Sri Lanka vs Zambia
Zambia has about the same population as Sri Lanka: 21,913,874 vs 21,756,000, a gap of 157,874. Zambia is growing faster (+2.77% vs −0.73% a year), adding about 607,255 people a year against −159,415. Sri Lanka is the older society: 12.5% aged 65+ against 2.0% in Zambia, while Zambia has more children (41.0% under 15 vs 21.7%). Sri Lanka is 12.8× as densely populated (356.2 vs 27.9 people per km²). People in Sri Lanka live 11.1 years longer on average (77.7 vs 66.5). GDP per capita is 3.8× higher in Sri Lanka ($5,002 vs $1,318).
Country/territory population bases: World Bank 2025 (Sri Lanka) and 2025 (Zambia); growth years 2025 / 2025. Annual source values, not live counts; years may differ. Growth is national, not local.
Sri Lanka vs Zambia — side by side
 Sri Lanka |  Zambia | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 21,756,0002025 | 21,913,8742025 |
| Growth rate / yr | −0.73%2025 | +2.77%2025 |
| Births per 1,000 | 10.12024 | 32.72024 |
| Deaths per 1,000 | 7.82024 | 5.22024 |
| Children per woman | 1.952024 | 4.042024 |
| Life expectancy | 77.7 yrs2024 | 66.5 yrs2024 |
| Aged 0–14 | 21.7%2025 | 41.0%2025 |
| Aged 65+ | 12.5%2025 | 2.0%2025 |
| Density | 356.2 /km²2023 | 27.9 /km²2023 |
| Area | 65,610 km²2023 | 752,610 km²2023 |
| Urban population | 20.5%2025 | 45.9%2025 |
| Net migration / yr | -30,7242025 | +6,5622025 |
| GDP per capita | $5,0022025 | $1,3182025 |
| Country population rank (available records) | #62 | #61 |
| Base / world population (World Bank 2025) | 0.26% | 0.27% |
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). Sri Lanka: 2.3× from 1960 to 2025; Zambia: 6.9× 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: South Asia · Sub-Saharan Africa · rankings
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.
Zambia: Zambia vs Mali, Zambia vs Burkina Faso, Zambia vs Malawi, Zambia vs Sri Lanka, Zambia vs Chad, Zambia 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.