Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Sri Lanka fits inside South Africa 19 times.
South Africa: 1,219,090 km² (2023) · Sri Lanka: 65,610 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
South Africa’s coastline is 2.1 times as long as Sri Lanka’s.
South Africa: 2,798 km (2026 edition) · Sri Lanka: 1,340 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
South Africa’s highest peak towers 926 m above Sri Lanka’s.
South Africa: 3,450 m (2026 edition) · Sri Lanka: 2,524 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
South Africa has 3 times as many people as Sri Lanka.
South Africa: 64.7 million (2025) · Sri Lanka: 21.8 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Sri Lanka is 6.6 times as densely populated as South Africa.
South Africa: 53 per km² (2025) · Sri Lanka: 352 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in South Africa are 1.6 cm taller than in Sri Lanka.
South Africa: 169.6 cm (2019) · Sri Lanka: 168.1 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in South Africa are 2.7 cm taller than in Sri Lanka.
South Africa: 158.6 cm (2019) · Sri Lanka: 155.9 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Sri Lanka is 4.6 years older than in South Africa.
South Africa: 28.2 years (2023) · Sri Lanka: 32.8 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in South Africa have 0.3 more children on average than in Sri Lanka.
South Africa: 2.21 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 6.9% in South Africa.
South Africa: 6.9% (2025) · Sri Lanka: 12.5% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
South Africa has produced 1.4 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Sri Lanka 0.0.
South Africa: 1.4 (2025) · Sri Lanka: 0 (2025)
How many official languages?
South Africa has 11 official languages, Sri Lanka 2.
South Africa: 11 (2026) · Sri Lanka: 2 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
South Africa’s economy is 3.9 times the size of Sri Lanka’s.
South Africa: $427 billion (2025) · Sri Lanka: $109 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Sri Lanka produces 7% more per person than South Africa.
South Africa: Int$15,906 (2025) · Sri Lanka: Int$17,065 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in South Africa than in Sri Lanka (Gini 16.4 points higher).
South Africa: 54.1 (2022) · Sri Lanka: 37.7 (2019)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 32% in South Africa, versus 4.0% in Sri Lanka.
South Africa: 32.4% (2025) · Sri Lanka: 4% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Sri Lanka spends 1.4% of its GDP on the military, South Africa 0.7%.
South Africa: 0.7% (2024) · Sri Lanka: 1.4% (2024)
How expensive is it?
South Africa’s price level (US = 100) is 1.4× Sri Lanka’s.
South Africa: 41% (2025) · Sri Lanka: 29% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
South Africa spends 4 times as much on health per person as Sri Lanka.
South Africa: $537 (2023) · Sri Lanka: $134 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Sri Lanka live 11 years longer than in South Africa.
South Africa: 66.3 years (2024) · Sri Lanka: 77.7 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in South Africa is 4.7 times as likely to die before turning one as in Sri Lanka.
South Africa: 24.2 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 South Africa.
South Africa: 0.8 per 1,000 (2022) · Sri Lanka: 1.1 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is obesity?
31% of adults in South Africa are obese, versus 11% in Sri Lanka.
South Africa: 31.3% (2024) · Sri Lanka: 11.2% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
24% of adults in South Africa smoke, versus 21% in Sri Lanka.
South Africa: 23.7% (2024) · Sri Lanka: 20.7% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in South Africa rate their lives 1.00 points higher than in Sri Lanka.
South Africa: 5.01 (2025) · Sri Lanka: 4.01 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in South Africa drink 3.5 times as much alcohol as in Sri Lanka.
South Africa: 8.6 litres (2023) · Sri Lanka: 2.5 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
South Africa has 5 times as much meat per person as Sri Lanka.
South Africa: 58.3 kg (2023) · Sri Lanka: 11.6 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
South Africa has 19 kcal more food per person per day than Sri Lanka.
South Africa: 2,694 kcal (2023) · Sri Lanka: 2,675 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in South Africa put in 128 more hours a year than in Sri Lanka.
South Africa: 2,181 hours (2023) · Sri Lanka: 2,053 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in South Africa went to school 0.84 years longer than in Sri Lanka.
South Africa: 11.6 years (2023) · Sri Lanka: 10.8 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
South Africa welcomed 4.3 times as many tourists per resident as Sri Lanka (2019).
South Africa: 0.14 (2024) · Sri Lanka: 0.03 (2022)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
78% of people in South Africa are online, versus 55% in Sri Lanka.
South Africa: 78% (2024) · Sri Lanka: 55% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in Sri Lanka have electricity, versus 90% in South Africa.
South Africa: 90.2% (2024) · Sri Lanka: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
64% of people in South Africa live in cities, versus 20% in Sri Lanka.
South Africa: 64% (2025) · Sri Lanka: 20% (2025)
How many phones per person?
South Africa has 179 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Sri Lanka 133.
South Africa: 179 (2024) · Sri Lanka: 133 (2024)
How much railway is there?
South Africa’s railway network is 13 times as long as Sri Lanka’s.
South Africa: 20,953 km (2021) · Sri Lanka: 1,562 km (2019)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from South Africa fly 34% more passengers per resident than those from Sri Lanka.
South Africa: 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 14% of South Africa.
South Africa: 14% (2023) · Sri Lanka: 34% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in South Africa emits 7.6 times as much CO₂ as someone in Sri Lanka.
South Africa: 6.9 t (2024) · Sri Lanka: 0.9 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
62% of Sri Lanka’s electricity is renewable, versus 14% in South Africa.
South Africa: 13.6% (2025) · Sri Lanka: 61.6% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in South Africa carries 18% more fine dust than in Sri Lanka.
South Africa: 24.4 µg/m³ (2024) · Sri Lanka: 20.7 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 13 times as likely to be murdered in South Africa as in Sri Lanka.
South Africa: 43.7 per 100k (2022) · Sri Lanka: 3.3 per 100k (2019)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in South Africa are 2.1 times as deadly as in Sri Lanka.
South Africa: 24.5 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 8.4 °C warmer than South Africa.
South Africa: 18.4°C (2016–2025 avg) · Sri Lanka: 26.8°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Sri Lanka gets 3.6 times as much rain as South Africa.
South Africa: 511 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Sri Lanka: 1,839 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is South Africa bigger than Sri Lanka?
South Africa is larger. Sri Lanka fits inside South Africa 19 times.
Which has more people, South Africa or Sri Lanka?
South Africa has 3 times as many people as Sri Lanka (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, South Africa or Sri Lanka?
People in Sri Lanka live 11 years longer than in South Africa. Life expectancy at birth is 66.3 years in South Africa and 77.7 in Sri Lanka.
Are people taller in South Africa or Sri Lanka?
Men in South Africa are 1.6 cm taller than in Sri Lanka (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
