Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Sri Lanka fits inside Colombia 17 times.
Colombia: 1,140,620 km² (2023) · Sri Lanka: 65,610 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Colombia’s coastline is 2.4 times as long as Sri Lanka’s.
Colombia: 3,208 km (2026 edition) · Sri Lanka: 1,340 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Colombia’s highest peak towers 3,206 m above Sri Lanka’s.
Colombia: 5,730 m (2026 edition) · Sri Lanka: 2,524 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Colombia has 2.5 times as many people as Sri Lanka.
Colombia: 53.4 million (2025) · Sri Lanka: 21.8 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Sri Lanka is 7.3 times as densely populated as Colombia.
Colombia: 48 per km² (2025) · Sri Lanka: 352 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Colombia are 3.8 cm taller than in Sri Lanka.
Colombia: 171.9 cm (2019) · Sri Lanka: 168.1 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Colombia are 2.1 cm taller than in Sri Lanka.
Colombia: 158 cm (2019) · Sri Lanka: 155.9 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Sri Lanka is 1.2 years older than in Colombia.
Colombia: 31.6 years (2023) · Sri Lanka: 32.8 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Sri Lanka have 0.3 more children on average than in Colombia.
Colombia: 1.63 children per woman (2024) · Sri Lanka: 1.95 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
12% of people in Sri Lanka are 65 or older, versus 10% in Colombia.
Colombia: 10.2% (2025) · Sri Lanka: 12.5% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Colombia has produced 0.4 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Sri Lanka none.
Colombia: 0.4 (2025) · Sri Lanka: 0 (2025)
How many official languages?
Sri Lanka has 2 official languages, Colombia 1.
Colombia: 1 (2026) · Sri Lanka: 2 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Colombia’s economy is 4.2 times the size of Sri Lanka’s.
Colombia: $457 billion (2025) · Sri Lanka: $109 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Colombia produces 33% more per person than Sri Lanka.
Colombia: Int$22,640 (2025) · Sri Lanka: Int$17,065 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Colombia than in Sri Lanka (Gini 16.7 points higher).
Colombia: 54.4 (2024) · Sri Lanka: 37.7 (2019)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 8.3% in Colombia, versus 4.0% in Sri Lanka.
Colombia: 8.3% (2025) · Sri Lanka: 4% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Colombia spends 3.4% of its GDP on the military, Sri Lanka 1.4%.
Colombia: 3.4% (2024) · Sri Lanka: 1.4% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Colombia’s price level (US = 100) is 1.3× Sri Lanka’s.
Colombia: 38% (2025) · Sri Lanka: 29% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Colombia spends 4.8 times as much on health per person as Sri Lanka.
Colombia: $644 (2024) · Sri Lanka: $134 (2023)
How long do people live?
Colombia and Sri Lanka are practically level.
Colombia: 77.9 years (2024) · Sri Lanka: 77.7 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Colombia is 2 times as likely to die before turning one as in Sri Lanka.
Colombia: 10.5 per 1,000 (2024) · Sri Lanka: 5.2 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Colombia has 2.2 times as many doctors per person as Sri Lanka.
Colombia: 2.5 per 1,000 (2023) · Sri Lanka: 1.1 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is obesity?
25% of adults in Colombia are obese, versus 11% in Sri Lanka.
Colombia: 25.3% (2024) · Sri Lanka: 11.2% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
21% of adults in Sri Lanka smoke, versus 8.0% in Colombia.
Colombia: 8% (2024) · Sri Lanka: 20.7% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Colombia rate their lives 2.03 points higher than in Sri Lanka.
Colombia: 6.04 (2025) · Sri Lanka: 4.01 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Colombia drink 2 times as much alcohol as in Sri Lanka.
Colombia: 4.9 litres (2023) · Sri Lanka: 2.5 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Colombia has 5.4 times as much meat per person as Sri Lanka.
Colombia: 62.6 kg (2023) · Sri Lanka: 11.6 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Colombia has 451 kcal more food per person per day than Sri Lanka.
Colombia: 3,126 kcal (2023) · Sri Lanka: 2,675 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Colombia put in 417 more hours a year than in Sri Lanka.
Colombia: 2,471 hours (2023) · Sri Lanka: 2,053 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Sri Lanka went to school 1.7 years longer than in Colombia.
Colombia: 9 years (2023) · Sri Lanka: 10.8 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Colombia welcomed 2.7 times as many tourists per resident as Sri Lanka (2019).
Colombia: 0.09 (2022) · Sri Lanka: 0.03 (2022)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
79% of people in Colombia are online, versus 55% in Sri Lanka.
Colombia: 79% (2024) · Sri Lanka: 55% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in Sri Lanka have electricity, versus 99% in Colombia.
Colombia: 98.9% (2024) · Sri Lanka: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
79% of people in Colombia live in cities, versus 20% in Sri Lanka.
Colombia: 79% (2025) · Sri Lanka: 20% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Colombia has 174 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Sri Lanka 133.
Colombia: 174 (2024) · Sri Lanka: 133 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Colombia’s railway network is 37% longer than Sri Lanka’s.
Colombia: 2,141 km (2019) · Sri Lanka: 1,562 km (2019)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Colombia fly 4.5 times as many passengers per resident as those from Sri Lanka.
Colombia: 0.79 (2023) · Sri Lanka: 0.18 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 53% of Colombia, but only 34% of Sri Lanka.
Colombia: 52.8% (2023) · Sri Lanka: 34% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Colombia emits 94% more CO₂ than someone in Sri Lanka.
Colombia: 1.8 t (2024) · Sri Lanka: 0.9 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
77% of Colombia’s electricity is renewable, versus 62% in Sri Lanka.
Colombia: 77% (2025) · Sri Lanka: 61.6% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Sri Lanka carries 37% more fine dust than in Colombia.
Colombia: 15.1 µg/m³ (2024) · Sri Lanka: 20.7 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 7.5 times as likely to be murdered in Colombia as in Sri Lanka.
Colombia: 24.9 per 100k (2023) · Sri Lanka: 3.3 per 100k (2019)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Colombia are 41% deadlier than in Sri Lanka.
Colombia: 16.2 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 2.4 °C warmer than Colombia.
Colombia: 24.4°C (2016–2025 avg) · Sri Lanka: 26.8°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Colombia gets 72% more rain than Sri Lanka.
Colombia: 3,155 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Sri Lanka: 1,839 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Colombia bigger than Sri Lanka?
Colombia is larger. Sri Lanka fits inside Colombia 17 times.
Which has more people, Colombia or Sri Lanka?
Colombia has 2.5 times as many people as Sri Lanka (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Colombia or Sri Lanka?
Colombia and Sri Lanka are practically level. Life expectancy at birth is 77.9 years in Colombia and 77.7 in Sri Lanka.
Are people taller in Colombia or Sri Lanka?
Men in Colombia are 3.8 cm taller than in Sri Lanka (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
