Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Sri Lanka fits inside Thailand 7.8 times.
Sri Lanka: 65,610 km² (2023) · Thailand: 513,115 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Thailand’s coastline is 2.4 times as long as Sri Lanka’s.
Sri Lanka: 1,340 km (2026 edition) · Thailand: 3,219 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Thailand’s highest peak towers 41 m above Sri Lanka’s.
Sri Lanka: 2,524 m (2026 edition) · Thailand: 2,565 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Thailand has 3.3 times as many people as Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka: 21.8 million (2025) · Thailand: 71.6 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Sri Lanka is 2.5 times as densely populated as Thailand.
Sri Lanka: 352 per km² (2025) · Thailand: 140 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Thailand are 3.5 cm taller than in Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka: 168.1 cm (2019) · Thailand: 171.6 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Thailand are 3.5 cm taller than in Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka: 155.9 cm (2019) · Thailand: 159.4 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Thailand is 6.8 years older than in Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka: 32.8 years (2023) · Thailand: 39.7 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Sri Lanka have 0.7 more children on average than in Thailand.
Sri Lanka: 1.95 children per woman (2024) · Thailand: 1.2 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
16% of people in Thailand are 65 or older, versus 12% in Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka: 12.5% (2025) · Thailand: 16% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Sri Lanka and Thailand are practically level.
Sri Lanka: 0 (2025) · Thailand: 0 (2025)
How many official languages?
Sri Lanka has 2 official languages, Thailand 1.
Sri Lanka: 2 (2026) · Thailand: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Thailand’s economy is 5.3 times the size of Sri Lanka’s.
Sri Lanka: $109 billion (2025) · Thailand: $577 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Thailand produces 54% more per person than Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka: Int$17,065 (2025) · Thailand: Int$26,250 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Sri Lanka than in Thailand (Gini 4.4 points higher).
Sri Lanka: 37.7 (2019) · Thailand: 33.3 (2024)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 4.0% in Sri Lanka, versus 0.8% in Thailand.
Sri Lanka: 4% (2025) · Thailand: 0.8% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Sri Lanka and Thailand are practically level.
Sri Lanka: 1.4% (2024) · Thailand: 1.1% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Thailand’s price level (US = 100) is 1× Sri Lanka’s.
Sri Lanka: 29% (2025) · Thailand: 31% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Thailand spends 2.4 times as much on health per person as Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka: $134 (2023) · Thailand: $327 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Sri Lanka live 1.1 years longer than in Thailand.
Sri Lanka: 77.7 years (2024) · Thailand: 76.6 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Thailand is 48% more likely to die before turning one than in Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka: 5.2 per 1,000 (2024) · Thailand: 7.7 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Sri Lanka has 2.1 times as many doctors per person as Thailand.
Sri Lanka: 1.1 per 1,000 (2023) · Thailand: 0.5 per 1,000 (2021)
How common is obesity?
16% of adults in Thailand are obese, versus 11% in Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka: 11.2% (2024) · Thailand: 15.5% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
21% of adults in Sri Lanka smoke, versus 18% in Thailand.
Sri Lanka: 20.7% (2024) · Thailand: 17.8% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Thailand rate their lives 2.28 points higher than in Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka: 4.01 (2025) · Thailand: 6.30 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Thailand drink 3.2 times as much alcohol as in Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka: 2.5 litres (2023) · Thailand: 7.9 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Thailand has 2.1 times as much meat per person as Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka: 11.6 kg (2023) · Thailand: 24.5 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Thailand has 180 kcal more food per person per day than Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka: 2,675 kcal (2023) · Thailand: 2,855 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Thailand put in 124 more hours a year than in Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka: 2,053 hours (2023) · Thailand: 2,177 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Sri Lanka went to school 1.7 years longer than in Thailand.
Sri Lanka: 10.8 years (2023) · Thailand: 9 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Thailand welcomed 17 times as many tourists per resident as Sri Lanka (2019).
Sri Lanka: 0.03 (2022) · Thailand: 0.56 (2019)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
91% of people in Thailand are online, versus 55% in Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka: 55% (2024) · Thailand: 91% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
Sri Lanka and Thailand are practically level.
Sri Lanka: 100% (2024) · Thailand: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
63% of people in Thailand live in cities, versus 20% in Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka: 20% (2025) · Thailand: 63% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Thailand has 161 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Sri Lanka 133.
Sri Lanka: 133 (2024) · Thailand: 161 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Thailand’s railway network is 2.6 times as long as Sri Lanka’s.
Sri Lanka: 1,562 km (2019) · Thailand: 4,092 km (2017)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Thailand fly 4.1 times as many passengers per resident as those from Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka: 0.18 (2023) · Thailand: 0.72 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 39% of Thailand, but only 34% of Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka: 34% (2023) · Thailand: 38.7% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Thailand emits 4.1 times as much CO₂ as someone in Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka: 0.9 t (2024) · Thailand: 3.7 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
62% of Sri Lanka’s electricity is renewable, versus 17% in Thailand.
Sri Lanka: 61.6% (2025) · Thailand: 16.6% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Thailand carries 13% more fine dust than in Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka: 20.7 µg/m³ (2024) · Thailand: 23.3 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
Sri Lanka: 3.3 per 100k (2019) · Thailand: no data
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Thailand are 2.2 times as deadly as in Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka: 11.5 per 100k (2021) · Thailand: 25.4 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Sri Lanka and Thailand are practically level.
Sri Lanka: 26.8°C (2016–2025 avg) · Thailand: 26.8°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Sri Lanka gets 11% more rain than Thailand.
Sri Lanka: 1,839 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Thailand: 1,657 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Sri Lanka bigger than Thailand?
Thailand is larger. Sri Lanka fits inside Thailand 7.8 times.
Which has more people, Sri Lanka or Thailand?
Thailand has 3.3 times as many people as Sri Lanka (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Sri Lanka or Thailand?
People in Sri Lanka live 1.1 years longer than in Thailand. Life expectancy at birth is 77.7 years in Sri Lanka and 76.6 in Thailand.
Are people taller in Sri Lanka or Thailand?
Men in Thailand are 3.5 cm taller than in Sri Lanka (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
