Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Sri Lanka fits inside Tanzania 14 times
Sri Lanka: 65,610 km² (2024) · Tanzania: 945,500 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Tanzania’s coastline is 6% longer than Sri Lanka’s
Sri Lanka: 1,340 km (2026 edition) · Tanzania: 1,424 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Tanzania’s highest peak towers 3,371 m above Sri Lanka’s
Sri Lanka: 2,524 m (2026 edition) · Tanzania: 5,895 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 49% of Sri Lanka, versus 45% of Tanzania
Sri Lanka: 48.8% (2024) · Tanzania: 45.1% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Tanzania has 3.2 times as many people as Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: 21.8 million (2025) · Tanzania: 70.5 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Sri Lanka is 4.4 times as densely populated as Tanzania
Sri Lanka: 352 per km² (2025) · Tanzania: 80 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Sri Lanka are 1.1 cm taller than in Tanzania
Sri Lanka: 168.1 cm (2019) · Tanzania: 167 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Tanzania are 1.0 cm taller than in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: 155.9 cm (2019) · Tanzania: 156.9 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Sri Lanka is 16 years older than in Tanzania
Sri Lanka: 32.8 years (2023) · Tanzania: 17.2 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Tanzania have 2.6 more children on average than in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: 1.95 children per woman (2024) · Tanzania: 4.54 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
12% of people in Sri Lanka are 65 or older, versus 3.0% in Tanzania
Sri Lanka: 12.5% (2025) · Tanzania: 3% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Tanzania hosts 248 times as many refugees per resident as Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: 0.0098 per 1,000 (2025) · Tanzania: 2.4 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Sri Lanka and Tanzania are practically level
Sri Lanka: 0 (2026) · Tanzania: 0 (2026)
How many official languages?
Sri Lanka and Tanzania are practically level
Sri Lanka: 2 (2026) · Tanzania: 2 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Sri Lanka’s economy is 21% larger than Tanzania’s
Sri Lanka: $109 billion (2025) · Tanzania: $90.1 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Sri Lanka produces 3.8 times as much per person as Tanzania
Sri Lanka: Int$17,065 (2025) · Tanzania: Int$4,471 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Tanzania than in Sri Lanka (Gini 2.8 points higher)
Sri Lanka: 37.7 (2019) · Tanzania: 40.5 (2018)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
51% of people in Tanzania live on less than $3 a day, versus 2.7% in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: 2.7% (2019) · Tanzania: 51.3% (2018)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 4.0% in Sri Lanka, versus 1.6% in Tanzania
Sri Lanka: 4% (2025) · Tanzania: 1.6% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Sri Lanka and Tanzania are practically level
Sri Lanka: 1.3% (2025) · Tanzania: 1.2% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Tanzania’s central government collects 12% of GDP in tax, Sri Lanka’s 9.9%
Sri Lanka: 9.9% (2023) · Tanzania: 12.3% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Tanzania and Sri Lanka are nearly identical here
Sri Lanka: 29% (2025) · Tanzania: 29% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Sri Lanka spends 3.7 times as much on health per person as Tanzania
Sri Lanka: $134 (2023) · Tanzania: $36 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Sri Lanka live 10 years longer than in Tanzania
Sri Lanka: 77.7 years (2024) · Tanzania: 67.2 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Tanzania is 5.5 times as likely to die before turning one as in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: 5.2 per 1,000 (2024) · Tanzania: 28.7 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Sri Lanka has 8.5 times as many doctors per person as Tanzania
Sri Lanka: 1.1 per 1,000 (2023) · Tanzania: 0.1 per 1,000 (2022)
How many hospital beds are there?
