Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Sri Lanka fits inside China 146 times
China: 9,562,910 km² (2024) · Sri Lanka: 65,610 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
China’s coastline is 11 times as long as Sri Lanka’s
China: 14,500 km (2026 edition) · Sri Lanka: 1,340 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
China’s highest peak towers 6,325 m above Sri Lanka’s
China: 8,849 m (2026 edition) · Sri Lanka: 2,524 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 49% of Sri Lanka, versus 42% of China
China: 41.7% (2024) · Sri Lanka: 48.8% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
China has 65 times as many people as Sri Lanka
China: 1.41 billion (2025) · Sri Lanka: 21.8 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Sri Lanka is 2.3 times as densely populated as China
China: 150 per km² (2025) · Sri Lanka: 352 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in China are 7.6 cm taller than in Sri Lanka
China: 175.7 cm (2019) · Sri Lanka: 168.1 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in China are 7.6 cm taller than in Sri Lanka
China: 163.5 cm (2019) · Sri Lanka: 155.9 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in China is 6.3 years older than in Sri Lanka
China: 39.1 years (2023) · Sri Lanka: 32.8 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Sri Lanka have 0.9 more children on average than in China
China: 1.01 children per woman (2024) · Sri Lanka: 1.95 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
15% of people in China are 65 or older, versus 12% in Sri Lanka
China: 14.9% (2025) · Sri Lanka: 12.5% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Sri Lanka hosts 60 times as many refugees per resident as China
China: 0.00016 per 1,000 (2025) · Sri Lanka: 0.0098 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
China has produced 0.1 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Sri Lanka none
China: 0.1 (2026) · Sri Lanka: 0 (2026)
How many official languages?
Sri Lanka has 2 official languages, China 1
China: 1 (2026) · Sri Lanka: 2 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
China’s economy is 179 times the size of Sri Lanka’s
China: $19.5 trillion (2025) · Sri Lanka: $109 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
China produces 72% more per person than Sri Lanka
China: Int$29,333 (2025) · Sri Lanka: Int$17,065 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Sri Lanka than in China (Gini 1.7 points higher)
China: 36 (2022) · Sri Lanka: 37.7 (2019)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
2.7% of people in Sri Lanka live on less than $3 a day, versus 0% in China
China: 0% (2022) · Sri Lanka: 2.7% (2019)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 4.6% in China, versus 4.0% in Sri Lanka
China: 4.6% (2025) · Sri Lanka: 4% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
China and Sri Lanka are practically level
China: 1.7% (2025) · Sri Lanka: 1.3% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Sri Lanka’s central government collects 9.9% of GDP in tax, China’s 7.0%
China: 7% (2024) · Sri Lanka: 9.9% (2023)
How expensive is it?
China’s price level (US = 100) is 1.6× Sri Lanka’s
China: 47% (2025) · Sri Lanka: 29% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
China spends 5.7 times as much on health per person as Sri Lanka
China: $763 (2023) · Sri Lanka: $134 (2023)
How long do people live?
China and Sri Lanka are practically level
China: 78 years (2024) · Sri Lanka: 77.7 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Sri Lanka is 27% more likely to die before turning one than in China
China: 4.1 per 1,000 (2024) · Sri Lanka: 5.2 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
China has 2.7 times as many doctors per person as Sri Lanka
China: 3.1 per 1,000 (2022) · Sri Lanka: 1.1 per 1,000 (2023)
How many hospital beds are there?
China has 43% more hospital beds per person than Sri Lanka
China: 5.6 per 1,000 (2023) · Sri Lanka: 3.9 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Sri Lanka is 75% higher than in China
China: 8 per 100k (2023) · Sri Lanka: 14 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
11% of adults in Sri Lanka are obese, versus 9.1% in China
China: 9.1% (2024) · Sri Lanka: 11.2% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
23% of adults in China smoke, versus 21% in Sri Lanka
China: 22.8% (2024) · Sri Lanka: 20.7% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in China rate their lives 2.06 points higher than in Sri Lanka
China: 6.07 (2025) · Sri Lanka: 4.01 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in China drink 48% more alcohol than in Sri Lanka
China: 3.7 litres (2023) · Sri Lanka: 2.5 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
China has 6.4 times as much meat per person as Sri Lanka
China: 73.5 kg (2023) · Sri Lanka: 11.6 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
China has 852 kcal more food per person per day than Sri Lanka
China: 3,527 kcal (2023) · Sri Lanka: 2,675 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in China put in 275 more hours a year than in Sri Lanka
China: 2,328 hours (2023) · Sri Lanka: 2,053 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Sri Lanka went to school 2.7 years longer than in China
China: 8 years (2023) · Sri Lanka: 10.8 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
China welcomed 44% more tourists per resident than Sri Lanka (2019)
China: 0.05 (2019) · Sri Lanka: 0.03 (2022)
How many World Heritage sites?
China has 53 more World Heritage sites than Sri Lanka (61 against 8)
China: 61 (2026) · Sri Lanka: 8 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
China has won 819 Olympic medals, Sri Lanka 2
China: 819 (2026 edition) · Sri Lanka: 2 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
92% of people in China are online, versus 55% in Sri Lanka
China: 92% (2025) · Sri Lanka: 55% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in China is 5.8 times as fast as in Sri Lanka
China: 364 Mbps (2026) · Sri Lanka: 63 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
China and Sri Lanka are practically level
China: 100% (2024) · Sri Lanka: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
66% of people in China live in cities, versus 20% in Sri Lanka
China: 66% (2025) · Sri Lanka: 20% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Sri Lanka has 133 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, China 132
China: 132 (2024) · Sri Lanka: 133 (2024)
How much railway is there?
China’s railway network is 70 times as long as Sri Lanka’s
China: 109,767 km (2021) · Sri Lanka: 1,562 km (2019)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from China fly 2.5 times as many passengers per resident as those from Sri Lanka
China: 0.44 (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 24% of China
China: 24% (2024) · Sri Lanka: 34.4% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in China emits 9.6 times as much CO₂ as someone in Sri Lanka
China: 8.7 t (2024) · Sri Lanka: 0.9 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
62% of Sri Lanka’s electricity is renewable, versus 37% in China
China: 37% (2025) · Sri Lanka: 61.6% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in China carries 51% more fine dust than in Sri Lanka
China: 31.3 µg/m³ (2024) · Sri Lanka: 20.7 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 6.6 times as likely to be murdered in Sri Lanka as in China
China: 0.5 per 100k (2020) · Sri Lanka: 3.3 per 100k (2019)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in China are 17% deadlier than in Sri Lanka
China: 24.7 per 100k (2023) · Sri Lanka: 21.1 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Sri Lanka is on average 19.0 °C warmer than China
China: 7.8°C (2016–2025 avg) · Sri Lanka: 26.8°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Sri Lanka gets 2.3 times as much rain as China
China: 813 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Sri Lanka: 1,839 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
Quick answers
Is China bigger than Sri Lanka?
China is larger. Sri Lanka fits inside China 146 times.
Which has more people, China or Sri Lanka?
China has 65 times as many people as Sri Lanka (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, China or Sri Lanka?
China and Sri Lanka are practically level. Life expectancy at birth is 78.0 years in China and 77.7 in Sri Lanka.
Are people taller in China or Sri Lanka?
Men in China are 7.6 cm taller than in Sri Lanka (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
