Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Sri Lanka fits inside New Zealand 4.1 times.
New Zealand: 267,710 km² (2023) · Sri Lanka: 65,610 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
New Zealand’s coastline is 11 times as long as Sri Lanka’s.
New Zealand: 15,134 km (2026 edition) · Sri Lanka: 1,340 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Sri Lanka’s highest peak towers 2,494 m above New Zealand’s.
New Zealand: 30 m (2026 edition) · Sri Lanka: 2,524 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Sri Lanka has 4.1 times as many people as New Zealand.
New Zealand: 5.32 million (2025) · Sri Lanka: 21.8 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Sri Lanka is 17 times as densely populated as New Zealand.
New Zealand: 20 per km² (2025) · Sri Lanka: 352 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in New Zealand are 9.7 cm taller than in Sri Lanka.
New Zealand: 177.7 cm (2019) · Sri Lanka: 168.1 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in New Zealand are 8.8 cm taller than in Sri Lanka.
New Zealand: 164.7 cm (2019) · Sri Lanka: 155.9 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in New Zealand is 4.5 years older than in Sri Lanka.
New Zealand: 37.3 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 New Zealand.
New Zealand: 1.57 children per woman (2024) · Sri Lanka: 1.95 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
18% of people in New Zealand are 65 or older, versus 12% in Sri Lanka.
New Zealand: 17.6% (2025) · Sri Lanka: 12.5% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
New Zealand has produced 5.6 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Sri Lanka 0.0.
New Zealand: 5.6 (2025) · Sri Lanka: 0 (2025)
How many official languages?
New Zealand has 3 official languages, Sri Lanka 2.
New Zealand: 3 (2026) · Sri Lanka: 2 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
New Zealand’s economy is 2.4 times the size of Sri Lanka’s.
New Zealand: $264 billion (2025) · Sri Lanka: $109 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
New Zealand produces 3.4 times as much per person as Sri Lanka.
New Zealand: Int$57,350 (2025) · Sri Lanka: Int$17,065 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
New Zealand: no data · Sri Lanka: 37.7 (2019)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 5.1% in New Zealand, versus 4.0% in Sri Lanka.
New Zealand: 5.1% (2025) · Sri Lanka: 4% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Sri Lanka and New Zealand are practically level.
New Zealand: 1.2% (2024) · Sri Lanka: 1.4% (2024)
How expensive is it?
New Zealand’s price level (US = 100) is 3× Sri Lanka’s.
New Zealand: 86% (2025) · Sri Lanka: 29% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
New Zealand spends 37 times as much on health per person as Sri Lanka.
New Zealand: $5,022 (2024) · Sri Lanka: $134 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in New Zealand live 4.3 years longer than in Sri Lanka.
New Zealand: 82 years (2024) · Sri Lanka: 77.7 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Sri Lanka is 30% more likely to die before turning one than in New Zealand.
New Zealand: 4 per 1,000 (2024) · Sri Lanka: 5.2 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
New Zealand has 3.2 times as many doctors per person as Sri Lanka.
New Zealand: 3.6 per 1,000 (2022) · Sri Lanka: 1.1 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is obesity?
35% of adults in New Zealand are obese, versus 11% in Sri Lanka.
New Zealand: 34.7% (2024) · Sri Lanka: 11.2% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
21% of adults in Sri Lanka smoke, versus 9.3% in New Zealand.
New Zealand: 9.3% (2024) · Sri Lanka: 20.7% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in New Zealand rate their lives 2.98 points higher than in Sri Lanka.
New Zealand: 7.00 (2025) · Sri Lanka: 4.01 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in New Zealand drink 3.6 times as much alcohol as in Sri Lanka.
New Zealand: 8.9 litres (2023) · Sri Lanka: 2.5 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
New Zealand has 6.9 times as much meat per person as Sri Lanka.
New Zealand: 79.5 kg (2023) · Sri Lanka: 11.6 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
New Zealand has 446 kcal more food per person per day than Sri Lanka.
New Zealand: 3,122 kcal (2023) · Sri Lanka: 2,675 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Sri Lanka put in 346 more hours a year than in New Zealand.
New Zealand: 1,708 hours (2023) · Sri Lanka: 2,053 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in New Zealand went to school 2.1 years longer than in Sri Lanka.
New Zealand: 12.9 years (2023) · Sri Lanka: 10.8 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
New Zealand welcomed 18 times as many tourists per resident as Sri Lanka (2019).
New Zealand: 0.6 (2024) · Sri Lanka: 0.03 (2022)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
94% of people in New Zealand are online, versus 55% in Sri Lanka.
New Zealand: 94% (2024) · Sri Lanka: 55% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
New Zealand and Sri Lanka are practically level.
New Zealand: 100% (2024) · Sri Lanka: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
84% of people in New Zealand live in cities, versus 20% in Sri Lanka.
New Zealand: 84% (2025) · Sri Lanka: 20% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Sri Lanka has 133 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, New Zealand 130.
New Zealand: 130 (2024) · Sri Lanka: 133 (2024)
How much railway is there?
New Zealand’s railway network is 2.6 times as long as Sri Lanka’s.
New Zealand: 4,128 km (2018) · Sri Lanka: 1,562 km (2019)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from New Zealand fly 16 times as many passengers per resident as those from Sri Lanka.
New Zealand: 2.82 (2023) · Sri Lanka: 0.18 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 38% of New Zealand, but only 34% of Sri Lanka.
New Zealand: 37.8% (2023) · Sri Lanka: 34% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in New Zealand emits 6.9 times as much CO₂ as someone in Sri Lanka.
New Zealand: 6.2 t (2024) · Sri Lanka: 0.9 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
89% of New Zealand’s electricity is renewable, versus 62% in Sri Lanka.
New Zealand: 88.5% (2025) · Sri Lanka: 61.6% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Sri Lanka carries 3 times as much fine dust as in New Zealand.
New Zealand: 7 µg/m³ (2024) · Sri Lanka: 20.7 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 2.3 times as likely to be murdered in Sri Lanka as in New Zealand.
New Zealand: 1.5 per 100k (2022) · Sri Lanka: 3.3 per 100k (2019)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Sri Lanka are 74% deadlier than in New Zealand.
New Zealand: 6.6 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 15.7 °C warmer than New Zealand.
New Zealand: 11.1°C (2016–2025 avg) · Sri Lanka: 26.8°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Sri Lanka gets 15% more rain than New Zealand.
New Zealand: 1,596 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Sri Lanka: 1,839 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is New Zealand bigger than Sri Lanka?
New Zealand is larger. Sri Lanka fits inside New Zealand 4.1 times.
Which has more people, New Zealand or Sri Lanka?
Sri Lanka has 4.1 times as many people as New Zealand (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, New Zealand or Sri Lanka?
People in New Zealand live 4.3 years longer than in Sri Lanka. Life expectancy at birth is 82.0 years in New Zealand and 77.7 in Sri Lanka.
Are people taller in New Zealand or Sri Lanka?
Men in New Zealand are 9.7 cm taller than in Sri Lanka (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
