Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Sri Lanka fits inside Indonesia 29 times.
Indonesia: 1,916,910 km² (2023) · Sri Lanka: 65,610 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Indonesia’s coastline is 41 times as long as Sri Lanka’s.
Indonesia: 54,716 km (2026 edition) · Sri Lanka: 1,340 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Indonesia’s highest peak towers 2,360 m above Sri Lanka’s.
Indonesia: 4,884 m (2026 edition) · Sri Lanka: 2,524 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Indonesia has 13 times as many people as Sri Lanka.
Indonesia: 286 million (2025) · Sri Lanka: 21.8 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Sri Lanka is 2.3 times as densely populated as Indonesia.
Indonesia: 151 per km² (2025) · Sri Lanka: 352 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Sri Lanka are 1.8 cm taller than in Indonesia.
Indonesia: 166.3 cm (2019) · Sri Lanka: 168.1 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Sri Lanka are 1.5 cm taller than in Indonesia.
Indonesia: 154.4 cm (2019) · Sri Lanka: 155.9 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Sri Lanka is 3 years older than in Indonesia.
Indonesia: 29.8 years (2023) · Sri Lanka: 32.8 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Indonesia have 0.2 more children on average than in Sri Lanka.
Indonesia: 2.12 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 7.5% in Indonesia.
Indonesia: 7.5% (2025) · Sri Lanka: 12.5% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Indonesia has produced 0.0 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Sri Lanka none.
Indonesia: 0 (2025) · Sri Lanka: 0 (2025)
How many official languages?
Sri Lanka has 2 official languages, Indonesia 1.
Indonesia: 1 (2026) · Sri Lanka: 2 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Indonesia’s economy is 13 times the size of Sri Lanka’s.
Indonesia: $1.45 trillion (2025) · Sri Lanka: $109 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Indonesia produces 3% more per person than Sri Lanka.
Indonesia: Int$17,660 (2025) · Sri Lanka: Int$17,065 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Sri Lanka than in Indonesia (Gini 3.3 points higher).
Indonesia: 34.4 (2025) · Sri Lanka: 37.7 (2019)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 4.0% in Sri Lanka, versus 3.2% in Indonesia.
Indonesia: 3.2% (2025) · Sri Lanka: 4% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Sri Lanka spends 1.4% of its GDP on the military, Indonesia 0.8%.
Indonesia: 0.8% (2024) · Sri Lanka: 1.4% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Sri Lanka’s price level (US = 100) is 1× Indonesia’s.
Indonesia: 29% (2025) · Sri Lanka: 29% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Sri Lanka spends 2% more on health per person than Indonesia.
Indonesia: $132 (2023) · Sri Lanka: $134 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Sri Lanka live 6.4 years longer than in Indonesia.
Indonesia: 71.3 years (2024) · Sri Lanka: 77.7 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Indonesia is 2.9 times as likely to die before turning one as in Sri Lanka.
Indonesia: 15.2 per 1,000 (2024) · Sri Lanka: 5.2 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Sri Lanka has 2.2 times as many doctors per person as Indonesia.
Indonesia: 0.5 per 1,000 (2023) · Sri Lanka: 1.1 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is obesity?
12% of adults in Indonesia are obese, versus 11% in Sri Lanka.
Indonesia: 12% (2024) · Sri Lanka: 11.2% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
31% of adults in Indonesia smoke, versus 21% in Sri Lanka.
Indonesia: 31% (2024) · Sri Lanka: 20.7% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Indonesia rate their lives 1.60 points higher than in Sri Lanka.
Indonesia: 5.62 (2025) · Sri Lanka: 4.01 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Sri Lanka drink 25 times as much alcohol as in Indonesia.
Indonesia: 0.1 litres (2023) · Sri Lanka: 2.5 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Indonesia has 73% more meat per person than Sri Lanka.
Indonesia: 20 kg (2023) · Sri Lanka: 11.6 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Indonesia has 225 kcal more food per person per day than Sri Lanka.
Indonesia: 2,900 kcal (2023) · Sri Lanka: 2,675 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Sri Lanka put in 95 more hours a year than in Indonesia.
Indonesia: 1,958 hours (2023) · Sri Lanka: 2,053 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Sri Lanka went to school 2.1 years longer than in Indonesia.
Indonesia: 8.7 years (2023) · Sri Lanka: 10.8 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Indonesia welcomed 48% more tourists per resident than Sri Lanka (2019).
Indonesia: 0.05 (2024) · Sri Lanka: 0.03 (2022)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
73% of people in Indonesia are online, versus 55% in Sri Lanka.
Indonesia: 73% (2024) · Sri Lanka: 55% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
Sri Lanka and Indonesia are practically level.
Indonesia: 99.9% (2024) · Sri Lanka: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
59% of people in Indonesia live in cities, versus 20% in Sri Lanka.
Indonesia: 59% (2025) · Sri Lanka: 20% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Sri Lanka has 133 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Indonesia 123.
Indonesia: 123 (2024) · Sri Lanka: 133 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Indonesia’s railway network is 3.5 times as long as Sri Lanka’s.
Indonesia: 5,483 km (2019) · Sri Lanka: 1,562 km (2019)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Indonesia fly 91% more passengers per resident than those from Sri Lanka.
Indonesia: 0.34 (2023) · Sri Lanka: 0.18 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 48% of Indonesia, but only 34% of Sri Lanka.
Indonesia: 47.7% (2023) · Sri Lanka: 34% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Indonesia emits 3.2 times as much CO₂ as someone in Sri Lanka.
Indonesia: 2.9 t (2024) · Sri Lanka: 0.9 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
62% of Sri Lanka’s electricity is renewable, versus 18% in Indonesia.
Indonesia: 18.1% (2024) · Sri Lanka: 61.6% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Sri Lanka carries 12% more fine dust than in Indonesia.
Indonesia: 18.5 µg/m³ (2024) · Sri Lanka: 20.7 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 11 times as likely to be murdered in Sri Lanka as in Indonesia.
Indonesia: 0.3 per 100k (2022) · Sri Lanka: 3.3 per 100k (2019)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Sri Lanka are 2% deadlier than in Indonesia.
Indonesia: 11.3 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 1.2 °C warmer than Indonesia.
Indonesia: 25.6°C (2016–2025 avg) · Sri Lanka: 26.8°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Indonesia gets 87% more rain than Sri Lanka.
Indonesia: 3,437 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Sri Lanka: 1,839 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Indonesia bigger than Sri Lanka?
Indonesia is larger. Sri Lanka fits inside Indonesia 29 times.
Which has more people, Indonesia or Sri Lanka?
Indonesia has 13 times as many people as Sri Lanka (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Indonesia or Sri Lanka?
People in Sri Lanka live 6.4 years longer than in Indonesia. Life expectancy at birth is 71.3 years in Indonesia and 77.7 in Sri Lanka.
Are people taller in Indonesia or Sri Lanka?
Men in Sri Lanka are 1.8 cm taller than in Indonesia (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
