Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Sri Lanka fits inside the DR Congo 36 times
DR Congo: 2,345,410 km² (2024) · Sri Lanka: 65,610 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Sri Lanka’s coastline is 36 times as long as the DR Congo’s
DR Congo: 37 km (2026 edition) · Sri Lanka: 1,340 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
The DR Congo’s highest peak towers 2,586 m above Sri Lanka’s
DR Congo: 5,110 m (2026 edition) · Sri Lanka: 2,524 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 49% of Sri Lanka, versus 16% of the DR Congo
DR Congo: 16.2% (2024) · Sri Lanka: 48.8% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
The DR Congo has 5.2 times as many people as Sri Lanka
DR Congo: 113 million (2025) · Sri Lanka: 21.8 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Sri Lanka is 7.1 times as densely populated as the DR Congo
DR Congo: 50 per km² (2025) · Sri Lanka: 352 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
The DR Congo and Sri Lanka are practically level
DR Congo: 168.6 cm (2019) · Sri Lanka: 168.1 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
The DR Congo and Sri Lanka are practically level
DR Congo: 156.3 cm (2019) · Sri Lanka: 155.9 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Sri Lanka is 17 years older than in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 15.8 years (2023) · Sri Lanka: 32.8 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in the DR Congo have 4.0 more children on average than in Sri Lanka
DR Congo: 5.98 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 3.1% in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 3.1% (2025) · Sri Lanka: 12.5% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
The DR Congo hosts 456 times as many refugees per resident as Sri Lanka
DR Congo: 4.5 per 1,000 (2025) · Sri Lanka: 0.0098 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
The DR Congo has produced 0.1 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Sri Lanka none
DR Congo: 0.1 (2026) · Sri Lanka: 0 (2026)
How many official languages?
The DR Congo has 5 official languages, Sri Lanka 2
DR Congo: 5 (2026) · Sri Lanka: 2 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Sri Lanka’s economy is 20% larger than the DR Congo’s
DR Congo: $91 billion (2025) · Sri Lanka: $109 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Sri Lanka produces 8.9 times as much per person as the DR Congo
DR Congo: Int$1,920 (2025) · Sri Lanka: Int$17,065 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in the DR Congo than in Sri Lanka (Gini 7 points higher)
DR Congo: 44.7 (2020) · Sri Lanka: 37.7 (2019)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
85% of people in the DR Congo live on less than $3 a day, versus 2.7% in Sri Lanka
DR Congo: 85.3% (2020) · Sri Lanka: 2.7% (2019)
How many people are looking for work?
The DR Congo and Sri Lanka are practically level
DR Congo: 4.4% (2025) · Sri Lanka: 4% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
The DR Congo and Sri Lanka are practically level
DR Congo: 1.4% (2025) · Sri Lanka: 1.3% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
The DR Congo’s central government collects 11% of GDP in tax, Sri Lanka’s 9.9%
DR Congo: 10.7% (2022) · Sri Lanka: 9.9% (2023)
How expensive is it?
The DR Congo’s price level (US = 100) is 1.4× Sri Lanka’s
DR Congo: 42% (2025) · Sri Lanka: 29% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Sri Lanka spends 5.7 times as much on health per person as the DR Congo
DR Congo: $23 (2023) · Sri Lanka: $134 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Sri Lanka live 16 years longer than in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 62.1 years (2024) · Sri Lanka: 77.7 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in the DR Congo is 11 times as likely to die before turning one as in Sri Lanka
DR Congo: 56.4 per 1,000 (2024) · Sri Lanka: 5.2 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Sri Lanka has 5.5 times as many doctors per person as the DR Congo
DR Congo: 0.2 per 1,000 (2022) · Sri Lanka: 1.1 per 1,000 (2023)
How many hospital beds are there?
