Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Sri Lanka fits inside Spain 7.7 times
Spain: 505,981 km² (2024) · Sri Lanka: 65,610 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Spain’s coastline is 3.7 times as long as Sri Lanka’s
Spain: 4,964 km (2026 edition) · Sri Lanka: 1,340 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Spain’s highest peak towers 1,194 m above Sri Lanka’s
Spain: 3,718 m (2026 edition) · Sri Lanka: 2,524 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 49% of Spain, versus 49% of Sri Lanka
Spain: 49.3% (2024) · Sri Lanka: 48.8% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Spain has 2.3 times as many people as Sri Lanka
Spain: 49.4 million (2025) · Sri Lanka: 21.8 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Sri Lanka is 3.6 times as densely populated as Spain
Spain: 99 per km² (2025) · Sri Lanka: 352 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Spain are 8.0 cm taller than in Sri Lanka
Spain: 176.1 cm (2019) · Sri Lanka: 168.1 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Spain are 6.2 cm taller than in Sri Lanka
Spain: 162 cm (2019) · Sri Lanka: 155.9 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Spain is 12 years older than in Sri Lanka
Spain: 44.9 years (2023) · Sri Lanka: 32.8 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Sri Lanka have 0.9 more children on average than in Spain
Spain: 1.1 children per woman (2024) · Sri Lanka: 1.95 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
22% of people in Spain are 65 or older, versus 12% in Sri Lanka
Spain: 21.6% (2025) · Sri Lanka: 12.5% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Spain hosts 1,058 times as many refugees per resident as Sri Lanka
Spain: 10.4 per 1,000 (2025) · Sri Lanka: 0.0098 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Spain has produced 1.4 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Sri Lanka none
Spain: 1.4 (2026) · Sri Lanka: 0 (2026)
How many official languages?
Sri Lanka has 2 official languages, Spain 1
Spain: 1 (2026) · Sri Lanka: 2 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Spain’s economy is 18 times the size of Sri Lanka’s
Spain: $1.91 trillion (2025) · Sri Lanka: $109 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Spain produces 3.5 times as much per person as Sri Lanka
Spain: Int$59,868 (2025) · Sri Lanka: Int$17,065 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Sri Lanka than in Spain (Gini 4.3 points higher)
Spain: 33.4 (2023) · Sri Lanka: 37.7 (2019)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
2.7% of people in Sri Lanka live on less than $3 a day, versus 0.8% in Spain
Spain: 0.8% (2023) · Sri Lanka: 2.7% (2019)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 10% in Spain, versus 4.0% in Sri Lanka
Spain: 10.4% (2025) · Sri Lanka: 4% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Spain spends 2.1% of its GDP on the military, Sri Lanka 1.3%
Spain: 2.1% (2025) · Sri Lanka: 1.3% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Spain’s central government collects 15% of GDP in tax, Sri Lanka’s 9.9%
Spain: 14.9% (2024) · Sri Lanka: 9.9% (2023)
How expensive is it?
Spain’s price level (US = 100) is 2.2× Sri Lanka’s
Spain: 65% (2025) · Sri Lanka: 29% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Spain spends 23 times as much on health per person as Sri Lanka
Spain: $3,107 (2023) · Sri Lanka: $134 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Spain live 6.2 years longer than in Sri Lanka
Spain: 83.9 years (2024) · Sri Lanka: 77.7 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Sri Lanka is 2 times as likely to die before turning one as in Spain
Spain: 2.6 per 1,000 (2024) · Sri Lanka: 5.2 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Spain has 3.8 times as many doctors per person as Sri Lanka
Spain: 4.3 per 1,000 (2022) · Sri Lanka: 1.1 per 1,000 (2023)
How many hospital beds are there?
