Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Sri Lanka fits inside Poland 4.8 times.
Poland: 313,930 km² (2023) · Sri Lanka: 65,610 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Sri Lanka’s coastline is 3 times as long as Poland’s.
Poland: 440 km (2026 edition) · Sri Lanka: 1,340 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Sri Lanka’s highest peak towers 25 m above Poland’s.
Poland: 2,499 m (2026 edition) · Sri Lanka: 2,524 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Poland has 67% more people than Sri Lanka.
Poland: 36.4 million (2025) · Sri Lanka: 21.8 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Sri Lanka is 3 times as densely populated as Poland.
Poland: 119 per km² (2025) · Sri Lanka: 352 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Poland are 12.6 cm taller than in Sri Lanka.
Poland: 180.7 cm (2019) · Sri Lanka: 168.1 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Poland are 9.9 cm taller than in Sri Lanka.
Poland: 165.8 cm (2019) · Sri Lanka: 155.9 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Poland is 8.5 years older than in Sri Lanka.
Poland: 41.3 years (2023) · Sri Lanka: 32.8 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Sri Lanka have 0.8 more children on average than in Poland.
Poland: 1.14 children per woman (2024) · Sri Lanka: 1.95 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
21% of people in Poland are 65 or older, versus 12% in Sri Lanka.
Poland: 20.8% (2025) · Sri Lanka: 12.5% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Poland has produced 7.7 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Sri Lanka 0.0.
Poland: 7.7 (2025) · Sri Lanka: 0 (2025)
How many official languages?
Sri Lanka has 2 official languages, Poland 1.
Poland: 1 (2026) · Sri Lanka: 2 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Poland’s economy is 9.5 times the size of Sri Lanka’s.
Poland: $1.04 trillion (2025) · Sri Lanka: $109 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Poland produces 3.2 times as much per person as Sri Lanka.
Poland: Int$54,262 (2025) · Sri Lanka: Int$17,065 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Sri Lanka than in Poland (Gini 9.2 points higher).
Poland: 28.5 (2023) · Sri Lanka: 37.7 (2019)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 4.0% in Sri Lanka, versus 3.0% in Poland.
Poland: 3% (2025) · Sri Lanka: 4% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Poland spends 4.2% of its GDP on the military, Sri Lanka 1.4%.
Poland: 4.2% (2024) · Sri Lanka: 1.4% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Poland’s price level (US = 100) is 1.8× Sri Lanka’s.
Poland: 52% (2025) · Sri Lanka: 29% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Poland spends 15 times as much on health per person as Sri Lanka.
Poland: $2,014 (2024) · Sri Lanka: $134 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Poland live 0.74 years longer than in Sri Lanka.
Poland: 78.4 years (2024) · Sri Lanka: 77.7 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Sri Lanka is 44% more likely to die before turning one than in Poland.
Poland: 3.6 per 1,000 (2024) · Sri Lanka: 5.2 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Poland has 3.5 times as many doctors per person as Sri Lanka.
Poland: 4 per 1,000 (2023) · Sri Lanka: 1.1 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is obesity?
26% of adults in Poland are obese, versus 11% in Sri Lanka.
Poland: 25.9% (2024) · Sri Lanka: 11.2% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
22% of adults in Poland smoke, versus 21% in Sri Lanka.
Poland: 21.7% (2024) · Sri Lanka: 20.7% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Poland rate their lives 2.75 points higher than in Sri Lanka.
Poland: 6.77 (2025) · Sri Lanka: 4.01 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Poland drink 4.6 times as much alcohol as in Sri Lanka.
Poland: 11.5 litres (2023) · Sri Lanka: 2.5 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Poland has 7.2 times as much meat per person as Sri Lanka.
Poland: 83.3 kg (2023) · Sri Lanka: 11.6 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Poland has 1,055 kcal more food per person per day than Sri Lanka.
Poland: 3,730 kcal (2023) · Sri Lanka: 2,675 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Sri Lanka put in 246 more hours a year than in Poland.
Poland: 1,807 hours (2023) · Sri Lanka: 2,053 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Poland went to school 2.4 years longer than in Sri Lanka.
Poland: 13.2 years (2023) · Sri Lanka: 10.8 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Poland welcomed 17 times as many tourists per resident as Sri Lanka (2019).
Poland: 0.54 (2024) · Sri Lanka: 0.03 (2022)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
89% of people in Poland are online, versus 55% in Sri Lanka.
Poland: 89% (2024) · Sri Lanka: 55% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
Poland and Sri Lanka are practically level.
Poland: 100% (2024) · Sri Lanka: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
60% of people in Poland live in cities, versus 20% in Sri Lanka.
Poland: 60% (2025) · Sri Lanka: 20% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Poland has 138 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Sri Lanka 133.
Poland: 138 (2024) · Sri Lanka: 133 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Poland’s railway network is 12 times as long as Sri Lanka’s.
Poland: 18,620 km (2021) · Sri Lanka: 1,562 km (2019)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Poland fly 36% more passengers per resident than those from Sri Lanka.
Poland: 0.24 (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 31% of Poland.
Poland: 31.1% (2023) · Sri Lanka: 34% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Poland emits 7.9 times as much CO₂ as someone in Sri Lanka.
Poland: 7.1 t (2024) · Sri Lanka: 0.9 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
62% of Sri Lanka’s electricity is renewable, versus 32% in Poland.
Poland: 31.5% (2025) · Sri Lanka: 61.6% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Sri Lanka carries 33% more fine dust than in Poland.
Poland: 15.6 µg/m³ (2024) · Sri Lanka: 20.7 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 4.1 times as likely to be murdered in Sri Lanka as in Poland.
Poland: 0.8 per 100k (2023) · Sri Lanka: 3.3 per 100k (2019)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Sri Lanka are 77% deadlier than in Poland.
Poland: 6.5 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 17.1 °C warmer than Poland.
Poland: 9.7°C (2016–2025 avg) · Sri Lanka: 26.8°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Sri Lanka gets 2.4 times as much rain as Poland.
Poland: 763 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Sri Lanka: 1,839 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Poland bigger than Sri Lanka?
Poland is larger. Sri Lanka fits inside Poland 4.8 times.
Which has more people, Poland or Sri Lanka?
Poland has 67% more people than Sri Lanka (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Poland or Sri Lanka?
People in Poland live 0.74 years longer than in Sri Lanka. Life expectancy at birth is 78.4 years in Poland and 77.7 in Sri Lanka.
Are people taller in Poland or Sri Lanka?
Men in Poland are 12.6 cm taller than in Sri Lanka (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
