Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Sri Lanka fits inside the Philippines 4.6 times
Philippines: 300,000 km² (2024) · Sri Lanka: 65,610 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
The Philippines’ coastline is 27 times as long as Sri Lanka’s
Philippines: 36,289 km (2026 edition) · Sri Lanka: 1,340 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
The Philippines’ highest peak towers 430 m above Sri Lanka’s
Philippines: 2,954 m (2026 edition) · Sri Lanka: 2,524 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 49% of Sri Lanka, versus 43% of the Philippines
Philippines: 42.7% (2024) · Sri Lanka: 48.8% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
The Philippines has 5.4 times as many people as Sri Lanka
Philippines: 117 million (2025) · Sri Lanka: 21.8 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
The Philippines is 11% more densely populated than Sri Lanka
Philippines: 392 per km² (2025) · Sri Lanka: 352 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Sri Lanka are 2.8 cm taller than in the Philippines
Philippines: 165.2 cm (2019) · Sri Lanka: 168.1 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Sri Lanka are 1.7 cm taller than in the Philippines
Philippines: 154.1 cm (2019) · Sri Lanka: 155.9 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Sri Lanka is 7.5 years older than in the Philippines
Philippines: 25.3 years (2023) · Sri Lanka: 32.8 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Sri Lanka have 0.1 more children on average than in the Philippines
Philippines: 1.89 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 5.7% in the Philippines
Philippines: 5.7% (2025) · Sri Lanka: 12.5% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Sri Lanka hosts 11% more refugees per resident than the Philippines
Philippines: 0.0088 per 1,000 (2025) · Sri Lanka: 0.0098 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
The Philippines has produced 0.1 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Sri Lanka none
Philippines: 0.1 (2026) · Sri Lanka: 0 (2026)
How many official languages?
The Philippines and Sri Lanka are practically level
Philippines: 2 (2026) · Sri Lanka: 2 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
The Philippines’ economy is 4.5 times the size of Sri Lanka’s
Philippines: $487 billion (2025) · Sri Lanka: $109 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Sri Lanka produces 36% more per person than the Philippines
Philippines: Int$12,577 (2025) · Sri Lanka: Int$17,065 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in the Philippines than in Sri Lanka (Gini 1.6 points higher)
Philippines: 39.3 (2023) · Sri Lanka: 37.7 (2019)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
5.3% of people in the Philippines live on less than $3 a day, versus 2.7% in Sri Lanka
Philippines: 5.3% (2023) · Sri Lanka: 2.7% (2019)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 4.0% in Sri Lanka, versus 2.2% in the Philippines
Philippines: 2.2% (2025) · Sri Lanka: 4% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Sri Lanka and the Philippines are practically level
Philippines: 1.3% (2025) · Sri Lanka: 1.3% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
The Philippines’ central government collects 14% of GDP in tax, Sri Lanka’s 9.9%
Philippines: 14.4% (2024) · Sri Lanka: 9.9% (2023)
How expensive is it?
The Philippines’ price level (US = 100) is 1.1× Sri Lanka’s
Philippines: 33% (2025) · Sri Lanka: 29% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
The Philippines spends 45% more on health per person than Sri Lanka
Philippines: $194 (2023) · Sri Lanka: $134 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Sri Lanka live 7.7 years longer than in the Philippines
Philippines: 69.9 years (2024) · Sri Lanka: 77.7 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in the Philippines is 4.2 times as likely to die before turning one as in Sri Lanka
Philippines: 21.7 per 1,000 (2024) · Sri Lanka: 5.2 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Sri Lanka has 43% more doctors per person than the Philippines
Philippines: 0.8 per 1,000 (2021) · Sri Lanka: 1.1 per 1,000 (2023)
How many hospital beds are there?
