Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Sri Lanka fits inside Finland 5.2 times.
Finland: 338,480 km² (2023) · Sri Lanka: 65,610 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Sri Lanka’s coastline is 7% longer than Finland’s.
Finland: 1,250 km (2026 edition) · Sri Lanka: 1,340 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Sri Lanka’s highest peak towers 1,196 m above Finland’s.
Finland: 1,328 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 3.9 times as many people as Finland.
Finland: 5.65 million (2025) · Sri Lanka: 21.8 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Sri Lanka is 19 times as densely populated as Finland.
Finland: 19 per km² (2025) · Sri Lanka: 352 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Finland are 12.5 cm taller than in Sri Lanka.
Finland: 180.6 cm (2019) · Sri Lanka: 168.1 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Finland are 10.6 cm taller than in Sri Lanka.
Finland: 166.5 cm (2019) · Sri Lanka: 155.9 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Finland is 10 years older than in Sri Lanka.
Finland: 42.8 years (2023) · Sri Lanka: 32.8 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Sri Lanka have 0.7 more children on average than in Finland.
Finland: 1.25 children per woman (2024) · Sri Lanka: 1.95 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
24% of people in Finland are 65 or older, versus 12% in Sri Lanka.
Finland: 24.2% (2025) · Sri Lanka: 12.5% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Finland has produced 8.9 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Sri Lanka none.
Finland: 8.9 (2025) · Sri Lanka: 0 (2025)
How many official languages?
Finland and Sri Lanka are practically level.
Finland: 2 (2026) · Sri Lanka: 2 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Finland’s economy is 2.9 times the size of Sri Lanka’s.
Finland: $317 billion (2025) · Sri Lanka: $109 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Finland produces 3.9 times as much per person as Sri Lanka.
Finland: Int$65,885 (2025) · Sri Lanka: Int$17,065 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Sri Lanka than in Finland (Gini 10.3 points higher).
Finland: 27.4 (2023) · Sri Lanka: 37.7 (2019)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 9.5% in Finland, versus 4.0% in Sri Lanka.
Finland: 9.5% (2025) · Sri Lanka: 4% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Finland spends 2.3% of its GDP on the military, Sri Lanka 1.4%.
Finland: 2.3% (2024) · Sri Lanka: 1.4% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Finland’s price level (US = 100) is 2.9× Sri Lanka’s.
Finland: 85% (2025) · Sri Lanka: 29% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Finland spends 41 times as much on health per person as Sri Lanka.
Finland: $5,515 (2023) · Sri Lanka: $134 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Finland live 4.7 years longer than in Sri Lanka.
Finland: 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 2.7 times as likely to die before turning one as in Finland.
Finland: 1.9 per 1,000 (2024) · Sri Lanka: 5.2 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Finland has 3.2 times as many doctors per person as Sri Lanka.
Finland: 3.6 per 1,000 (2021) · Sri Lanka: 1.1 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is obesity?
26% of adults in Finland are obese, versus 11% in Sri Lanka.
Finland: 26.2% (2024) · Sri Lanka: 11.2% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
21% of adults in Finland smoke, versus 21% in Sri Lanka.
Finland: 21.4% (2024) · Sri Lanka: 20.7% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Finland rate their lives 3.75 points higher than in Sri Lanka.
Finland: 7.76 (2025) · Sri Lanka: 4.01 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Finland drink 3.8 times as much alcohol as in Sri Lanka.
Finland: 9.4 litres (2023) · Sri Lanka: 2.5 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Finland has 6 times as much meat per person as Sri Lanka.
Finland: 69.4 kg (2023) · Sri Lanka: 11.6 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Finland has 670 kcal more food per person per day than Sri Lanka.
Finland: 3,346 kcal (2023) · Sri Lanka: 2,675 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Sri Lanka put in 556 more hours a year than in Finland.
Finland: 1,497 hours (2023) · Sri Lanka: 2,053 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Finland went to school 2.2 years longer than in Sri Lanka.
Finland: 13 years (2023) · Sri Lanka: 10.8 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Finland welcomed 25 times as many tourists per resident as Sri Lanka (2019).
Finland: 0.8 (2024) · Sri Lanka: 0.03 (2022)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
94% of people in Finland are online, versus 55% in Sri Lanka.
Finland: 94% (2024) · Sri Lanka: 55% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
Finland and Sri Lanka are practically level.
Finland: 100% (2024) · Sri Lanka: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
75% of people in Finland live in cities, versus 20% in Sri Lanka.
Finland: 75% (2025) · Sri Lanka: 20% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Sri Lanka has 133 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Finland 126.
Finland: 126 (2024) · Sri Lanka: 133 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Finland’s railway network is 3.8 times as long as Sri Lanka’s.
Finland: 5,918 km (2021) · Sri Lanka: 1,562 km (2019)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Finland fly 11 times as many passengers per resident as those from Sri Lanka.
Finland: 1.91 (2023) · Sri Lanka: 0.18 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 74% of Finland, but only 34% of Sri Lanka.
Finland: 73.7% (2023) · Sri Lanka: 34% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Finland emits 5.9 times as much CO₂ as someone in Sri Lanka.
Finland: 5.3 t (2024) · Sri Lanka: 0.9 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
62% of Sri Lanka’s electricity is renewable, versus 56% in Finland.
Finland: 56.5% (2025) · Sri Lanka: 61.6% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Sri Lanka carries 3.8 times as much fine dust as in Finland.
Finland: 5.4 µg/m³ (2024) · Sri Lanka: 20.7 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 3.4 times as likely to be murdered in Sri Lanka as in Finland.
Finland: 1 per 100k (2023) · Sri Lanka: 3.3 per 100k (2019)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Sri Lanka are 2.7 times as deadly as in Finland.
Finland: 4.2 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 23.3 °C warmer than Finland.
Finland: 3.6°C (2016–2025 avg) · Sri Lanka: 26.8°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Sri Lanka gets 2.4 times as much rain as Finland.
Finland: 758 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Sri Lanka: 1,839 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Finland bigger than Sri Lanka?
Finland is larger. Sri Lanka fits inside Finland 5.2 times.
Which has more people, Finland or Sri Lanka?
Sri Lanka has 3.9 times as many people as Finland (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Finland or Sri Lanka?
People in Finland live 4.7 years longer than in Sri Lanka. Life expectancy at birth is 82.3 years in Finland and 77.7 in Sri Lanka.
Are people taller in Finland or Sri Lanka?
Men in Finland are 12.5 cm taller than in Sri Lanka (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
