Ireland vs Sri Lanka
Ireland is 6% larger than Sri Lanka.
IrelandSri LankaIreland moved onto Sri Lanka · Equal-area projection
1.06×
Ireland is 1.06× the area of Sri Lanka.
 Ireland |  Sri Lanka | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaIreland: 1.06× the area | 69,797 km²#118 of 194 | 65,610 km²#120 of 194 |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Coast, no land border |
| Land neighbours | 1 | 0 |
| People | ||
| PopulationSri Lanka: 3.97× the population | 5,484,367#121 of 194 · 2025 | 21,756,000#63 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensitySri Lanka: 4.22× the density | 79 / km²#106 of 194 | 332 / km²#25 of 194 |
| Urban populationIreland: 3.15× the urban share | 65%#90 of 192 · 2025 | 21%#187 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateSri Lanka: 1.33× the births per woman | 1.47 per woman#141 of 192 · 2024 | 1.95 per woman#99 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthIreland: 2.36 points higher | +1.63%#62 of 192 · 2025 | −0.73%#186 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateAbout the same birth rate | 10.0 per 1,000#140 of 192 · 2024 | 10.1 per 1,000#138 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateSri Lanka: 1.2× the death rate | 6.5 per 1,000#122 of 192 · 2024 | 7.8 per 1,000#76 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Sri Lanka: 3.6 points higher | 18.1%#127 of 192 · 2025 | 21.7%#106 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Ireland: 3.7 points higher | 16.2%#50 of 192 · 2025 | 12.5%#68 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationIreland: 7.9 per 1,000 higher | +6.5 per 1,000#14 of 192 · 2025 | −1.4 per 1,000#126 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadSri Lanka: 682× the refugees for its size | 0.01 per 1,000#155 of 190 · 2025 | 6.82 per 1,000#24 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyIreland: 5.3 years longer | 83.0 years#18 of 192 · 2024 | 77.7 years#62 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalitySri Lanka: 1.53× the infant mortality | 3.4 per 1,000 births#159 of 191 · 2024 | 5.2 per 1,000 births#142 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsIreland: 3.4× the doctors per person | 3.88 per 1,000#34 of 178 · 2023 | 1.14 per 1,000#104 of 178 · 2023 |
| University enrolmentIreland: 3.75× the university enrolment | 77.6%#30 of 145 · 2022 | 20.7%#116 of 145 · 2023 |
| Human Development IndexIreland: 0.173 higher | 0.949#10 of 190 · 2023 | 0.776#88 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaIreland: 18.7× the income per person | $87,360#6 of 185 · 2025 | $4,670#117 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPIreland: 6.63× the economy | $721.7B2025 | $108.83B2025 |
| Income group | High income | Upper-middle income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Ireland: 9.09× the output per person | $155,089#3 of 184 · 2025 | $17,065#102 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthIreland: 7.3 points higher | +12.3%#3 of 187 · 2025 | +5.0%#45 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationIreland: 7.0 points higher | +2.2%#113 of 176 · 2025 | −4.8%#175 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentIreland: 1.15× the unemployment | 4.6%#102 of 178 · 2025 | 4.0%#113 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme povertySri Lanka: 27× the share in extreme poverty | 0.1%#126 of 149 · 2023 | 2.7%#65 of 149 · 2019 |
| Income inequality (Gini)Sri Lanka: 8.7 higher | 29.0#128 of 149 · 2023 | 37.7#54 of 149 · 2019 |
| Jobs in agricultureSri Lanka: 22.0 points higher | 3.9% of jobs#139 of 178 · 2025 | 25.9% of jobs#71 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industrySri Lanka: 8.1 points higher | 18.2% of jobs#102 of 178 · 2025 | 26.3% of jobs#33 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesIreland: 30.1 points higher | 77.9% of jobs#23 of 178 · 2025 | 47.8% of jobs#129 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentIreland: 9.4 points higher | 10.4% of GDP#16 of 184 · 2025 | 1.0% of GDP#126 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsIreland: 121.1 points higher | 140.1% of GDP#4 of 168 · 2025 | 19.0% of GDP#136 