Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Belgium fits inside Sri Lanka 2.1 times.
Belgium: 30,689 km² (2023) · Sri Lanka: 65,610 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Sri Lanka’s coastline is 20 times as long as Belgium’s.
Belgium: 67 km (2026 edition) · Sri Lanka: 1,340 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Sri Lanka’s highest peak towers 1,830 m above Belgium’s.
Belgium: 694 m (2026 edition) · Sri Lanka: 2,524 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Sri Lanka has 82% more people than Belgium.
Belgium: 11.9 million (2025) · Sri Lanka: 21.8 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Belgium is 11% more densely populated than Sri Lanka.
Belgium: 392 per km² (2025) · Sri Lanka: 352 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Belgium are 11.0 cm taller than in Sri Lanka.
Belgium: 179.1 cm (2019) · Sri Lanka: 168.1 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Belgium are 7.5 cm taller than in Sri Lanka.
Belgium: 163.4 cm (2019) · Sri Lanka: 155.9 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Belgium is 8.6 years older than in Sri Lanka.
Belgium: 41.4 years (2023) · Sri Lanka: 32.8 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Sri Lanka have 0.5 more children on average than in Belgium.
Belgium: 1.44 children per woman (2024) · Sri Lanka: 1.95 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
21% of people in Belgium are 65 or older, versus 12% in Sri Lanka.
Belgium: 21% (2025) · Sri Lanka: 12.5% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Belgium has produced 7.5 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Sri Lanka 0.0.
Belgium: 7.5 (2025) · Sri Lanka: 0 (2025)
How many official languages?
Belgium has 3 official languages, Sri Lanka 2.
Belgium: 3 (2026) · Sri Lanka: 2 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Belgium’s economy is 6.7 times the size of Sri Lanka’s.
Belgium: $725 billion (2025) · Sri Lanka: $109 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Belgium produces 4.4 times as much per person as Sri Lanka.
Belgium: Int$74,676 (2025) · Sri Lanka: Int$17,065 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Sri Lanka than in Belgium (Gini 10.9 points higher).
Belgium: 26.8 (2023) · Sri Lanka: 37.7 (2019)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 5.9% in Belgium, versus 4.0% in Sri Lanka.
Belgium: 5.9% (2025) · Sri Lanka: 4% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Sri Lanka and Belgium are practically level.
Belgium: 1.3% (2024) · Sri Lanka: 1.4% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Belgium’s price level (US = 100) is 2.8× Sri Lanka’s.
Belgium: 81% (2025) · Sri Lanka: 29% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Belgium spends 44 times as much on health per person as Sri Lanka.
Belgium: $5,931 (2023) · Sri Lanka: $134 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Belgium live 4.6 years longer than in Sri Lanka.
Belgium: 82.3 years (2024) · Sri Lanka: 77.7 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Sri Lanka is 68% more likely to die before turning one than in Belgium.
Belgium: 3.1 per 1,000 (2024) · Sri Lanka: 5.2 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Belgium has 3.1 times as many doctors per person as Sri Lanka.
Belgium: 3.6 per 1,000 (2022) · Sri Lanka: 1.1 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is obesity?
23% of adults in Belgium are obese, versus 11% in Sri Lanka.
Belgium: 22.9% (2024) · Sri Lanka: 11.2% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
24% of adults in Belgium smoke, versus 21% in Sri Lanka.
Belgium: 23.5% (2024) · Sri Lanka: 20.7% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Belgium rate their lives 2.91 points higher than in Sri Lanka.
Belgium: 6.93 (2025) · Sri Lanka: 4.01 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Belgium drink 3.8 times as much alcohol as in Sri Lanka.
Belgium: 9.5 litres (2023) · Sri Lanka: 2.5 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Belgium has 5.2 times as much meat per person as Sri Lanka.
Belgium: 60 kg (2023) · Sri Lanka: 11.6 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Belgium has 1,246 kcal more food per person per day than Sri Lanka.
Belgium: 3,921 kcal (2023) · Sri Lanka: 2,675 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Sri Lanka put in 460 more hours a year than in Belgium.
Belgium: 1,593 hours (2023) · Sri Lanka: 2,053 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Belgium went to school 1.9 years longer than in Sri Lanka.
Belgium: 12.7 years (2023) · Sri Lanka: 10.8 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Belgium welcomed 25 times as many tourists per resident as Sri Lanka (2019).
Belgium: 0.81 (2024) · Sri Lanka: 0.03 (2022)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
96% of people in Belgium are online, versus 55% in Sri Lanka.
Belgium: 96% (2024) · Sri Lanka: 55% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
Belgium and Sri Lanka are practically level.
Belgium: 100% (2024) · Sri Lanka: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
88% of people in Belgium live in cities, versus 20% in Sri Lanka.
Belgium: 88% (2025) · Sri Lanka: 20% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Sri Lanka has 133 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Belgium 104.
Belgium: 104 (2024) · Sri Lanka: 133 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Belgium’s railway network is 2.3 times as long as Sri Lanka’s.
Belgium: 3,612 km (2021) · Sri Lanka: 1,562 km (2019)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Belgium fly 5.4 times as many passengers per resident as those from Sri Lanka.
Belgium: 0.95 (2023) · Sri Lanka: 0.18 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 34% of Sri Lanka, but only 23% of Belgium.
Belgium: 22.6% (2023) · Sri Lanka: 34% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Belgium emits 8.1 times as much CO₂ as someone in Sri Lanka.
Belgium: 7.3 t (2024) · Sri Lanka: 0.9 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
62% of Sri Lanka’s electricity is renewable, versus 39% in Belgium.
Belgium: 38.9% (2025) · Sri Lanka: 61.6% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Sri Lanka carries 2.2 times as much fine dust as in Belgium.
Belgium: 9.3 µg/m³ (2024) · Sri Lanka: 20.7 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 3.1 times as likely to be murdered in Sri Lanka as in Belgium.
Belgium: 1.1 per 100k (2021) · Sri Lanka: 3.3 per 100k (2019)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Sri Lanka are 2.5 times as deadly as in Belgium.
Belgium: 4.6 per 100k (2021) · Sri Lanka: 11.5 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Sri Lanka is on average 15.8 °C warmer than Belgium.
Belgium: 11°C (2016–2025 avg) · Sri Lanka: 26.8°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Sri Lanka gets 2 times as much rain as Belgium.
Belgium: 928 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Sri Lanka: 1,839 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Belgium bigger than Sri Lanka?
Sri Lanka is larger. Belgium fits inside Sri Lanka 2.1 times.
Which has more people, Belgium or Sri Lanka?
Sri Lanka has 82% more people than Belgium (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Belgium or Sri Lanka?
People in Belgium live 4.6 years longer than in Sri Lanka. Life expectancy at birth is 82.3 years in Belgium and 77.7 in Sri Lanka.
Are people taller in Belgium or Sri Lanka?
Men in Belgium are 11.0 cm taller than in Sri Lanka (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
