Maldives vs Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka has 41.1× the population of Maldives: 21,756,000 vs 529,676, a gap of 21.2 million. Maldives is growing faster (+0.35% vs −0.73% a year), adding about 1,880 people a year against −159,415. At these source-year rates the modelled relative population gap is narrowing, but too slowly to close within two centuries. Sri Lanka is the older society: 12.5% aged 65+ against 5.0% in Maldives. Maldives is 5.0× as densely populated (1,765.1 vs 356.2 people per km²). People in Maldives live 3.6 years longer on average (81.3 vs 77.7). GDP per capita is 2.9× higher in Maldives ($14,615 vs $5,002).
Country/territory population bases: World Bank 2025 (Maldives) and 2025 (Sri Lanka); growth years 2025 / 2025. Annual source values, not live counts; years may differ. Growth is national, not local.
Maldives vs Sri Lanka — side by side
 Maldives |  Sri Lanka | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 529,6762025 | 21,756,0002025 |
| Growth rate / yr | +0.35%2025 | −0.73%2025 |
| Births per 1,000 | 10.62024 | 10.12024 |
| Deaths per 1,000 | 2.42024 | 7.82024 |
| Children per woman | 1.562024 | 1.952024 |
| Life expectancy | 81.3 yrs2024 | 77.7 yrs2024 |
| Aged 0–14 | 19.0%2025 | 21.7%2025 |
| Aged 65+ | 5.0%2025 | 12.5%2025 |
| Density | 1,765.1 /km²2023 | 356.2 /km²2023 |
| Area | 300 km²2023 | 65,610 km²2023 |
| Urban population | 42.5%2025 | 20.5%2025 |
| Net migration / yr | -2,2832025 | -30,7242025 |
| GDP per capita | $14,6152025 | $5,0022025 |
| Country population rank (available records) | #171 | #62 |
| Base / world population (World Bank 2025) | 0.01% | 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). Maldives: 5.8× 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
Maldives: Maldives vs India, Maldives vs Bangladesh, Maldives vs Nepal, Maldives vs Sri Lanka, Maldives vs Bhutan, Maldives vs Suriname, Maldives vs Montenegro, Maldives vs Malta.
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.