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spendingSri Lanka: 5.95× the military spending | 0.2% of GDP#150 of 155 · 2025 | 1.3% of GDP#97 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersIreland: 1.78× the share online | 97%#16 of 184 · 2024 | 55%#141 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsSri Lanka: 1.18× the mobile subscriptions | 113 per 100#102 of 191 · 2024 | 133 per 100#45 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaSri Lanka: 2.87× the forest share | 12% of land#145 of 192 · 2024 | 34% of land#87 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personIreland: 5.7× the CO₂ per person | 6.04 t a year#38 of 185 · 2024 | 1.06 t a year#128 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energySri Lanka: 36.1 points higher | 12.7%#128 of 190 · 2021 | 48.8%#51 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityThe same | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Sri Lanka: 3.03× the air pollution | 7.5 µg/m³#170 of 191 · 2023 | 22.7 µg/m³#68 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landSri Lanka: 16.6 points higher | 14.2% of land#121 of 191 · 2025 | 30.8% of land#31 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landSri Lanka: 15.9 points higher | 6.3% of land#120 of 190 · 2024 | 22.2% of land#46 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressSri Lanka: 11.2× the water stress | 8.1%#97 of 176 · 2022 | 90.8%#19 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationSri Lanka: 1.53× the rain and snow | 1,118 mm#83 of 180 · 2022 | 1,712 mm#45 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityIreland: 0.79 higher | +0.75#53 of 193 · 2025 | −0.04#108 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionIreland: 1.79 higher | +1.51#18 of 193 · 2025 | −0.28#99 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rateSri Lanka: 4.71× the homicide rate | 0.7 per 100,000#123 of 146 · 2023 | 3.3 per 100,000#61 of 146 · 2019 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Parliamentary republic | Presidential republic |
| Member of | EU, Euro area, OECD | — |
| Capital | Dublin | Colombo |
| Currency | Euro (EUR) | Sri Lankan rupee (LKR) |
| Official languages | English, Irish | Tamil, Sinhala |
| Traffic drives | On the left | On the left |
| Time zone | UTC, summer time UTC+1 | UTC+5:30 |
| Calling code | +353 | +94 |
| Region | Northern Europe, Europe | Southern Asia, Asia |
Area: Wikidata. Population, income, health, economy, environment and governance: World Bank. Human Development Index: UNDP. Government: CIA World Factbook. Ranks among the 194 independent states. All sources
Why the map you grew up with disagrees
On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Ireland sits at about 53° N and is stretched to 2.78× its true area; Sri Lanka at 8° N is stretched to 1.02×. That difference is why Ireland looks so much bigger than it is next to Sri Lanka. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Questions about this pair
- Is Ireland bigger than Sri Lanka?
- Yes. Ireland is 6% larger than Sri Lanka. Ireland covers 69,797 km² and Sri Lanka covers 65,610 km².
- How many times does Sri Lanka fit into Ireland?
- About 1.1 times: Ireland has 1.06× the area of Sri Lanka.
- Why do Ireland and Sri Lanka look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Ireland is drawn about 2.78× its true area there and Sri Lanka about 1.02×. That is why Ireland looks so much bigger than it really is next to Sri Lanka. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, Ireland or Sri Lanka?
- Sri Lanka: 21,756,000 people against 5,484,367. Density: Ireland 79 per km², Sri Lanka 332 per km².
- Which is richer, Ireland or Sri Lanka?
- By gross national income per person, Ireland: $87,360 against $4,670 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 18.7× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Ireland or Sri Lanka?
- In Ireland: life expectancy at birth is 83.0 years, against 77.7 — 5.3 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Ireland and Sri Lanka have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — Ireland: parliamentary republic; Sri Lanka: presidential republic.