigger than Lithuania?
- Sri Lanka and Lithuania are almost exactly the same size. Sri Lanka: 65,610 km²; Lithuania: 65,300 km².
- How much does the Mercator map distort Sri Lanka?
- Sri Lanka lies close to the equator, so Mercator draws it at nearly its true size. It is the countries far from the equator that Mercator inflates.
- Does Sri Lanka have land borders?
- No. Sri Lanka has no land neighbours; every border is a coastline.