Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Sri Lanka fits inside Iran 27 times
Iran: 1,745,150 km² (2024) · Sri Lanka: 65,610 km² (2024)
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 much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 49% of Sri Lanka, versus 29% of Iran
Iran: 29% (2024) · Sri Lanka: 48.8% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
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 tall are the men?
Men in Iran are 7.6 cm taller than in Sri Lanka
Iran: 175.6 cm (2019) · Sri Lanka: 168.1 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Iran are 5.3 cm taller than in Sri Lanka
Iran: 161.2 cm (2019) · Sri Lanka: 155.9 cm (2019)
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 refugees does it host?
Iran hosts 852 times as many refugees per resident as Sri Lanka
Iran: 8.3 per 1,000 (2025) · Sri Lanka: 0.0098 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Iran has produced 0.3 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Sri Lanka none
Iran: 0.3 (2026) · Sri Lanka: 0 (2026)
How many official languages?
Sri Lanka has 2 official languages, Iran 1
Iran: 1 (2026) · Sri Lanka: 2 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
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 live on less than $3 a day?
Sri Lanka and Iran are practically level
Iran: 2.5% (2023) · Sri Lanka: 2.7% (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 2.1% of its GDP on the military, Sri Lanka 1.3%
Iran: 2.1% (2025) · Sri Lanka: 1.3% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Iran: no data · Sri Lanka: 9.9% (2023)
How expensive is it?
Sri Lanka’s price level (US = 100) is 1.5× Iran’s
Iran: 20% (2025) · Sri Lanka: 29% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
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 long do people live?
Iran and Sri Lanka are practically level
Iran: 77.9 years (2024) · Sri Lanka: 77.7 years (2024)
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 many hospital beds are there?
Sri Lanka has 2.1 times as many hospital beds per person as Iran
Iran: 1.9 per 1,000 (2019) · Sri Lanka: 3.9 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Sri Lanka is 2.3 times that in Iran
Iran: 6 per 100k (2023) · Sri Lanka: 14 per 100k (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)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
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 World Heritage sites?
Iran has 22 more World Heritage sites than Sri Lanka (30 against 8)
Iran: 30 (2026) · Sri Lanka: 8 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Iran has won 88 Olympic medals, Sri Lanka 2
Iran: 88 (2026 edition) · Sri Lanka: 2 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
85% of people in Iran are online, versus 55% in Sri Lanka
Iran: 85% (2024) · Sri Lanka: 55% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Iran: no data · Sri Lanka: 63 Mbps (2026)
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)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 34% of Sri Lanka, but only 6.6% of Iran
Iran: 6.6% (2024) · Sri Lanka: 34.4% (2024)
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)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
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 37% deadlier than in Sri Lanka
Iran: 28.9 per 100k (2023) · Sri Lanka: 21.1 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
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)
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
Quick answers
Is Iran bigger than Sri Lanka?
Iran is larger. Sri Lanka fits inside Iran 27 times.
Which has more people, Iran or Sri Lanka?
Iran has 4.2 times as many people as Sri Lanka (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Iran or Sri Lanka?
Iran and Sri Lanka are practically level. Life expectancy at birth is 77.9 years in Iran and 77.7 in Sri Lanka.
Are people taller in Iran or Sri Lanka?
Men in Iran are 7.6 cm taller than in Sri Lanka (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
