Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
South Korea is 53% bigger than Sri Lanka.
South Korea: 100,450 km² (2023) · Sri Lanka: 65,610 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
South Korea’s coastline is 80% longer than Sri Lanka’s.
South Korea: 2,413 km (2026 edition) · Sri Lanka: 1,340 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Sri Lanka’s highest peak towers 574 m above South Korea’s.
South Korea: 1,950 m (2026 edition) · Sri Lanka: 2,524 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
South Korea has 2.4 times as many people as Sri Lanka.
South Korea: 51.7 million (2025) · Sri Lanka: 21.8 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
South Korea is 51% more densely populated than Sri Lanka.
South Korea: 530 per km² (2025) · Sri Lanka: 352 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in South Korea are 7.5 cm taller than in Sri Lanka.
South Korea: 175.5 cm (2019) · Sri Lanka: 168.1 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in South Korea are 7.3 cm taller than in Sri Lanka.
South Korea: 163.2 cm (2019) · Sri Lanka: 155.9 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in South Korea is 12 years older than in Sri Lanka.
South Korea: 44.5 years (2023) · Sri Lanka: 32.8 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Sri Lanka have 1.2 more children on average than in South Korea.
South Korea: 0.75 children per woman (2024) · Sri Lanka: 1.95 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
20% of people in South Korea are 65 or older, versus 12% in Sri Lanka.
South Korea: 20.3% (2025) · Sri Lanka: 12.5% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
South Korea has produced 0.6 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Sri Lanka 0.0.
South Korea: 0.6 (2025) · Sri Lanka: 0 (2025)
How many official languages?
Sri Lanka has 2 official languages, South Korea 1.
South Korea: 1 (2026) · Sri Lanka: 2 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
South Korea’s economy is 17 times the size of Sri Lanka’s.
South Korea: $1.87 trillion (2025) · Sri Lanka: $109 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
South Korea produces 3.7 times as much per person as Sri Lanka.
South Korea: Int$63,125 (2025) · Sri Lanka: Int$17,065 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Sri Lanka than in South Korea (Gini 4.8 points higher).
South Korea: 32.9 (2021) · Sri Lanka: 37.7 (2019)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 4.0% in Sri Lanka, versus 2.7% in South Korea.
South Korea: 2.7% (2025) · Sri Lanka: 4% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
South Korea spends 2.6% of its GDP on the military, Sri Lanka 1.4%.
South Korea: 2.6% (2024) · Sri Lanka: 1.4% (2024)
How expensive is it?
South Korea’s price level (US = 100) is 2× Sri Lanka’s.
South Korea: 57% (2025) · Sri Lanka: 29% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
South Korea spends 23 times as much on health per person as Sri Lanka.
South Korea: $3,137 (2024) · Sri Lanka: $134 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in South Korea live 6 years longer than in Sri Lanka.
South Korea: 83.6 years (2024) · Sri Lanka: 77.7 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Sri Lanka is 2.3 times as likely to die before turning one as in South Korea.
South Korea: 2.3 per 1,000 (2024) · Sri Lanka: 5.2 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
South Korea has 2.3 times as many doctors per person as Sri Lanka.
South Korea: 2.6 per 1,000 (2022) · Sri Lanka: 1.1 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is obesity?
11% of adults in Sri Lanka are obese, versus 7.5% in South Korea.
South Korea: 7.5% (2024) · Sri Lanka: 11.2% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
21% of adults in Sri Lanka smoke, versus 19% in South Korea.
South Korea: 18.6% (2024) · Sri Lanka: 20.7% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in South Korea rate their lives 2.03 points higher than in Sri Lanka.
South Korea: 6.04 (2025) · Sri Lanka: 4.01 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in South Korea drink 3.3 times as much alcohol as in Sri Lanka.
South Korea: 8.3 litres (2023) · Sri Lanka: 2.5 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
South Korea has 7.3 times as much meat per person as Sri Lanka.
South Korea: 84 kg (2023) · Sri Lanka: 11.6 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
South Korea has 755 kcal more food per person per day than Sri Lanka.
South Korea: 3,430 kcal (2023) · Sri Lanka: 2,675 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Sri Lanka put in 143 more hours a year than in South Korea.
South Korea: 1,910 hours (2023) · Sri Lanka: 2,053 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in South Korea went to school 2 years longer than in Sri Lanka.
South Korea: 12.7 years (2023) · Sri Lanka: 10.8 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
South Korea welcomed 9.7 times as many tourists per resident as Sri Lanka (2019).
South Korea: 0.32 (2024) · Sri Lanka: 0.03 (2022)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
98% of people in South Korea are online, versus 55% in Sri Lanka.
South Korea: 98% (2024) · Sri Lanka: 55% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
South Korea and Sri Lanka are practically level.
South Korea: 100% (2024) · Sri Lanka: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
81% of people in South Korea live in cities, versus 20% in Sri Lanka.
South Korea: 81% (2025) · Sri Lanka: 20% (2025)
How many phones per person?
South Korea has 173 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Sri Lanka 133.
South Korea: 173 (2024) · Sri Lanka: 133 (2024)
How much railway is there?
South Korea’s railway network is 2.8 times as long as Sri Lanka’s.
South Korea: 4,309 km (2021) · Sri Lanka: 1,562 km (2019)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from South Korea fly 8.3 times as many passengers per resident as those from Sri Lanka.
South Korea: 1.48 (2023) · Sri Lanka: 0.18 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 64% of South Korea, but only 34% of Sri Lanka.
South Korea: 64.1% (2023) · Sri Lanka: 34% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in South Korea emits 13 times as much CO₂ as someone in Sri Lanka.
South Korea: 11.3 t (2024) · Sri Lanka: 0.9 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
62% of Sri Lanka’s electricity is renewable, versus 10% in South Korea.
South Korea: 10.4% (2025) · Sri Lanka: 61.6% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in South Korea carries 1% more fine dust than in Sri Lanka.
South Korea: 21 µg/m³ (2024) · Sri Lanka: 20.7 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 6.9 times as likely to be murdered in Sri Lanka as in South Korea.
South Korea: 0.5 per 100k (2023) · Sri Lanka: 3.3 per 100k (2019)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Sri Lanka are 67% deadlier than in South Korea.
South Korea: 6.9 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 13.7 °C warmer than South Korea.
South Korea: 13.2°C (2016–2025 avg) · Sri Lanka: 26.8°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Sri Lanka gets 45% more rain than South Korea.
South Korea: 1,265 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Sri Lanka: 1,839 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is South Korea bigger than Sri Lanka?
South Korea is larger. South Korea is 53% bigger than Sri Lanka.
Which has more people, South Korea or Sri Lanka?
South Korea has 2.4 times as many people as Sri Lanka (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, South Korea or Sri Lanka?
People in South Korea live 6 years longer than in Sri Lanka. Life expectancy at birth is 83.6 years in South Korea and 77.7 in Sri Lanka.
Are people taller in South Korea or Sri Lanka?
Men in South Korea are 7.5 cm taller than in Sri Lanka (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
