Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Sri Lanka fits inside Nigeria 14 times.
Nigeria: 923,770 km² (2023) · Sri Lanka: 65,610 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Sri Lanka’s coastline is 57% longer than Nigeria’s.
Nigeria: 853 km (2026 edition) · Sri Lanka: 1,340 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Sri Lanka’s highest peak towers 105 m above Nigeria’s.
Nigeria: 2,419 m (2026 edition) · Sri Lanka: 2,524 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Nigeria has 11 times as many people as Sri Lanka.
Nigeria: 238 million (2025) · Sri Lanka: 21.8 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Sri Lanka is 35% more densely populated than Nigeria.
Nigeria: 261 per km² (2025) · Sri Lanka: 352 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Nigeria are 3.5 cm taller than in Sri Lanka.
Nigeria: 171.6 cm (2019) · Sri Lanka: 168.1 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Nigeria are 2.3 cm taller than in Sri Lanka.
Nigeria: 158.1 cm (2019) · Sri Lanka: 155.9 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Sri Lanka is 15 years older than in Nigeria.
Nigeria: 17.8 years (2023) · Sri Lanka: 32.8 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Nigeria have 2.4 more children on average than in Sri Lanka.
Nigeria: 4.38 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 3.1% in Nigeria.
Nigeria: 3.1% (2025) · Sri Lanka: 12.5% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Nigeria has produced 0.0 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Sri Lanka 0.0.
Nigeria: 0 (2025) · Sri Lanka: 0 (2025)
How many official languages?
Sri Lanka has 2 official languages, Nigeria 1.
Nigeria: 1 (2026) · Sri Lanka: 2 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Nigeria’s economy is 2.7 times the size of Sri Lanka’s.
Nigeria: $291 billion (2025) · Sri Lanka: $109 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Sri Lanka produces 79% more per person than Nigeria.
Nigeria: Int$9,532 (2025) · Sri Lanka: Int$17,065 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Sri Lanka than in Nigeria (Gini 3.8 points higher).
Nigeria: 33.9 (2022) · Sri Lanka: 37.7 (2019)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 4.0% in Sri Lanka, versus 3.1% in Nigeria.
Nigeria: 3.1% (2025) · Sri Lanka: 4% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Sri Lanka spends 1.4% of its GDP on the military, Nigeria 0.6%.
Nigeria: 0.6% (2024) · Sri Lanka: 1.4% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Sri Lanka’s price level (US = 100) is 2.3× Nigeria’s.
Nigeria: 13% (2025) · Sri Lanka: 29% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Sri Lanka spends 2 times as much on health per person as Nigeria.
Nigeria: $67 (2023) · Sri Lanka: $134 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Sri Lanka live 23 years longer than in Nigeria.
Nigeria: 54.6 years (2024) · Sri Lanka: 77.7 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Nigeria is 13 times as likely to die before turning one as in Sri Lanka.
Nigeria: 69.8 per 1,000 (2024) · Sri Lanka: 5.2 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Sri Lanka has 3 times as many doctors per person as Nigeria.
Nigeria: 0.4 per 1,000 (2023) · Sri Lanka: 1.1 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is obesity?
12% of adults in Nigeria are obese, versus 11% in Sri Lanka.
Nigeria: 12.1% (2024) · Sri Lanka: 11.2% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
21% of adults in Sri Lanka smoke, versus 3.1% in Nigeria.
Nigeria: 3.1% (2024) · Sri Lanka: 20.7% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Nigeria rate their lives 0.78 points higher than in Sri Lanka.
Nigeria: 4.79 (2025) · Sri Lanka: 4.01 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Sri Lanka drink 22% more alcohol than in Nigeria.
Nigeria: 2 litres (2023) · Sri Lanka: 2.5 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Sri Lanka has 63% more meat per person than Nigeria.
Nigeria: 7.1 kg (2023) · Sri Lanka: 11.6 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Sri Lanka has 205 kcal more food per person per day than Nigeria.
Nigeria: 2,470 kcal (2023) · Sri Lanka: 2,675 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Nigeria and Sri Lanka are practically level.
Nigeria: 2,062 hours (2023) · Sri Lanka: 2,053 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Sri Lanka went to school 3.2 years longer than in Nigeria.
Nigeria: 7.6 years (2023) · Sri Lanka: 10.8 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Sri Lanka welcomed 14 times as many tourists per resident as Nigeria (2019).
Nigeria: 0 (2024) · Sri Lanka: 0.03 (2022)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
55% of people in Sri Lanka are online, versus 41% in Nigeria.
Nigeria: 41% (2024) · Sri Lanka: 55% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in Sri Lanka have electricity, versus 63% in Nigeria.
Nigeria: 62.5% (2024) · Sri Lanka: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
64% of people in Nigeria live in cities, versus 20% in Sri Lanka.
Nigeria: 64% (2025) · Sri Lanka: 20% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Sri Lanka has 133 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Nigeria 71.
Nigeria: 71 (2024) · Sri Lanka: 133 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Nigeria’s railway network is 2.3 times as long as Sri Lanka’s.
Nigeria: 3,528 km (2015) · Sri Lanka: 1,562 km (2019)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Sri Lanka fly 8 times as many passengers per resident as those from Nigeria.
Nigeria: 0.02 (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 23% of Nigeria.
Nigeria: 23.2% (2023) · Sri Lanka: 34% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Sri Lanka emits 54% more CO₂ than someone in Nigeria.
Nigeria: 0.6 t (2024) · Sri Lanka: 0.9 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
62% of Sri Lanka’s electricity is renewable, versus 31% in Nigeria.
Nigeria: 31.3% (2025) · Sri Lanka: 61.6% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Nigeria carries 2.4 times as much fine dust as in Sri Lanka.
Nigeria: 50 µg/m³ (2024) · Sri Lanka: 20.7 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 4.8 times as likely to be murdered in Nigeria as in Sri Lanka.
Nigeria: 15.7 per 100k (2023) · Sri Lanka: 3.3 per 100k (2019)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Nigeria are 50% deadlier than in Sri Lanka.
Nigeria: 17.2 per 100k (2021) · Sri Lanka: 11.5 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Nigeria is on average 0.6 °C warmer than Sri Lanka.
Nigeria: 27.4°C (2016–2025 avg) · Sri Lanka: 26.8°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Sri Lanka gets 76% more rain than Nigeria.
Nigeria: 1,044 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Sri Lanka: 1,839 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Nigeria bigger than Sri Lanka?
Nigeria is larger. Sri Lanka fits inside Nigeria 14 times.
Which has more people, Nigeria or Sri Lanka?
Nigeria has 11 times as many people as Sri Lanka (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Nigeria or Sri Lanka?
People in Sri Lanka live 23 years longer than in Nigeria. Life expectancy at birth is 54.6 years in Nigeria and 77.7 in Sri Lanka.
Are people taller in Nigeria or Sri Lanka?
Men in Nigeria are 3.5 cm taller than in Sri Lanka (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
