World median is the middle country on each statistic: half of all countries with data are above it, half below. It is not an average, so it is never pulled up or down by giants or microstates.
Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
The median country is 70% bigger than Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: 65,610 km² (2024) · World median: 111,370 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Sri Lanka’s coastline is 3 times as long as the median country’s
Sri Lanka: 1,340 km (2026 edition) · World median: 440 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Sri Lanka’s highest peak towers 189 m above the median country’s
Sri Lanka: 2,524 m (2026 edition) · World median: 2,335 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 49% of Sri Lanka, versus 38% of the median country
Sri Lanka: 48.8% (2024) · World median: 37.8% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Sri Lanka has 2.9 times as many people as the median country
Sri Lanka: 21.8 million (2025) · World median: 7.4 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Sri Lanka is 3.6 times as densely populated as the median country
Sri Lanka: 352 per km² (2025) · World median: 98 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in the median country are 5.4 cm taller than in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: 168.1 cm (2019) · World median: 173.5 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in the median country are 4.7 cm taller than in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: 155.9 cm (2019) · World median: 160.6 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Sri Lanka is 1.7 years older than in the median country
Sri Lanka: 32.8 years (2023) · World median: 31.1 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Sri Lanka and the median country are practically level
Sri Lanka: 1.95 children per woman (2024) · World median: 1.9 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
12% of people in Sri Lanka are 65 or older, versus 8.6% in the median country
Sri Lanka: 12.5% (2025) · World median: 8.6% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
The median country hosts 84 times as many refugees per resident as Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: 0.0098 per 1,000 (2025) · World median: 0.8 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Sri Lanka and the median country are practically level
Sri Lanka: 0 (2026) · World median: 0 (2026)
How many official languages?
Sri Lanka has 2 official languages, the median country 1
Sri Lanka: 2 (2026) · World median: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Sri Lanka’s economy is 2.4 times the size of the median country’s
Sri Lanka: $109 billion (2025) · World median: $45.5 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
The median country produces 23% more per person than Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Int$17,065 (2025) · World median: Int$21,072 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Sri Lanka than in the median country (Gini 3.3 points higher)
Sri Lanka: 37.7 (2019) · World median: 34.4 (2023)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
2.7% of people in Sri Lanka live on less than $3 a day, versus 1.6% in the median country
Sri Lanka: 2.7% (2019) · World median: 1.6% (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 5.1% in the median country, versus 4.0% in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: 4% (2025) · World median: 5.1% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
The median country spends 1.8% of its GDP on the military, Sri Lanka 1.3%
Sri Lanka: 1.3% (2025) · World median: 1.8% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
The median country’s central government collects 17% of GDP in tax, Sri Lanka’s 9.9%
Sri Lanka: 9.9% (2023) · World median: 17% (2024)
How expensive is it?
The median country’s price level (US = 100) is 1.5× Sri Lanka’s
Sri Lanka: 29% (2025) · World median: 45% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
The median country spends 3.5 times as much on health per person as Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: $134 (2023) · World median: $470 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Sri Lanka live 3.1 years longer than in the median country
Sri Lanka: 77.7 years (2024) · World median: 74.6 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in the median country is 2.4 times as likely to die before turning one as in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: 5.2 per 1,000 (2024) · World median: 12.7 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
The median country has 48% more doctors per person than Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: 1.1 per 1,000 (2023) · World median: 1.7 per 1,000 (2022)
How many hospital beds are there?
Sri Lanka has 62% more hospital beds per person than the median country
Sri Lanka: 3.9 per 1,000 (2023) · World median: 2.4 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Sri Lanka is 40% higher than in the median country
Sri Lanka: 14 per 100k (2023) · World median: 10 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
24% of adults in the median country are obese, versus 11% in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: 11.2% (2024) · World median: 24% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
21% of adults in Sri Lanka smoke, versus 19% in the median country
Sri Lanka: 20.7% (2024) · World median: 19% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in the median country rate their lives 1.82 points higher than in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: 4.01 (2025) · World median: 5.83 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in the median country drink 74% more alcohol than in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: 2.5 litres (2023) · World median: 4.3 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
The median country has 4.9 times as much meat per person as Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: 11.6 kg (2023) · World median: 56.2 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
The median country has 263 kcal more food per person per day than Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: 2,675 kcal (2023) · World median: 2,938 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Sri Lanka put in 79 more hours a year than in the median country
Sri Lanka: 2,053 hours (2023) · World median: 1,974 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Sri Lanka went to school 0.84 years longer than in the median country
Sri Lanka: 10.8 years (2023) · World median: 9.9 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
The median country welcomed 11 times as many tourists per resident as Sri Lanka (2019)
Sri Lanka: 0.03 (2022) · World median: 0.34 (2024)
How many World Heritage sites?
Sri Lanka has 5 more World Heritage sites than the median country (8 against 3)
Sri Lanka: 8 (2026) · World median: 3 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
The median country has won 4 Olympic medals, Sri Lanka 2
Sri Lanka: 2 (2026 edition) · World median: 4 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
82% of people in the median country are online, versus 55% in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: 55% (2024) · World median: 82% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in the median country is 2.6 times as fast as in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: 63 Mbps (2026) · World median: 161 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
Sri Lanka and the median country are practically level
Sri Lanka: 100% (2024) · World median: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
64% of people in the median country live in cities, versus 20% in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: 20% (2025) · World median: 64% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Sri Lanka has 133 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, the median country 115
Sri Lanka: 133 (2024) · World median: 115 (2024)
How much railway is there?
The median country’s railway network is 37% longer than Sri Lanka’s
Sri Lanka: 1,562 km (2019) · World median: 2,141 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from the median country fly 34% more passengers per resident than those from Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: 0.18 (2023) · World median: 0.24 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 34% of Sri Lanka, but only 33% of the median country
Sri Lanka: 34.4% (2024) · World median: 32.8% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in the median country emits 3.3 times as much CO₂ as someone in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: 0.9 t (2024) · World median: 3 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
62% of Sri Lanka’s electricity is renewable, versus 31% in the median country
Sri Lanka: 61.6% (2025) · World median: 30.8% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in Sri Lanka carries 25% more fine dust than in the median country
Sri Lanka: 20.7 µg/m³ (2024) · World median: 16.6 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 47% more likely to be murdered in Sri Lanka than in the median country
Sri Lanka: 3.3 per 100k (2019) · World median: 2.3 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Sri Lanka are 13% deadlier than in the median country
Sri Lanka: 21.1 per 100k (2023) · World median: 18.6 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Sri Lanka is on average 3.9 °C warmer than the median country
Sri Lanka: 26.8°C (2016–2025 avg) · World median: 23°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Sri Lanka gets 81% more rain than the median country
Sri Lanka: 1,839 mm (2016–2025 avg) · World median: 1,014 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Sri Lanka bigger than the median country?
The median country is larger. The median country is 70% bigger than Sri Lanka.
Which has more people, Sri Lanka or the median country?
Sri Lanka has 2.9 times as many people as the median country (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Sri Lanka or the median country?
People in Sri Lanka live 3.1 years longer than in the median country. Life expectancy at birth is 77.7 years in Sri Lanka and 74.6 in the median country.
Are people taller in Sri Lanka or the median country?
Men in the median country are 5.4 cm taller than in Sri Lanka (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
