Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Sri Lanka fits inside France 9.2 times.
France: 606,410 km² (2023) · Sri Lanka: 65,610 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
France’s coastline is 3.6 times as long as Sri Lanka’s.
France: 4,853 km (2026 edition) · Sri Lanka: 1,340 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
France’s highest peak towers 2,286 m above Sri Lanka’s.
France: 4,810 m (2026 edition) · Sri Lanka: 2,524 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
France has 3.2 times as many people as Sri Lanka.
France: 68.7 million (2025) · Sri Lanka: 21.8 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Sri Lanka is 2.8 times as densely populated as France.
France: 128 per km² (2025) · Sri Lanka: 352 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in France are 10.5 cm taller than in Sri Lanka.
France: 178.6 cm (2019) · Sri Lanka: 168.1 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in France are 8.6 cm taller than in Sri Lanka.
France: 164.5 cm (2019) · Sri Lanka: 155.9 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in France is 9 years older than in Sri Lanka.
France: 41.8 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 France.
France: 1.61 children per woman (2024) · Sri Lanka: 1.95 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
23% of people in France are 65 or older, versus 12% in Sri Lanka.
France: 22.5% (2025) · Sri Lanka: 12.5% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
France has produced 9.3 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Sri Lanka 0.0.
France: 9.3 (2025) · Sri Lanka: 0 (2025)
How many official languages?
Sri Lanka has 2 official languages, France 1.
France: 1 (2026) · Sri Lanka: 2 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
France’s economy is 31 times the size of Sri Lanka’s.
France: $3.37 trillion (2025) · Sri Lanka: $109 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
France produces 3.7 times as much per person as Sri Lanka.
France: Int$63,975 (2025) · Sri Lanka: Int$17,065 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Sri Lanka than in France (Gini 5.9 points higher).
France: 31.8 (2023) · Sri Lanka: 37.7 (2019)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 7.5% in France, versus 4.0% in Sri Lanka.
France: 7.5% (2025) · Sri Lanka: 4% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
France spends 2.1% of its GDP on the military, Sri Lanka 1.4%.
France: 2.1% (2024) · Sri Lanka: 1.4% (2024)
How expensive is it?
France’s price level (US = 100) is 2.6× Sri Lanka’s.
France: 77% (2025) · Sri Lanka: 29% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
France spends 40 times as much on health per person as Sri Lanka.
France: $5,327 (2024) · Sri Lanka: $134 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in France live 5.3 years longer than in Sri Lanka.
France: 83 years (2024) · Sri Lanka: 77.7 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Sri Lanka is 53% more likely to die before turning one than in France.
France: 3.4 per 1,000 (2024) · Sri Lanka: 5.2 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
France has 2.9 times as many doctors per person as Sri Lanka.
France: 3.3 per 1,000 (2022) · Sri Lanka: 1.1 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is obesity?
13% of adults in France are obese, versus 11% in Sri Lanka.
France: 12.5% (2024) · Sri Lanka: 11.2% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
34% of adults in France smoke, versus 21% in Sri Lanka.
France: 33.6% (2024) · Sri Lanka: 20.7% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in France rate their lives 2.57 points higher than in Sri Lanka.
France: 6.59 (2025) · Sri Lanka: 4.01 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in France drink 4.5 times as much alcohol as in Sri Lanka.
France: 11.2 litres (2023) · Sri Lanka: 2.5 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
France has 6.9 times as much meat per person as Sri Lanka.
France: 80.3 kg (2023) · Sri Lanka: 11.6 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
France has 814 kcal more food per person per day than Sri Lanka.
France: 3,490 kcal (2023) · Sri Lanka: 2,675 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Sri Lanka put in 566 more hours a year than in France.
France: 1,487 hours (2023) · Sri Lanka: 2,053 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in France went to school 1 year longer than in Sri Lanka.
France: 11.8 years (2023) · Sri Lanka: 10.8 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
France welcomed 42 times as many tourists per resident as Sri Lanka (2019).
France: 1.35 (2019) · Sri Lanka: 0.03 (2022)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
89% of people in France are online, versus 55% in Sri Lanka.
France: 89% (2024) · Sri Lanka: 55% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
France and Sri Lanka are practically level.
France: 100% (2024) · Sri Lanka: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
79% of people in France live in cities, versus 20% in Sri Lanka.
France: 79% (2025) · Sri Lanka: 20% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Sri Lanka has 133 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, France 117.
France: 117 (2023) · Sri Lanka: 133 (2024)
How much railway is there?
France’s railway network is 18 times as long as Sri Lanka’s.
France: 27,716 km (2021) · Sri Lanka: 1,562 km (2019)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from France fly 5.3 times as many passengers per resident as those from Sri Lanka.
France: 0.94 (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 32% of France.
France: 32.5% (2023) · Sri Lanka: 34% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in France emits 4.4 times as much CO₂ as someone in Sri Lanka.
France: 4 t (2024) · Sri Lanka: 0.9 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
62% of Sri Lanka’s electricity is renewable, versus 26% in France.
France: 26.1% (2025) · Sri Lanka: 61.6% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Sri Lanka carries 2.3 times as much fine dust as in France.
France: 8.9 µg/m³ (2024) · Sri Lanka: 20.7 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 2.5 times as likely to be murdered in Sri Lanka as in France.
France: 1.3 per 100k (2024) · Sri Lanka: 3.3 per 100k (2019)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Sri Lanka are 2.4 times as deadly as in France.
France: 4.7 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 12.7 °C warmer than France.
France: 14.1°C (2016–2025 avg) · Sri Lanka: 26.8°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Sri Lanka gets 59% more rain than France.
France: 1,158 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Sri Lanka: 1,839 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is France bigger than Sri Lanka?
France is larger. Sri Lanka fits inside France 9.2 times.
Which has more people, France or Sri Lanka?
France has 3.2 times as many people as Sri Lanka (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, France or Sri Lanka?
People in France live 5.3 years longer than in Sri Lanka. Life expectancy at birth is 83.0 years in France and 77.7 in Sri Lanka.
Are people taller in France or Sri Lanka?
Men in France are 10.5 cm taller than in Sri Lanka (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
