Malawi vs Sri Lanka
Malawi has about the same population as Sri Lanka: 22,216,120 vs 21,756,000, a gap of 460,120. Malawi is growing faster (+2.56% vs −0.73% a year), adding about 568,034 people a year against −159,415. Sri Lanka is the older society: 12.5% aged 65+ against 2.6% in Malawi, while Malawi has more children (40.1% under 15 vs 21.7%). Sri Lanka is 1.6× as densely populated (356.2 vs 223.8 people per km²). People in Sri Lanka live 10.1 years longer on average (77.7 vs 67.6). GDP per capita is 7.4× higher in Sri Lanka ($5,002 vs $672).
Country/territory population bases: World Bank 2025 (Malawi) and 2025 (Sri Lanka); growth years 2025 / 2025. Annual source values, not live counts; years may differ. Growth is national, not local.
Malawi vs Sri Lanka — side by side
 Malawi |  Sri Lanka | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 22,216,1202025 | 21,756,0002025 |
| Growth rate / yr | +2.56%2025 | −0.73%2025 |
| Births per 1,000 | 31.12024 | 10.12024 |
| Deaths per 1,000 | 5.32024 | 7.82024 |
| Children per woman | 3.592024 | 1.952024 |
| Life expectancy | 67.6 yrs2024 | 77.7 yrs2024 |
| Aged 0–14 | 40.1%2025 | 21.7%2025 |
| Aged 65+ | 2.6%2025 | 12.5%2025 |
| Density | 223.8 /km²2023 | 356.2 /km²2023 |
| Area | 118,480 km²2023 | 65,610 km²2023 |
| Urban population | 17.6%2025 | 20.5%2025 |
| Net migration / yr | -5,6282025 | -30,7242025 |
| GDP per capita | $6722025 | $5,0022025 |
| Country population rank (available records) | #60 | #62 |
| Base / world population (World Bank 2025) | 0.27% | 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). Malawi: 6.1× 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
Regions: Sub-Saharan Africa · South Asia · rankings
Malawi: Malawi vs Syria, Malawi vs Mali, Malawi vs Burkina Faso, Malawi vs Zambia, Malawi vs Sri Lanka, Malawi vs Chad.
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.
Compare anything
Pick any two. The result renders instantly from the same live data as the map, and the URL updates so you can share it.
What changed during your lifetime?
Turn these figures into a private, five-scene personal world story.
Compare like with like
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.