How much coast is there?

Iran’s coastline is 82% longer than Sri Lanka’s.

Iran: 2,440 km (2026 edition) · Sri Lanka: 1,340 km (2026 edition)

How high can you climb?

Iran’s highest peak towers 3,101 m above Sri Lanka’s.

Iran: 5,625 m (2026 edition) · Sri Lanka: 2,524 m (2026 edition)

How many people live there?

Iran has 4.2 times as many people as Sri Lanka.

Iran: 92.4 million (2025) · Sri Lanka: 21.8 million (2025)

How crowded is it?

Sri Lanka is 6.2 times as densely populated as Iran.

Iran: 57 per km² (2025) · Sri Lanka: 352 per km² (2025)

How old is the typical person?

Iran and Sri Lanka are practically level.

Iran: 32.9 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 Iran.

Iran: 1.68 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 8.6% in Iran.

Iran: 8.6% (2025) · Sri Lanka: 12.5% (2025)

How many Nobel laureates were born there?

Iran has produced 0.3 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Sri Lanka 0.0.

Iran: 0.3 (2025) · Sri Lanka: 0 (2025)

How many official languages?

Sri Lanka has 2 official languages, Iran 1.

Iran: 1 (2026) · Sri Lanka: 2 (2026)

How big is the economy?

Iran’s economy is 3.3 times the size of Sri Lanka’s.

Iran: $363 billion (2025) · Sri Lanka: $109 billion (2025)

How much is produced per person?

Iran produces 15% more per person than Sri Lanka.

Iran: Int$19,699 (2025) · Sri Lanka: Int$17,065 (2025)

How evenly is income shared?

Income is more unequally shared in Sri Lanka than in Iran (Gini 1.8 points higher).

Iran: 35.9 (2023) · Sri Lanka: 37.7 (2019)

How many people are looking for work?

Unemployment is 8.3% in Iran, versus 4.0% in Sri Lanka.

Iran: 8.3% (2025) · Sri Lanka: 4% (2025)

How much goes to the military?

Iran spends 2.0% of its GDP on the military, Sri Lanka 1.4%.

Iran: 2% (2024) · Sri Lanka: 1.4% (2024)

How expensive is it?

Sri Lanka’s price level (US = 100) is 1.5× Iran’s.

Iran: 20% (2025) · Sri Lanka: 29% (2025)

How much is spent on health?

Iran spends 2 times as much on health per person as Sri Lanka.

Iran: $267 (2023) · Sri Lanka: $134 (2023)

How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?

A baby in Iran is 2 times as likely to die before turning one as in Sri Lanka.

Iran: 10.3 per 1,000 (2024) · Sri Lanka: 5.2 per 1,000 (2024)

How many doctors are there?

Iran has 59% more doctors per person than Sri Lanka.

Iran: 1.8 per 1,000 (2023) · Sri Lanka: 1.1 per 1,000 (2023)

How common is obesity?

26% of adults in Iran are obese, versus 11% in Sri Lanka.

Iran: 25.7% (2024) · Sri Lanka: 11.2% (2024)

How many adults smoke?

21% of adults in Sri Lanka smoke, versus 12% in Iran.

Iran: 11.9% (2024) · Sri Lanka: 20.7% (2024)

How do people rate their lives?

People in Iran rate their lives 1.14 points higher than in Sri Lanka.

Iran: 5.15 (2025) · Sri Lanka: 4.01 (2025)

How much do people drink?

Adults in Sri Lanka drink 121 times as much alcohol as in Iran.

Iran: 0.021 litres (2023) · Sri Lanka: 2.5 litres (2023)

How much meat is on the menu?

Iran has 2.6 times as much meat per person as Sri Lanka.

Iran: 29.9 kg (2023) · Sri Lanka: 11.6 kg (2023)

How much food is there per day?

Iran has 200 kcal more food per person per day than Sri Lanka.

Iran: 2,875 kcal (2023) · Sri Lanka: 2,675 kcal (2023)

How long do people work?

Workers in Iran put in 193 more hours a year than in Sri Lanka.

Iran: 2,246 hours (2023) · Sri Lanka: 2,053 hours (2023)

How long do people go to school?

Adults in Iran went to school 0.08 years longer than in Sri Lanka.

Iran: 10.8 years (2023) · Sri Lanka: 10.8 years (2023)

How many tourists visit?

Iran: no data · Sri Lanka: 0.03 (2022)

How many people are online?

85% of people in Iran are online, versus 55% in Sri Lanka.

Iran: 85% (2024) · Sri Lanka: 55% (2024)

Who has electricity at home?

Iran and Sri Lanka are practically level.

Iran: 100% (2024) · Sri Lanka: 100% (2024)

How many live in cities?

77% of people in Iran live in cities, versus 20% in Sri Lanka.

Iran: 77% (2025) · Sri Lanka: 20% (2025)

How many phones per person?

Iran has 174 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Sri Lanka 133.

Iran: 174 (2024) · Sri Lanka: 133 (2024)

How much railway is there?

Iran’s railway network is 6.1 times as long as Sri Lanka’s.

Iran: 9,455 km (2021) · Sri Lanka: 1,562 km (2019)

How much do they fly?

Airlines from Iran fly 10% more passengers per resident than those from Sri Lanka.

Iran: 0.2 (2023) · Sri Lanka: 0.18 (2023)

How much of the land is forest?

Forest covers 34% of Sri Lanka, but only 6.6% of Iran.

Iran: 6.6% (2023) · Sri Lanka: 34% (2023)

How much CO₂ does each person emit?

The average person in Iran emits 9.6 times as much CO₂ as someone in Sri Lanka.

Iran: 8.7 t (2024) · Sri Lanka: 0.9 t (2024)

How green is the power grid?

62% of Sri Lanka’s electricity is renewable, versus 3.8% in Iran.

Iran: 3.8% (2025) · Sri Lanka: 61.6% (2025)

How clean is the air?

The air in Iran carries 82% more fine dust than in Sri Lanka.

Iran: 37.7 µg/m³ (2024) · Sri Lanka: 20.7 µg/m³ (2024)

How common is murder?

You are 39% more likely to be murdered in Sri Lanka than in Iran.

Iran: 2.4 per 100k (2014) · Sri Lanka: 3.3 per 100k (2019)

How dangerous are the roads?

Roads in Iran are 79% deadlier than in Sri Lanka.

Iran: 20.6 per 100k (2021) · Sri Lanka: 11.5 per 100k (2021)

How warm is it?

Sri Lanka is on average 7.5 °C warmer than Iran.

Iran: 19.3°C (2016–2025 avg) · Sri Lanka: 26.8°C (2016–2025 avg)

How much rain falls?

Sri Lanka gets 6.8 times as much rain as Iran.

Iran: 272 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Sri Lanka: 1,839 mm (2016–2025 avg)