geography
Sri Lanka's Sigiriya, an ancient rock fortress, rises about 200 meters above the surrounding plain and was built atop a 5th-century royal palace.
Sri Lanka
Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka
Population, GDP, and key facts about Sri Lanka — updated for 2026.
Capital · COLOMBOContinent · ASIAISO · LKA
Sri Lanka quick facts
- Population
- 21,916,000
- Area
- 65,610 km²
- Population density
- 356 people/km²
- GDP
- US$ 99.6 Billion
- GDP per capita
- US$ 4.5K
- Capital
- Colombo
- Currency
- Sri Lankan rupee (Rs රු, LKR)
- Minimum wage
- US$ 53.4/month · Rs රු 17,500/month (2024)
- Languages
- Sinhala, Tamil
Sri Lanka at human scale
Where does Sri Lanka rank in the world?
Compare Sri Lanka with other countries
Compare Sri Lanka with any country →Sri Lanka's war history
- Government of Sri LankavsLTTE
- Government of Sri LankavsJVP
Intrastate
Wars that reached at least 1,000 battle-related deaths in a year, since 1946 — not a full record of every armed conflict Sri Lanka has had. Source: UCDP/PRIO Armed Conflict Dataset.
See every war since 1946 on the War Timeline →Sri Lanka's energy mix
Fossil fuels · 38%Renewables · 62%
- Hydropower38%
- Coal28%
- Solar16%
- Oil11%
- Wind5%
- Bioenergy1%
- Other renewables0%
Share of Sri Lanka's own electricity generation by source, 2025. Source: Our World in Data (Ember Yearly Electricity Data and the Energy Institute Statistical Review of World Energy).
Everything we know about Sri Lanka
Countries near Sri Lanka
How many countries do you think Sri Lanka could fit?
Pour other countries into Sri Lanka's own outline, by real area, and see how many it takes to fill it up.
Fill the Country →Frequently asked questions about Sri Lanka
What is the capital of Sri Lanka?
The capital of Sri Lanka is Colombo.
What is Sri Lanka's population?
Sri Lanka has a population of 21,916,000.
What is Sri Lanka's GDP per capita?
Sri Lanka's GDP per capita is US$ 4.5K.
What is the currency of Sri Lanka?
The currency of Sri Lanka is the Sri Lankan rupee (LKR).
What is the minimum wage in Sri Lanka?
Sri Lanka's statutory minimum wage is about US$ 53.4 per month (as of 2024) — Rs රු 17,500 per month in local currency.
Is Sri Lanka bigger than Nepal?
Nepal is about 2.2× the size of Sri Lanka by land area.
Data from the World Bank, updated November 2026.