Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Sri Lanka fits inside Japan 5.8 times.
Japan: 377,969 km² (2023) · Sri Lanka: 65,610 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Japan’s coastline is 22 times as long as Sri Lanka’s.
Japan: 29,751 km (2026 edition) · Sri Lanka: 1,340 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Japan’s highest peak towers 1,252 m above Sri Lanka’s.
Japan: 3,776 m (2026 edition) · Sri Lanka: 2,524 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Japan has 5.7 times as many people as Sri Lanka.
Japan: 123 million (2025) · Sri Lanka: 21.8 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Sri Lanka is 4% more densely populated than Japan.
Japan: 338 per km² (2025) · Sri Lanka: 352 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Japan are 4.0 cm taller than in Sri Lanka.
Japan: 172.1 cm (2019) · Sri Lanka: 168.1 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Japan are 2.6 cm taller than in Sri Lanka.
Japan: 158.5 cm (2019) · Sri Lanka: 155.9 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Japan is 16 years older than in Sri Lanka.
Japan: 49 years (2023) · Sri Lanka: 32.8 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Sri Lanka have 0.8 more children on average than in Japan.
Japan: 1.15 children per woman (2024) · Sri Lanka: 1.95 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
30% of people in Japan are 65 or older, versus 12% in Sri Lanka.
Japan: 30% (2025) · Sri Lanka: 12.5% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Japan has produced 2.4 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Sri Lanka 0.0.
Japan: 2.4 (2025) · Sri Lanka: 0 (2025)
How many official languages?
Sri Lanka has 2 official languages, Japan 1.
Japan: 1 (2026) · Sri Lanka: 2 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Japan’s economy is 41 times the size of Sri Lanka’s.
Japan: $4.44 trillion (2025) · Sri Lanka: $109 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Japan produces 3.2 times as much per person as Sri Lanka.
Japan: Int$55,422 (2025) · Sri Lanka: Int$17,065 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Sri Lanka than in Japan (Gini 5.4 points higher).
Japan: 32.3 (2020) · Sri Lanka: 37.7 (2019)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 4.0% in Sri Lanka, versus 2.5% in Japan.
Japan: 2.5% (2025) · Sri Lanka: 4% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Sri Lanka and Japan are practically level.
Japan: 1.4% (2024) · Sri Lanka: 1.4% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Japan’s price level (US = 100) is 2.2× Sri Lanka’s.
Japan: 65% (2025) · Sri Lanka: 29% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Japan spends 27 times as much on health per person as Sri Lanka.
Japan: $3,638 (2023) · Sri Lanka: $134 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Japan live 6.4 years longer than in Sri Lanka.
Japan: 84 years (2024) · Sri Lanka: 77.7 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Sri Lanka is 2.9 times as likely to die before turning one as in Japan.
Japan: 1.8 per 1,000 (2024) · Sri Lanka: 5.2 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Japan has 2.3 times as many doctors per person as Sri Lanka.
Japan: 2.6 per 1,000 (2022) · Sri Lanka: 1.1 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is obesity?
11% of adults in Sri Lanka are obese, versus 5.2% in Japan.
Japan: 5.2% (2024) · Sri Lanka: 11.2% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
21% of adults in Sri Lanka smoke, versus 18% in Japan.
Japan: 17.5% (2024) · Sri Lanka: 20.7% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Japan rate their lives 2.12 points higher than in Sri Lanka.
Japan: 6.13 (2025) · Sri Lanka: 4.01 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Japan drink 2.5 times as much alcohol as in Sri Lanka.
Japan: 6.3 litres (2023) · Sri Lanka: 2.5 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Japan has 5.2 times as much meat per person as Sri Lanka.
Japan: 59.9 kg (2022) · Sri Lanka: 11.6 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Sri Lanka and Japan are practically level.
Japan: 2,670 kcal (2022) · Sri Lanka: 2,675 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Sri Lanka put in 399 more hours a year than in Japan.
Japan: 1,654 hours (2023) · Sri Lanka: 2,053 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Japan went to school 1.9 years longer than in Sri Lanka.
Japan: 12.7 years (2023) · Sri Lanka: 10.8 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Japan welcomed 9.2 times as many tourists per resident as Sri Lanka (2019).
Japan: 0.3 (2024) · Sri Lanka: 0.03 (2022)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
86% of people in Japan are online, versus 55% in Sri Lanka.
Japan: 86% (2024) · Sri Lanka: 55% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
Japan and Sri Lanka are practically level.
Japan: 100% (2024) · Sri Lanka: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
92% of people in Japan live in cities, versus 20% in Sri Lanka.
Japan: 92% (2025) · Sri Lanka: 20% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Japan has 178 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Sri Lanka 133.
Japan: 178 (2023) · Sri Lanka: 133 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Japan’s railway network is 13 times as long as Sri Lanka’s.
Japan: 20,087 km (2011) · Sri Lanka: 1,562 km (2019)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Japan fly 5.5 times as many passengers per resident as those from Sri Lanka.
Japan: 0.98 (2023) · Sri Lanka: 0.18 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 68% of Japan, but only 34% of Sri Lanka.
Japan: 68.4% (2023) · Sri Lanka: 34% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Japan emits 8.6 times as much CO₂ as someone in Sri Lanka.
Japan: 7.8 t (2024) · Sri Lanka: 0.9 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
62% of Sri Lanka’s electricity is renewable, versus 24% in Japan.
Japan: 23.6% (2025) · Sri Lanka: 61.6% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Sri Lanka carries 2 times as much fine dust as in Japan.
Japan: 10.5 µg/m³ (2024) · Sri Lanka: 20.7 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 14 times as likely to be murdered in Sri Lanka as in Japan.
Japan: 0.2 per 100k (2023) · Sri Lanka: 3.3 per 100k (2019)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Sri Lanka are 4.3 times as deadly as in Japan.
Japan: 2.7 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 14.1 °C warmer than Japan.
Japan: 12.8°C (2016–2025 avg) · Sri Lanka: 26.8°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Sri Lanka and Japan are nearly identical here.
Japan: 1,824 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Sri Lanka: 1,839 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Japan bigger than Sri Lanka?
Japan is larger. Sri Lanka fits inside Japan 5.8 times.
Which has more people, Japan or Sri Lanka?
Japan has 5.7 times as many people as Sri Lanka (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Japan or Sri Lanka?
People in Japan live 6.4 years longer than in Sri Lanka. Life expectancy at birth is 84.0 years in Japan and 77.7 in Sri Lanka.
Are people taller in Japan or Sri Lanka?
Men in Japan are 4.0 cm taller than in Sri Lanka (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
