Panama vs Sri Lanka
Panama is 13% larger than Sri Lanka.
PanamaSri LankaPanama moved onto Sri Lanka · Equal-area projection
1.13×
Panama is 1.13× the area of Sri Lanka.
 Panama |  Sri Lanka | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaPanama: 1.13× the area | 74,177 km²#116 of 194 | 65,610 km²#120 of 194 |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Coast, no land border |
| Land neighbours | 2 | 0 |
| People | ||
| PopulationSri Lanka: 4.76× the population | 4,571,189#127 of 194 · 2025 | 21,756,000#63 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensitySri Lanka: 5.38× the density | 62 / km²#124 of 194 | 332 / km²#25 of 194 |
| Urban populationPanama: 3.23× the urban share | 66%#85 of 192 · 2025 | 21%#187 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility ratePanama: 1.08× the births per woman | 2.11 per woman#91 of 192 · 2024 | 1.95 per woman#99 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthPanama: 1.95 points higher | +1.22%#80 of 192 · 2025 | −0.73%#186 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth ratePanama: 1.57× the birth rate | 15.9 per 1,000#94 of 192 · 2024 | 10.1 per 1,000#138 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateSri Lanka: 1.59× the death rate | 4.9 per 1,000#173 of 192 · 2024 | 7.8 per 1,000#76 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Panama: 2.8 points higher | 24.5%#93 of 192 · 2025 | 21.7%#106 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Sri Lanka: 2.8 points higher | 9.7%#81 of 192 · 2025 | 12.5%#68 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationPanama: 2.7 per 1,000 higher | +1.3 per 1,000#44 of 192 · 2025 | −1.4 per 1,000#126 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadSri Lanka: 85.3× the refugees for its size | 0.08 per 1,000#122 of 190 · 2025 | 6.82 per 1,000#24 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyPanama: 2.1 years longer | 79.8 years#42 of 192 · 2024 | 77.7 years#62 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityPanama: 2.31× the infant mortality | 12.0 per 1,000 births#100 of 191 · 2024 | 5.2 per 1,000 births#142 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsPanama: 1.43× the doctors per person | 1.63 per 1,000#91 of 178 · 2022 | 1.14 per 1,000#104 of 178 · 2023 |
| University enrolmentPanama: 2.59× the university enrolment | 53.7%#71 of 145 · 2023 | 20.7%#116 of 145 · 2023 |
| Human Development IndexPanama: 0.063 higher | 0.839#58 of 190 · 2023 | 0.776#88 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaPanama: 4.1× the income per person | $19,140#57 of 185 · 2025 | $4,670#117 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPSri Lanka: 1.2× the economy | $90.46B2025 | $108.83B2025 |
| Income group | High income | Upper-middle income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Panama: 2.57× the output per person | $43,902#52 of 184 · 2025 | $17,065#102 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthSri Lanka: 0.6 points higher | +4.4%#58 of 187 · 2025 | +5.0%#45 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationPanama: 4.6 points higher | −0.2%#167 of 176 · 2025 | −4.8%#175 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentPanama: 2.1× the unemployment | 8.4%#47 of 178 · 2025 | 4.0%#113 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme povertyPanama: 1.15× the share in extreme poverty | 3.1%#63 of 149 · 2024 | 2.7%#65 of 149 · 2019 |
| Income inequality (Gini)Panama: 12.0 higher | 49.7#10 of 149 · 2024 | 37.7#54 of 149 · 2019 |
| Jobs in agricultureSri Lanka: 9.9 points higher | 16.0% of jobs#89 of 178 · 2025 | 25.9% of jobs#71 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industrySri Lanka: 9.3 points higher | 17.0% of jobs#113 of 178 · 2025 | 26.3% of jobs#33 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesPanama: 19.2 points higher | 67.0% of jobs#64 of 178 · 2025 | 47.8% of jobs#129 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentThe same | 1.0% of GDP#126 of 184 · 2025 | 1.0% of GDP#126 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsPanama: 25.4 points higher | 44.4% of GDP#57 of 168 · 2024 | 19.0% of GDP#136 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spending | 0.0% of GDP#153 of 155 · 2025 | 1.3% of GDP#97 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersPanama: 1.33× the share online | 73%#113 of 184 · 2024 | 55%#141 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsPanama: 1.18× the mobile subscriptions | 157 per 100#22 of 191 · 2023 | 133 per 100#45 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaPanama: 1.81× the forest share | 62% of land#22 of 192 · 2024 | 34% of land#87 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personPanama: 2.58× the CO₂ per person | 2.74 t a year#87 of 185 · 2024 | 1.06 t a year#128 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energySri Lanka: 20.8 points higher | 28.0%#84 of 190 · 2021 | 48.8%#51 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricitySri Lanka: 4.0 points higher | 96.0%#126 of 192 · 2024 | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Sri Lanka: 1.5× the air pollution | 15.1 µg/m³#115 of 191 · 2023 | 22.7 µg/m³#68 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landPanama: 0.6 points higher | 31.4% of land#28 of 191 · 2025 | 30.8% of land#31 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landSri Lanka: 15.5 points higher | 6.7% of land#117 of 190 · 2024 | 22.2% of land#46 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressSri Lanka: 101× the water stress | 0.9%#163 of 176 · 2022 | 90.8%#19 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationPanama: 1.71× the rain and snow | 2,928 mm#5 of 180 · 2022 | 1,712 mm#45 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityPanama: 0.28 higher | +0.24#83 of 193 · 2025 | −0.04#108 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionSri Lanka: 0.28 higher | −0.56#125 of 193 · 2025 | −0.28#99 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide ratePanama: 3.55× the homicide rate | 11.7 per 100,000#24 of 146 · 2023 | 3.3 per 100,000#61 of 146 · 2019 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Presidential republic | Presidential republic |
| Capital | Panama City | Colombo |
| Currency | United States dollar (USD), Panamanian balboa (PAB) | Sri Lankan rupee (LKR) |
| Official languages | Spanish | Tamil, Sinhala |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the left |
| Time zone | UTC−5 | UTC+5:30 |
| Calling code | +507 | +94 |
| Region | Central America, North America | 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. Panama sits at about 9° N and is stretched to 1.02× its true area; Sri Lanka at 8° N is stretched to 1.02×. Here the two are distorted about the same amount, so Mercator gets this pair roughly right. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Questions about this pair
- Is Panama bigger than Sri Lanka?
- Yes. Panama is 13% larger than Sri Lanka. Panama covers 74,177 km² and Sri Lanka covers 65,610 km².
- How many times does Sri Lanka fit into Panama?
- About 1.1 times: Panama has 1.13× the area of Sri Lanka.
- Why do Panama and Sri Lanka look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Panama is drawn about 1.02× its true area there and Sri Lanka about 1.02×. For this pair the distortion is similar, so Mercator gets the comparison roughly right. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, Panama or Sri Lanka?
- Sri Lanka: 21,756,000 people against 4,571,189. Density: Panama 62 per km², Sri Lanka 332 per km².
- Which is richer, Panama or Sri Lanka?
- By gross national income per person, Panama: $19,140 against $4,670 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 4.1× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Panama or Sri Lanka?
- In Panama: life expectancy at birth is 79.8 years, against 77.7 — 2.1 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Panama and Sri Lanka have?
- The same form of government, by constitution: presidential republic (CIA World Factbook).