Sri Lanka has 4.7 times as many hospital beds per person as Tanzania
Sri Lanka: 3.9 per 1,000 (2023) · Tanzania: 0.8 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Tanzania is 6% higher than in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: 14 per 100k (2023) · Tanzania: 14.9 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
11% of adults in Sri Lanka are obese, versus 10% in Tanzania
Sri Lanka: 11.2% (2024) · Tanzania: 10.5% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
21% of adults in Sri Lanka smoke, versus 7.7% in Tanzania
Sri Lanka: 20.7% (2024) · Tanzania: 7.7% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Sri Lanka rate their lives 0.11 points higher than in Tanzania
Sri Lanka: 4.01 (2025) · Tanzania: 3.90 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Sri Lanka drink 67% more alcohol than in Tanzania
Sri Lanka: 2.5 litres (2023) · Tanzania: 1.5 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Tanzania has 5% more meat per person than Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: 11.6 kg (2023) · Tanzania: 12.2 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Sri Lanka has 157 kcal more food per person per day than Tanzania
Sri Lanka: 2,675 kcal (2023) · Tanzania: 2,518 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Tanzania put in 76 more hours a year than in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: 2,053 hours (2023) · Tanzania: 2,129 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Sri Lanka went to school 4.7 years longer than in Tanzania
Sri Lanka: 10.8 years (2023) · Tanzania: 6.1 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Sri Lanka welcomed 44% more tourists per resident than Tanzania (2019)
Sri Lanka: 0.03 (2022) · Tanzania: 0.02 (2022)
How many World Heritage sites?
Sri Lanka has 1 more World Heritage site than Tanzania (8 against 7)
Sri Lanka: 8 (2026) · Tanzania: 7 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Sri Lanka and Tanzania are practically level
Sri Lanka: 2 (2026 edition) · Tanzania: 2 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
55% of people in Sri Lanka are online, versus 31% in Tanzania
Sri Lanka: 55% (2024) · Tanzania: 31% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in Sri Lanka is 11% faster than in Tanzania
Sri Lanka: 63 Mbps (2026) · Tanzania: 56 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in Sri Lanka have electricity, versus 52% in Tanzania
Sri Lanka: 100% (2024) · Tanzania: 52.4% (2024)
How many live in cities?
37% of people in Tanzania live in cities, versus 20% in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: 20% (2025) · Tanzania: 37% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Sri Lanka has 133 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Tanzania 127
Sri Lanka: 133 (2024) · Tanzania: 127 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Tanzania’s railway network is 73% longer than Sri Lanka’s
Sri Lanka: 1,562 km (2019) · Tanzania: 2,701 km (2017)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Sri Lanka fly 6.6 times as many passengers per resident as those from Tanzania
Sri Lanka: 0.18 (2023) · Tanzania: 0.03 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 50% of Tanzania, but only 34% of Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: 34.4% (2024) · Tanzania: 49.6% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Sri Lanka emits 3.1 times as much CO₂ as someone in Tanzania
Sri Lanka: 0.9 t (2024) · Tanzania: 0.3 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
62% of Sri Lanka’s electricity is renewable, versus 33% in Tanzania
Sri Lanka: 61.6% (2025) · Tanzania: 32.9% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in Tanzania carries 19% more fine dust than in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: 20.7 µg/m³ (2024) · Tanzania: 24.6 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 13% more likely to be murdered in Tanzania than in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: 3.3 per 100k (2019) · Tanzania: 3.7 per 100k (2020)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Sri Lanka are 5% deadlier than in Tanzania
Sri Lanka: 21.1 per 100k (2023) · Tanzania: 20.1 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Sri Lanka is on average 3.7 °C warmer than Tanzania
Sri Lanka: 26.8°C (2016–2025 avg) · Tanzania: 23.1°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Sri Lanka gets 67% more rain than Tanzania
Sri Lanka: 1,839 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Tanzania: 1,102 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
Quick answers
Is Sri Lanka bigger than Tanzania?
Tanzania is larger. Sri Lanka fits inside Tanzania 14 times.
Which has more people, Sri Lanka or Tanzania?
Tanzania has 3.2 times as many people as Sri Lanka (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Sri Lanka or Tanzania?
People in Sri Lanka live 10 years longer than in Tanzania. Life expectancy at birth is 77.7 years in Sri Lanka and 67.2 in Tanzania.
Are people taller in Sri Lanka or Tanzania?
Men in Sri Lanka are 1.1 cm taller than in Tanzania (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
