Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka
Bangladesh has 8.1× the population of Sri Lanka: 175,686,899 vs 21,756,000, a gap of 153.9 million. Bangladesh is growing faster (+1.22% vs −0.73% a year), adding about 2,137,485 people a year against −159,415. At these source-year rates the modelled relative population gap is widening. Sri Lanka is the older society: 12.5% aged 65+ against 6.7% in Bangladesh, while Bangladesh has more children (27.6% under 15 vs 21.7%). Bangladesh is 3.7× as densely populated (1,319.2 vs 356.2 people per km²). People in Sri Lanka live 2.7 years longer on average (77.7 vs 74.9). GDP per capita is 1.9× higher in Sri Lanka ($5,002 vs $2,597).
Country/territory population bases: World Bank 2025 (Bangladesh) and 2025 (Sri Lanka); growth years 2025 / 2025. Annual source values, not live counts; years may differ. Growth is national, not local.
Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka — side by side
 Bangladesh |  Sri Lanka | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 175,686,8992025 | 21,756,0002025 |
| Growth rate / yr | +1.22%2025 | −0.73%2025 |
| Births per 1,000 | 20.02024 | 10.12024 |
| Deaths per 1,000 | 5.12024 | 7.82024 |
| Children per woman | 2.142024 | 1.952024 |
| Life expectancy | 74.9 yrs2024 | 77.7 yrs2024 |
| Aged 0–14 | 27.6%2025 | 21.7%2025 |
| Aged 65+ | 6.7%2025 | 12.5%2025 |
| Density | 1,319.2 /km²2023 | 356.2 /km²2023 |
| Area | 147,570 km²2023 | 65,610 km²2023 |
| Urban population | 33.2%2025 | 20.5%2025 |
| Net migration / yr | -402,1002025 | -30,7242025 |
| GDP per capita | $2,5972025 | $5,0022025 |
| Country population rank (available records) | #8 | #62 |
| Base / world population (World Bank 2025) | 2.14% | 0.26% |
Highlighted cell = the higher value (not "better"). Small print under each value is its own data year. Source: World Bank; country/territory population bases may have different years. These are not live counts.
Population since 1960
World Bank population history (not the separate UN WPP timeline). Bangladesh: 3.4× from 1960 to 2025; Sri Lanka: 2.3× from 1960 to 2025. Left: absolute population. Right: each series indexed to its own first available year = 100; baseline years may differ.
More comparisons
Region: South Asia · rankings
Bangladesh: Bangladesh vs India, Bangladesh vs China, Bangladesh vs United States, Bangladesh vs Indonesia, Bangladesh vs Pakistan, Bangladesh vs Nigeria, Bangladesh vs Brazil, Bangladesh vs Russia.
Sri Lanka: Sri Lanka vs India, Sri Lanka vs Bangladesh, Sri Lanka vs Nepal, Sri Lanka vs Burkina Faso, Sri Lanka vs Malawi, Sri Lanka vs Zambia, Sri Lanka vs Chad, Sri Lanka vs Kazakhstan.
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This page is a structured reference entry. Its sources, geographic definition and reference dates determine what the figures mean; it is not independent reporting about the causes of change. Read the accompanying explanation before comparing different places or vintages.