Sri Lanka has 35% more hospital beds per person than Spain
Spain: 2.9 per 1,000 (2023) · Sri Lanka: 3.9 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Sri Lanka is 2 times that in Spain
Spain: 7.1 per 100k (2023) · Sri Lanka: 14 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
19% of adults in Spain are obese, versus 11% in Sri Lanka
Spain: 18.9% (2024) · Sri Lanka: 11.2% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
28% of adults in Spain smoke, versus 21% in Sri Lanka
Spain: 27.6% (2024) · Sri Lanka: 20.7% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Spain rate their lives 2.53 points higher than in Sri Lanka
Spain: 6.54 (2025) · Sri Lanka: 4.01 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Spain drink 4.8 times as much alcohol as in Sri Lanka
Spain: 12.1 litres (2023) · Sri Lanka: 2.5 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Spain has 8.7 times as much meat per person as Sri Lanka
Spain: 100.8 kg (2023) · Sri Lanka: 11.6 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Spain has 702 kcal more food per person per day than Sri Lanka
Spain: 3,377 kcal (2023) · Sri Lanka: 2,675 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Sri Lanka put in 415 more hours a year than in Spain
Spain: 1,638 hours (2023) · Sri Lanka: 2,053 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Sri Lanka and Spain are practically level
Spain: 10.8 years (2023) · Sri Lanka: 10.8 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Spain welcomed 59 times as many tourists per resident as Sri Lanka (2019)
Spain: 1.92 (2024) · Sri Lanka: 0.03 (2022)
How many World Heritage sites?
Spain has 42 more World Heritage sites than Sri Lanka (50 against 8)
Spain: 50 (2026) · Sri Lanka: 8 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Spain has won 195 Olympic medals, Sri Lanka 2
Spain: 195 (2026 edition) · Sri Lanka: 2 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
96% of people in Spain are online, versus 55% in Sri Lanka
Spain: 96% (2024) · Sri Lanka: 55% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in Spain is 5.2 times as fast as in Sri Lanka
Spain: 324 Mbps (2026) · Sri Lanka: 63 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
Spain and Sri Lanka are practically level
Spain: 100% (2024) · Sri Lanka: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
81% of people in Spain live in cities, versus 20% in Sri Lanka
Spain: 81% (2025) · Sri Lanka: 20% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Sri Lanka has 133 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Spain 130
Spain: 130 (2024) · Sri Lanka: 133 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Spain’s railway network is 10 times as long as Sri Lanka’s
Spain: 15,963 km (2021) · Sri Lanka: 1,562 km (2019)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Spain fly 11 times as many passengers per resident as those from Sri Lanka
Spain: 1.91 (2023) · Sri Lanka: 0.18 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 38% of Spain, but only 34% of Sri Lanka
Spain: 38.2% (2024) · Sri Lanka: 34.4% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Spain emits 5.1 times as much CO₂ as someone in Sri Lanka
Spain: 4.6 t (2024) · Sri Lanka: 0.9 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
62% of Sri Lanka’s electricity is renewable, versus 56% in Spain
Spain: 55.9% (2025) · Sri Lanka: 61.6% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Sri Lanka carries 2.1 times as much fine dust as in Spain
Spain: 10 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 Sri Lanka as in Spain
Spain: 0.7 per 100k (2023) · Sri Lanka: 3.3 per 100k (2019)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Sri Lanka are 3.4 times as deadly as in Spain
Spain: 6.2 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 12.0 °C warmer than Spain
Spain: 14.8°C (2016–2025 avg) · Sri Lanka: 26.8°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Sri Lanka gets 2.8 times as much rain as Spain
Spain: 665 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 Spain bigger than Sri Lanka?
Spain is larger. Sri Lanka fits inside Spain 7.7 times.
Which has more people, Spain or Sri Lanka?
Spain has 2.3 times as many people as Sri Lanka (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Spain or Sri Lanka?
People in Spain live 6.2 years longer than in Sri Lanka. Life expectancy at birth is 83.9 years in Spain and 77.7 in Sri Lanka.
Are people taller in Spain or Sri Lanka?
Men in Spain are 8.0 cm taller than in Sri Lanka (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
