Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Sri Lanka fits inside Kenya 9 times.
Kenya: 591,969 km² (2023) · Sri Lanka: 65,610 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Sri Lanka’s coastline is 2.5 times as long as Kenya’s.
Kenya: 536 km (2026 edition) · Sri Lanka: 1,340 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Kenya’s highest peak towers 2,675 m above Sri Lanka’s.
Kenya: 5,199 m (2026 edition) · Sri Lanka: 2,524 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Kenya has 2.6 times as many people as Sri Lanka.
Kenya: 57.5 million (2025) · Sri Lanka: 21.8 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Sri Lanka is 3.6 times as densely populated as Kenya.
Kenya: 99 per km² (2025) · Sri Lanka: 352 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Kenya are 2.4 cm taller than in Sri Lanka.
Kenya: 170.5 cm (2019) · Sri Lanka: 168.1 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Kenya are 3.6 cm taller than in Sri Lanka.
Kenya: 159.4 cm (2019) · Sri Lanka: 155.9 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Sri Lanka is 13 years older than in Kenya.
Kenya: 19.5 years (2023) · Sri Lanka: 32.8 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Kenya have 1.2 more children on average than in Sri Lanka.
Kenya: 3.17 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 3.0% in Kenya.
Kenya: 3% (2025) · Sri Lanka: 12.5% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Kenya has produced 0.2 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Sri Lanka 0.0.
Kenya: 0.2 (2025) · Sri Lanka: 0 (2025)
How many official languages?
Kenya and Sri Lanka are practically level.
Kenya: 2 (2026) · Sri Lanka: 2 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Kenya’s economy is 25% larger than Sri Lanka’s.
Kenya: $136 billion (2025) · Sri Lanka: $109 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Sri Lanka produces 2.4 times as much per person as Kenya.
Kenya: Int$7,016 (2025) · Sri Lanka: Int$17,065 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Kenya than in Sri Lanka (Gini 0.8 points higher).
Kenya: 38.5 (2022) · Sri Lanka: 37.7 (2019)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 5.4% in Kenya, versus 4.0% in Sri Lanka.
Kenya: 5.4% (2025) · Sri Lanka: 4% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Sri Lanka and Kenya are practically level.
Kenya: 1% (2024) · Sri Lanka: 1.4% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Kenya’s price level (US = 100) is 1.1× Sri Lanka’s.
Kenya: 34% (2025) · Sri Lanka: 29% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Sri Lanka spends 58% more on health per person than Kenya.
Kenya: $85 (2023) · Sri Lanka: $134 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Sri Lanka live 14 years longer than in Kenya.
Kenya: 63.8 years (2024) · Sri Lanka: 77.7 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Kenya is 6.6 times as likely to die before turning one as in Sri Lanka.
Kenya: 34.2 per 1,000 (2024) · Sri Lanka: 5.2 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Sri Lanka has 3.9 times as many doctors per person as Kenya.
Kenya: 0.3 per 1,000 (2023) · Sri Lanka: 1.1 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is obesity?
11% of adults in Sri Lanka are obese, versus 10% in Kenya.
Kenya: 10.4% (2024) · Sri Lanka: 11.2% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
21% of adults in Sri Lanka smoke, versus 9.6% in Kenya.
Kenya: 9.6% (2024) · Sri Lanka: 20.7% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Kenya rate their lives 0.66 points higher than in Sri Lanka.
Kenya: 4.67 (2025) · Sri Lanka: 4.01 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Sri Lanka drink 11% more alcohol than in Kenya.
Kenya: 2.2 litres (2023) · Sri Lanka: 2.5 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Sri Lanka has 14% more meat per person than Kenya.
Kenya: 10.2 kg (2023) · Sri Lanka: 11.6 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Sri Lanka has 529 kcal more food per person per day than Kenya.
Kenya: 2,146 kcal (2023) · Sri Lanka: 2,675 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Sri Lanka put in 18 more hours a year than in Kenya.
Kenya: 2,035 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 Kenya.
Kenya: 8.6 years (2023) · Sri Lanka: 10.8 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Sri Lanka welcomed 17% more tourists per resident than Kenya (2019).
Kenya: 0.03 (2017) · Sri Lanka: 0.03 (2022)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
55% of people in Sri Lanka are online, versus 35% in Kenya.
Kenya: 35% (2024) · Sri Lanka: 55% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in Sri Lanka have electricity, versus 77% in Kenya.
Kenya: 77% (2024) · Sri Lanka: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
32% of people in Kenya live in cities, versus 20% in Sri Lanka.
Kenya: 32% (2025) · Sri Lanka: 20% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Sri Lanka has 133 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Kenya 126.
Kenya: 126 (2024) · Sri Lanka: 133 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Kenya’s railway network is 2.4 times as long as Sri Lanka’s.
Kenya: 3,819 km (2018) · Sri Lanka: 1,562 km (2019)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Sri Lanka fly 2 times as many passengers per resident as those from Kenya.
Kenya: 0.09 (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 6.2% of Kenya.
Kenya: 6.2% (2023) · Sri Lanka: 34% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Sri Lanka emits 2.4 times as much CO₂ as someone in Kenya.
Kenya: 0.4 t (2024) · Sri Lanka: 0.9 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
90% of Kenya’s electricity is renewable, versus 62% in Sri Lanka.
Kenya: 90% (2025) · Sri Lanka: 61.6% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Kenya carries 6% more fine dust than in Sri Lanka.
Kenya: 22 µg/m³ (2024) · Sri Lanka: 20.7 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 47% more likely to be murdered in Kenya than in Sri Lanka.
Kenya: 4.9 per 100k (2022) · Sri Lanka: 3.3 per 100k (2019)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Kenya are 2.5 times as deadly as in Sri Lanka.
Kenya: 28.2 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 Kenya.
Kenya: 25.7°C (2016–2025 avg) · Sri Lanka: 26.8°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Sri Lanka gets 2.6 times as much rain as Kenya.
Kenya: 696 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Sri Lanka: 1,839 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Kenya bigger than Sri Lanka?
Kenya is larger. Sri Lanka fits inside Kenya 9 times.
Which has more people, Kenya or Sri Lanka?
Kenya has 2.6 times as many people as Sri Lanka (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Kenya or Sri Lanka?
People in Sri Lanka live 14 years longer than in Kenya. Life expectancy at birth is 63.8 years in Kenya and 77.7 in Sri Lanka.
Are people taller in Kenya or Sri Lanka?
Men in Kenya are 2.4 cm taller than in Sri Lanka (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
