How much coast is there?

Sri Lanka’s coastline is 2.1 times as long as the Maldives’.

Maldives: 644 km (2026 edition) · Sri Lanka: 1,340 km (2026 edition)

How high can you climb?

Sri Lanka’s highest peak towers 2,519 m above the Maldives’.

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

How many people live there?

Sri Lanka has 41 times as many people as the Maldives.

Maldives: 529,676 (2025) · Sri Lanka: 21.8 million (2025)

How crowded is it?

The Maldives is 5.1 times as densely populated as Sri Lanka.

Maldives: 1,777 per km² (2025) · Sri Lanka: 352 per km² (2025)

How old is the typical person?

The typical person in Sri Lanka is 1.7 years older than in the Maldives.

Maldives: 31.1 years (2023) · Sri Lanka: 32.8 years (2023)

How many children per woman?

Women in Sri Lanka have 0.4 more children on average than in the Maldives.

Maldives: 1.56 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 5.0% in the Maldives.

Maldives: 5% (2025) · Sri Lanka: 12.5% (2025)

How many Nobel laureates were born there?

Maldives: no data · Sri Lanka: 0 (2025)

How many official languages?

Sri Lanka has 2 official languages, the Maldives 1.

Maldives: 1 (2026) · Sri Lanka: 2 (2026)

How big is the economy?

Sri Lanka’s economy is 14 times the size of the Maldives’.

Maldives: $7.74 billion (2025) · Sri Lanka: $109 billion (2025)

How much is produced per person?

The Maldives produces 67% more per person than Sri Lanka.

Maldives: Int$28,555 (2025) · Sri Lanka: Int$17,065 (2025)

How evenly is income shared?

Income is more unequally shared in Sri Lanka than in the Maldives (Gini 8.4 points higher).

Maldives: 29.3 (2019) · Sri Lanka: 37.7 (2019)

How many people are looking for work?

Unemployment is 4.5% in the Maldives, versus 4.0% in Sri Lanka.

Maldives: 4.5% (2025) · Sri Lanka: 4% (2025)

How much goes to the military?

Maldives: no data · Sri Lanka: 1.4% (2024)

How expensive is it?

The Maldives’ price level (US = 100) is 1.7× Sri Lanka’s.

Maldives: 51% (2025) · Sri Lanka: 29% (2025)

How much is spent on health?

The Maldives spends 8.6 times as much on health per person as Sri Lanka.

Maldives: $1,159 (2023) · Sri Lanka: $134 (2023)

How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?

A baby in Sri Lanka is 11% more likely to die before turning one than in the Maldives.

Maldives: 4.7 per 1,000 (2024) · Sri Lanka: 5.2 per 1,000 (2024)

How many doctors are there?

The Maldives has 2 times as many doctors per person as Sri Lanka.

Maldives: 2.2 per 1,000 (2019) · Sri Lanka: 1.1 per 1,000 (2023)

How common is obesity?

18% of adults in the Maldives are obese, versus 11% in Sri Lanka.

Maldives: 18.1% (2024) · Sri Lanka: 11.2% (2024)

How many adults smoke?

26% of adults in the Maldives smoke, versus 21% in Sri Lanka.

Maldives: 25.5% (2024) · Sri Lanka: 20.7% (2024)

How do people rate their lives?

People in the Maldives rate their lives 1.19 points higher than in Sri Lanka.

Maldives: 5.20 (2020) · Sri Lanka: 4.01 (2025)

How much do people drink?

Adults in Sri Lanka drink 1% more alcohol than in the Maldives.

Maldives: 2.5 litres (2023) · Sri Lanka: 2.5 litres (2023)

How much meat is on the menu?

The Maldives has 2.6 times as much meat per person as Sri Lanka.

Maldives: 29.6 kg (2023) · Sri Lanka: 11.6 kg (2023)

How much food is there per day?

Sri Lanka and the Maldives are practically level.

Maldives: 2,671 kcal (2023) · Sri Lanka: 2,675 kcal (2023)

How long do people work?

Maldives: no data · Sri Lanka: 2,053 hours (2023)

How long do people go to school?

Adults in Sri Lanka went to school 3.4 years longer than in the Maldives.

Maldives: 7.4 years (2023) · Sri Lanka: 10.8 years (2023)

How many tourists visit?

The Maldives welcomed 98 times as many tourists per resident as Sri Lanka (2019).

Maldives: 3.2 (2022) · Sri Lanka: 0.03 (2022)

How many people are online?

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

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

Who has electricity at home?

The Maldives and Sri Lanka are practically level.

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

How many live in cities?

43% of people in the Maldives live in cities, versus 20% in Sri Lanka.

Maldives: 43% (2025) · Sri Lanka: 20% (2025)

How many phones per person?

The Maldives has 148 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Sri Lanka 133.

Maldives: 148 (2024) · Sri Lanka: 133 (2024)

How much railway is there?

Maldives: no data · Sri Lanka: 1,562 km (2019)

How much do they fly?

Airlines from the Maldives fly 15 times as many passengers per resident as those from Sri Lanka.

Maldives: 2.67 (2023) · Sri Lanka: 0.18 (2023)

How much of the land is forest?

Forest covers 34% of Sri Lanka, but only 2.8% of the Maldives.

Maldives: 2.8% (2023) · Sri Lanka: 34% (2023)

How much CO₂ does each person emit?

The average person in the Maldives emits 4.8 times as much CO₂ as someone in Sri Lanka.

Maldives: 4.4 t (2024) · Sri Lanka: 0.9 t (2024)

How green is the power grid?

62% of Sri Lanka’s electricity is renewable, versus 7.1% in the Maldives.

Maldives: 7.1% (2024) · Sri Lanka: 61.6% (2025)

How clean is the air?

The air in Sri Lanka carries 93% more fine dust than in the Maldives.

Maldives: 10.7 µg/m³ (2024) · Sri Lanka: 20.7 µg/m³ (2024)

How common is murder?

You are 5.4 times as likely to be murdered in Sri Lanka as in the Maldives.

Maldives: 0.6 per 100k (2019) · Sri Lanka: 3.3 per 100k (2019)

How dangerous are the roads?

Roads in Sri Lanka are 8.8 times as deadly as in the Maldives.

Maldives: 1.3 per 100k (2021) · Sri Lanka: 11.5 per 100k (2021)

How warm is it?

Maldives: no data · Sri Lanka: 26.8°C (2016–2025 avg)

How much rain falls?

Maldives: no data · Sri Lanka: 1,839 mm (2016–2025 avg)