DR Congo: no data · Sri Lanka: 3.9 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in the DR Congo is 29% higher than in Sri Lanka
DR Congo: 18 per 100k (2023) · Sri Lanka: 14 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
11% of adults in Sri Lanka are obese, versus 5.9% in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 5.9% (2024) · Sri Lanka: 11.2% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
21% of adults in Sri Lanka smoke, versus 12% in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 12.3% (2024) · Sri Lanka: 20.7% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Sri Lanka rate their lives 0.25 points higher than in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 3.76 (2025) · Sri Lanka: 4.01 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Sri Lanka drink 56% more alcohol than in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 1.6 litres (2023) · Sri Lanka: 2.5 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Sri Lanka has 3.3 times as much meat per person as the DR Congo
DR Congo: 3.5 kg (2023) · Sri Lanka: 11.6 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Sri Lanka has 660 kcal more food per person per day than the DR Congo
DR Congo: 2,015 kcal (2023) · Sri Lanka: 2,675 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Sri Lanka put in 212 more hours a year than in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 1,841 hours (2023) · Sri Lanka: 2,053 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Sri Lanka went to school 3.4 years longer than in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 7.4 years (2023) · Sri Lanka: 10.8 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Sri Lanka welcomed 6.3 times as many tourists per resident as the DR Congo (2019)
DR Congo: 0.01 (2019) · Sri Lanka: 0.03 (2022)
How many World Heritage sites?
Sri Lanka has 3 more World Heritage sites than the DR Congo (8 against 5)
DR Congo: 5 (2026) · Sri Lanka: 8 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Sri Lanka has won 2 Olympic medals, the DR Congo none
DR Congo: 0 (2026 edition) · Sri Lanka: 2 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
55% of people in Sri Lanka are online, versus 20% in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 20% (2024) · Sri Lanka: 55% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in the DR Congo is 20% faster than in Sri Lanka
DR Congo: 75 Mbps (2026) · Sri Lanka: 63 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in Sri Lanka have electricity, versus 23% in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 22.5% (2024) · Sri Lanka: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
45% of people in the DR Congo live in cities, versus 20% in Sri Lanka
DR Congo: 45% (2025) · Sri Lanka: 20% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Sri Lanka has 133 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, the DR Congo 59
DR Congo: 59 (2024) · Sri Lanka: 133 (2024)
How much railway is there?
The DR Congo’s railway network is 2.3 times as long as Sri Lanka’s
DR Congo: 3,641 km (2021) · Sri Lanka: 1,562 km (2019)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Sri Lanka fly 17 times as many passengers per resident as those from the DR Congo
DR Congo: 0.01 (2023) · Sri Lanka: 0.18 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 62% of the DR Congo, but only 34% of Sri Lanka
DR Congo: 61.5% (2024) · Sri Lanka: 34.4% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Sri Lanka emits 17 times as much CO₂ as someone in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 0.1 t (2024) · Sri Lanka: 0.9 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
100% of the DR Congo’s electricity is renewable, versus 62% in Sri Lanka
DR Congo: 100% (2024) · Sri Lanka: 61.6% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in the DR Congo carries 2 times as much fine dust as in Sri Lanka
DR Congo: 41.2 µg/m³ (2024) · Sri Lanka: 20.7 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
DR Congo: no data · Sri Lanka: 3.3 per 100k (2019)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in the DR Congo are 12% deadlier than in Sri Lanka
DR Congo: 23.7 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 2.0 °C warmer than the DR Congo
DR Congo: 24.8°C (2016–2025 avg) · Sri Lanka: 26.8°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Sri Lanka gets 25% more rain than the DR Congo
DR Congo: 1,469 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 the DR Congo bigger than Sri Lanka?
The DR Congo is larger. Sri Lanka fits inside the DR Congo 36 times.
Which has more people, the DR Congo or Sri Lanka?
The DR Congo has 5.2 times as many people as Sri Lanka (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, the DR Congo or Sri Lanka?
People in Sri Lanka live 16 years longer than in the DR Congo. Life expectancy at birth is 62.1 years in the DR Congo and 77.7 in Sri Lanka.
Are people taller in the DR Congo or Sri Lanka?
The DR Congo and Sri Lanka are practically level (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
