Nepal vs Sri Lanka
Nepal has 1.4× the population of Sri Lanka: 29,618,118 vs 21,756,000, a gap of 7.9 million. Nepal is shrinking more slowly (−0.11% vs −0.73% a year), adding about -32,918 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 6.6% in Nepal, while Nepal has more children (28.1% under 15 vs 21.7%). Sri Lanka is 1.7× as densely populated (356.2 vs 207.1 people per km²). People in Sri Lanka live 7.0 years longer on average (77.7 vs 70.6). GDP per capita is 3.3× higher in Sri Lanka ($5,002 vs $1,536).
Country/territory population bases: World Bank 2025 (Nepal) and 2025 (Sri Lanka); growth years 2025 / 2025. Annual source values, not live counts; years may differ. Growth is national, not local.
Nepal vs Sri Lanka — side by side
 Nepal |  Sri Lanka | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 29,618,1182025 | 21,756,0002025 |
| Growth rate / yr | −0.11%2025 | −0.73%2025 |
| Births per 1,000 | 19.02024 | 10.12024 |
| Deaths per 1,000 | 7.02024 | 7.82024 |
| Children per woman | 1.962024 | 1.952024 |
| Life expectancy | 70.6 yrs2024 | 77.7 yrs2024 |
| Aged 0–14 | 28.1%2025 | 21.7%2025 |
| Aged 65+ | 6.6%2025 | 12.5%2025 |
| Density | 207.1 /km²2023 | 356.2 /km²2023 |
| Area | 147,180 km²2023 | 65,610 km²2023 |
| Urban population | 67.0%2025 | 20.5%2025 |
| Net migration / yr | -364,6992025 | -30,7242025 |
| GDP per capita | $1,5362025 | $5,0022025 |
| Country population rank (available records) | #52 | #62 |
| Base / world population (World Bank 2025) | 0.36% | 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). Nepal: 2.9× 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
Nepal: Nepal vs India, Nepal vs Bangladesh, Nepal vs Madagascar, Nepal vs Ivory Coast, Nepal vs Cameroon, Nepal vs Venezuela, Nepal vs Niger, Nepal vs Australia.
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.