Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Sri Lanka fits inside Sudan 29 times
Sri Lanka: 65,610 km² (2024) · Sudan: 1,878,000 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Sri Lanka’s coastline is 57% longer than Sudan’s
Sri Lanka: 1,340 km (2026 edition) · Sudan: 853 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Sudan’s highest peak towers 518 m above Sri Lanka’s
Sri Lanka: 2,524 m (2026 edition) · Sudan: 3,042 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 60% of Sudan, versus 49% of Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: 48.8% (2024) · Sudan: 60.3% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Sudan has 2.4 times as many people as Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: 21.8 million (2025) · Sudan: 51.7 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Sri Lanka is 13 times as densely populated as Sudan
Sri Lanka: 352 per km² (2025) · Sudan: 28 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Sudan are 4.0 cm taller than in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: 168.1 cm (2019) · Sudan: 172.1 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Sudan are 4.5 cm taller than in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: 155.9 cm (2019) · Sudan: 160.4 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Sri Lanka is 15 years older than in Sudan
Sri Lanka: 32.8 years (2023) · Sudan: 18.3 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Sudan have 2.3 more children on average than in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: 1.95 children per woman (2024) · Sudan: 4.26 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
12% of people in Sri Lanka are 65 or older, versus 3.4% in Sudan
Sri Lanka: 12.5% (2025) · Sudan: 3.4% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Sudan hosts 1,601 times as many refugees per resident as Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: 0.0098 per 1,000 (2025) · Sudan: 15.7 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Sri Lanka and Sudan are practically level
Sri Lanka: 0 (2026) · Sudan: 0 (2026)
How many official languages?
Sri Lanka and Sudan are practically level
Sri Lanka: 2 (2026) · Sudan: 2 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Sri Lanka’s economy is 81% larger than Sudan’s
Sri Lanka: $109 billion (2025) · Sudan: $60.2 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Sri Lanka produces 7.8 times as much per person as Sudan
Sri Lanka: Int$17,065 (2025) · Sudan: Int$2,192 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Sri Lanka than in Sudan (Gini 3.5 points higher)
Sri Lanka: 37.7 (2019) · Sudan: 34.2 (2014)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
Sri Lanka: 2.7% (2019) · Sudan: no data
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 7.5% in Sudan, versus 4.0% in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: 4% (2025) · Sudan: 7.5% (2022)
How much goes to the military?
Sri Lanka and Sudan are practically level
Sri Lanka: 1.3% (2025) · Sudan: 0.9% (2021)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Sri Lanka’s central government collects 9.9% of GDP in tax, Sudan’s 7.4%
Sri Lanka: 9.9% (2023) · Sudan: 7.4% (2016)
How expensive is it?
Sudan’s price level (US = 100) is 1.8× Sri Lanka’s
Sri Lanka: 29% (2025) · Sudan: 53% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Sri Lanka spends 6.4 times as much on health per person as Sudan
Sri Lanka: $134 (2023) · Sudan: $21 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Sri Lanka live 11 years longer than in Sudan
Sri Lanka: 77.7 years (2024) · Sudan: 66.5 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Sudan is 8.3 times as likely to die before turning one as in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: 5.2 per 1,000 (2024) · Sudan: 42.9 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Sri Lanka has 4.5 times as many doctors per person as Sudan
Sri Lanka: 1.1 per 1,000 (2023) · Sudan: 0.3 per 1,000 (2017)
How many hospital beds are there?
Sri Lanka has 6 times as many hospital beds per person as Sudan
Sri Lanka: 3.9 per 1,000 (2023) · Sudan: 0.7 per 1,000 (2021)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Sri Lanka is 3.8 times that in Sudan
Sri Lanka: 14 per 100k (2023) · Sudan: 3.7 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
16% of adults in Sudan are obese, versus 11% in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: 11.2% (2024) · Sudan: 16.1% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
Sri Lanka: 20.7% (2024) · Sudan: no data
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Sudan rate their lives 0.13 points higher than in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: 4.01 (2025) · Sudan: 4.14 (2017)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Sri Lanka drink 78% more alcohol than in Sudan
Sri Lanka: 2.5 litres (2023) · Sudan: 1.4 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Sudan has 59% more meat per person than Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: 11.6 kg (2023) · Sudan: 18.4 kg (2022)
How much food is there per day?
Sri Lanka has 162 kcal more food per person per day than Sudan
Sri Lanka: 2,675 kcal (2023) · Sudan: 2,513 kcal (2022)
How long do people work?
Workers in Sudan put in 605 more hours a year than in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: 2,053 hours (2023) · Sudan: 2,658 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Sri Lanka went to school 6.8 years longer than in Sudan
Sri Lanka: 10.8 years (2023) · Sudan: 4 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Sri Lanka welcomed 72% more tourists per resident than Sudan (2019)
Sri Lanka: 0.03 (2022) · Sudan: 0.02 (2018)
How many World Heritage sites?
Sri Lanka has 5 more World Heritage sites than Sudan (8 against 3)
Sri Lanka: 8 (2026) · Sudan: 3 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Sri Lanka has won 2 Olympic medals, Sudan 1
Sri Lanka: 2 (2026 edition) · Sudan: 1 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
55% of people in Sri Lanka are online, versus 19% in Sudan
Sri Lanka: 55% (2024) · Sudan: 19% (2017)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in Sudan is 26% faster than in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: 63 Mbps (2026) · Sudan: 79 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in Sri Lanka have electricity, versus 66% in Sudan
Sri Lanka: 100% (2024) · Sudan: 66% (2024)
How many live in cities?
35% of people in Sudan live in cities, versus 20% in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: 20% (2025) · Sudan: 35% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Sri Lanka has 133 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Sudan 70
Sri Lanka: 133 (2024) · Sudan: 70 (2022)
How much railway is there?
Sudan’s railway network is 76% longer than Sri Lanka’s
Sri Lanka: 1,562 km (2019) · Sudan: 2,747 km (2020)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Sri Lanka fly 10 times as many passengers per resident as those from Sudan
Sri Lanka: 0.18 (2023) · Sudan: 0.02 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 34% of Sri Lanka, but only 12% of Sudan
Sri Lanka: 34.4% (2024) · Sudan: 11.9% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Sri Lanka emits 2.6 times as much CO₂ as someone in Sudan
Sri Lanka: 0.9 t (2024) · Sudan: 0.4 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
80% of Sudan’s electricity is renewable, versus 62% in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: 61.6% (2025) · Sudan: 79.7% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in Sudan carries 39% more fine dust than in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: 20.7 µg/m³ (2024) · Sudan: 28.8 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
Sri Lanka: 3.3 per 100k (2019) · Sudan: no data
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Sudan are 34% deadlier than in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: 21.1 per 100k (2023) · Sudan: 28.2 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Sudan is on average 0.8 °C warmer than Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: 26.8°C (2016–2025 avg) · Sudan: 27.7°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Sri Lanka gets 11 times as much rain as Sudan
Sri Lanka: 1,839 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Sudan: 171 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
Quick answers
Is Sri Lanka bigger than Sudan?
Sudan is larger. Sri Lanka fits inside Sudan 29 times.
Which has more people, Sri Lanka or Sudan?
Sudan has 2.4 times as many people as Sri Lanka (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Sri Lanka or Sudan?
People in Sri Lanka live 11 years longer than in Sudan. Life expectancy at birth is 77.7 years in Sri Lanka and 66.5 in Sudan.
Are people taller in Sri Lanka or Sudan?
Men in Sudan are 4.0 cm taller than in Sri Lanka (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