Sri Lanka has 4.1 times as many hospital beds per person as the Philippines
Philippines: 1 per 1,000 (2021) · Sri Lanka: 3.9 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Sri Lanka is 4.5 times that in the Philippines
Philippines: 3.1 per 100k (2023) · Sri Lanka: 14 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
11% of adults in Sri Lanka are obese, versus 9.7% in the Philippines
Philippines: 9.7% (2024) · Sri Lanka: 11.2% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
21% of adults in Sri Lanka smoke, versus 20% in the Philippines
Philippines: 19.9% (2024) · Sri Lanka: 20.7% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in the Philippines rate their lives 2.19 points higher than in Sri Lanka
Philippines: 6.21 (2025) · Sri Lanka: 4.01 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in the Philippines drink 2.4 times as much alcohol as in Sri Lanka
Philippines: 6.1 litres (2023) · Sri Lanka: 2.5 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
The Philippines has 2.9 times as much meat per person as Sri Lanka
Philippines: 33.6 kg (2023) · Sri Lanka: 11.6 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
The Philippines has 308 kcal more food per person per day than Sri Lanka
Philippines: 2,983 kcal (2023) · Sri Lanka: 2,675 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in the Philippines put in 43 more hours a year than in Sri Lanka
Philippines: 2,096 hours (2023) · Sri Lanka: 2,053 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Sri Lanka went to school 0.79 years longer than in the Philippines
Philippines: 10 years (2023) · Sri Lanka: 10.8 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Sri Lanka welcomed 39% more tourists per resident than the Philippines (2019)
Philippines: 0.02 (2022) · Sri Lanka: 0.03 (2022)
How many World Heritage sites?
Sri Lanka has 2 more World Heritage sites than the Philippines (8 against 6)
Philippines: 6 (2026) · Sri Lanka: 8 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
The Philippines has won 18 Olympic medals, Sri Lanka 2
Philippines: 18 (2026 edition) · Sri Lanka: 2 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
67% of people in the Philippines are online, versus 55% in Sri Lanka
Philippines: 67% (2024) · Sri Lanka: 55% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in the Philippines is 2.6 times as fast as in Sri Lanka
Philippines: 166 Mbps (2026) · Sri Lanka: 63 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in Sri Lanka have electricity, versus 95% in the Philippines
Philippines: 94.8% (2024) · Sri Lanka: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
56% of people in the Philippines live in cities, versus 20% in Sri Lanka
Philippines: 56% (2025) · Sri Lanka: 20% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Sri Lanka has 133 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, the Philippines 115
Philippines: 115 (2024) · Sri Lanka: 133 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Sri Lanka’s railway network is 3.1 times as long as the Philippines’
Philippines: 509 km (2016) · Sri Lanka: 1,562 km (2019)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from the Philippines fly 2 times as many passengers per resident as those from Sri Lanka
Philippines: 0.36 (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 25% of the Philippines
Philippines: 24.8% (2024) · Sri Lanka: 34.4% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in the Philippines emits 67% more CO₂ than someone in Sri Lanka
Philippines: 1.5 t (2024) · Sri Lanka: 0.9 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
62% of Sri Lanka’s electricity is renewable, versus 23% in the Philippines
Philippines: 23.3% (2025) · Sri Lanka: 61.6% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in the Philippines carries 12% more fine dust than in Sri Lanka
Philippines: 23.1 µg/m³ (2024) · Sri Lanka: 20.7 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 31% more likely to be murdered in the Philippines than in Sri Lanka
Philippines: 4.3 per 100k (2023) · Sri Lanka: 3.3 per 100k (2019)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Sri Lanka are 53% deadlier than in the Philippines
Philippines: 13.8 per 100k (2023) · Sri Lanka: 21.1 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Sri Lanka is on average 0.5 °C warmer than the Philippines
Philippines: 26.4°C (2016–2025 avg) · Sri Lanka: 26.8°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
The Philippines gets 63% more rain than Sri Lanka
Philippines: 3,001 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Sri Lanka: 1,839 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
Quick answers
Is the Philippines bigger than Sri Lanka?
The Philippines is larger. Sri Lanka fits inside the Philippines 4.6 times.
Which has more people, the Philippines or Sri Lanka?
The Philippines has 5.4 times as many people as Sri Lanka (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, the Philippines or Sri Lanka?
People in Sri Lanka live 7.7 years longer than in the Philippines. Life expectancy at birth is 69.9 years in the Philippines and 77.7 in Sri Lanka.
Are people taller in the Philippines or Sri Lanka?
Men in Sri Lanka are 2.8 cm taller than in the Philippines (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
