Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Guatemala is 66% bigger than Sri Lanka.
Guatemala: 108,890 km² (2023) · Sri Lanka: 65,610 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Sri Lanka’s coastline is 3.4 times as long as Guatemala’s.
Guatemala: 400 km (2026 edition) · Sri Lanka: 1,340 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Guatemala’s highest peak towers 1,696 m above Sri Lanka’s.
Guatemala: 4,220 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 16% more people than Guatemala.
Guatemala: 18.7 million (2025) · Sri Lanka: 21.8 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Sri Lanka is 2 times as densely populated as Guatemala.
Guatemala: 174 per km² (2025) · Sri Lanka: 352 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Sri Lanka are 3.7 cm taller than in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 164.4 cm (2019) · Sri Lanka: 168.1 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Sri Lanka are 5.0 cm taller than in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 150.9 cm (2019) · Sri Lanka: 155.9 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Sri Lanka is 10 years older than in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 22.6 years (2023) · Sri Lanka: 32.8 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Guatemala have 0.3 more children on average than in Sri Lanka.
Guatemala: 2.29 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 5.0% in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 5% (2025) · Sri Lanka: 12.5% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Guatemala has produced 1.1 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Sri Lanka 0.0.
Guatemala: 1.1 (2025) · Sri Lanka: 0 (2025)
How many official languages?
Sri Lanka has 2 official languages, Guatemala 1.
Guatemala: 1 (2026) · Sri Lanka: 2 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Guatemala’s economy is 13% larger than Sri Lanka’s.
Guatemala: $123 billion (2025) · Sri Lanka: $109 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Sri Lanka produces 12% more per person than Guatemala.
Guatemala: Int$15,197 (2025) · Sri Lanka: Int$17,065 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Guatemala than in Sri Lanka (Gini 7.5 points higher).
Guatemala: 45.2 (2023) · Sri Lanka: 37.7 (2019)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 4.0% in Sri Lanka, versus 2.6% in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 2.6% (2025) · Sri Lanka: 4% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Sri Lanka spends 1.4% of its GDP on the military, Guatemala 0.4%.
Guatemala: 0.4% (2024) · Sri Lanka: 1.4% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Guatemala’s price level (US = 100) is 1.5× Sri Lanka’s.
Guatemala: 43% (2025) · Sri Lanka: 29% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Guatemala spends 2.9 times as much on health per person as Sri Lanka.
Guatemala: $392 (2023) · Sri Lanka: $134 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Sri Lanka live 4.9 years longer than in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 72.7 years (2024) · Sri Lanka: 77.7 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Guatemala is 3.3 times as likely to die before turning one as in Sri Lanka.
Guatemala: 17.2 per 1,000 (2024) · Sri Lanka: 5.2 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Guatemala has 13% more doctors per person than Sri Lanka.
Guatemala: 1.3 per 1,000 (2020) · Sri Lanka: 1.1 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is obesity?
27% of adults in Guatemala are obese, versus 11% in Sri Lanka.
Guatemala: 26.7% (2024) · Sri Lanka: 11.2% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
21% of adults in Sri Lanka smoke, versus 11% in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 11.2% (2024) · Sri Lanka: 20.7% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Guatemala rate their lives 2.52 points higher than in Sri Lanka.
Guatemala: 6.53 (2025) · Sri Lanka: 4.01 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Guatemala drink 23% more alcohol than in Sri Lanka.
Guatemala: 3.1 litres (2023) · Sri Lanka: 2.5 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Guatemala has 4.7 times as much meat per person as Sri Lanka.
Guatemala: 54.3 kg (2023) · Sri Lanka: 11.6 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Guatemala has 148 kcal more food per person per day than Sri Lanka.
Guatemala: 2,823 kcal (2023) · Sri Lanka: 2,675 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Guatemala put in 97 more hours a year than in Sri Lanka.
Guatemala: 2,151 hours (2023) · Sri Lanka: 2,053 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Sri Lanka went to school 4.9 years longer than in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 5.8 years (2023) · Sri Lanka: 10.8 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Guatemala welcomed 2.6 times as many tourists per resident as Sri Lanka (2019).
Guatemala: 0.08 (2022) · Sri Lanka: 0.03 (2022)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
60% of people in Guatemala are online, versus 55% in Sri Lanka.
Guatemala: 60% (2024) · Sri Lanka: 55% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in Sri Lanka have electricity, versus 91% in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 90.9% (2024) · Sri Lanka: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
56% of people in Guatemala live in cities, versus 20% in Sri Lanka.
Guatemala: 56% (2025) · Sri Lanka: 20% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Sri Lanka has 133 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Guatemala 113.
Guatemala: 113 (2024) · Sri Lanka: 133 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Sri Lanka’s railway network is 2 times as long as Guatemala’s.
Guatemala: 800 km (2018) · Sri Lanka: 1,562 km (2019)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Sri Lanka fly 15 times as many passengers per resident as those from Guatemala.
Guatemala: 0.01 (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 33% of Guatemala.
Guatemala: 32.6% (2023) · Sri Lanka: 34% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Guatemala emits 20% more CO₂ than someone in Sri Lanka.
Guatemala: 1.1 t (2024) · Sri Lanka: 0.9 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
68% of Guatemala’s electricity is renewable, versus 62% in Sri Lanka.
Guatemala: 68.3% (2024) · Sri Lanka: 61.6% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Guatemala carries 34% more fine dust than in Sri Lanka.
Guatemala: 27.7 µg/m³ (2024) · Sri Lanka: 20.7 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 7.1 times as likely to be murdered in Guatemala as in Sri Lanka.
Guatemala: 23.4 per 100k (2023) · Sri Lanka: 3.3 per 100k (2019)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Guatemala are 10% deadlier than in Sri Lanka.
Guatemala: 12.6 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 3.1 °C warmer than Guatemala.
Guatemala: 23.7°C (2016–2025 avg) · Sri Lanka: 26.8°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Sri Lanka gets 2% more rain than Guatemala.
Guatemala: 1,811 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Sri Lanka: 1,839 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Guatemala bigger than Sri Lanka?
Guatemala is larger. Guatemala is 66% bigger than Sri Lanka.
Which has more people, Guatemala or Sri Lanka?
Sri Lanka has 16% more people than Guatemala (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Guatemala or Sri Lanka?
People in Sri Lanka live 4.9 years longer than in Guatemala. Life expectancy at birth is 72.7 years in Guatemala and 77.7 in Sri Lanka.
Are people taller in Guatemala or Sri Lanka?
Men in Sri Lanka are 3.7 cm taller than in Guatemala (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
