CNY
…
LKR
…
Land Area
China
9,596,961 km²
Largest
Sri Lanka
65,610 km²
0.7% of largest
China is 146.27× larger than Sri Lanka
Population
China
LARGEST
1.41B
PEOPLE
Sri Lanka
1.5% OF LARGEST
21.76M
PEOPLE
China has 64.65× the population of Sri Lanka
GDP
China
LARGEST
$19.5T
Sri Lanka
0.6% OF LARGEST
$108.83B
Armed Forces
Active Personnel
China
LARGEST
2.04M
TROOPS
Sri Lanka
12.5% OF LARGEST
255K
TROOPS
China has 7.98× the active personnel of Sri Lanka
Air Force
China
LARGEST
3.29K
AIRCRAFT
Sri Lanka
2.3% OF LARGEST
75
AIRCRAFT
China has 43.80× the aircraft of Sri Lanka
Naval Assets
China
Sri Lanka
Wealth
Gold Reserves
China
LARGEST
2,279.6
Metric Tonnes
Sri Lanka
0.0% OF LARGEST
0.5
Metric Tonnes
Foreign-Exchange Reserves
China
LARGEST
$3.27T
Reserves · excl. gold
Sri Lanka
0.2% OF LARGEST
$6B
Reserves · excl. gold
Billionaires
China
MOST
473
billionaires
Sri Lanka
—
Oil
Proven Reserves
China
LARGEST
26
Billion barrels
Production & Consumption
China
NET IMPORTER
Production
4.1M b/d
Consumption
15.4M b/d
−11.3M b/d net
Trade (Import/Export)
China
$3,753.1B
Exports
$3,753.1B
Imports
$3,219.3B
Trade Balance
+$533.7B
Trade Surplus
Sri Lanka
$19.7B
Exports
$19.7B
Imports
$22.3B
Trade Balance
$-2.6B
Trade Deficit
Drinks per Person
Coffee
kg / person / yr
Sri Lanka
supply
China
consumption
Tea
kg / person / yr
Sri Lanka
supply
China
consumption
Beer
litres / person / yr
China
consumption
Sri Lanka
consumption
Wine
litres / person / yr
China
consumption
Sri Lanka
supply
Alcohol
litres pure alcohol / person / yr
China
consumption
Sri Lanka
consumption
Smoking
% of adults 15+ who smoke
China
Sri Lanka
Per-capita — consumption where available, else FAOSTAT supply · alcohol = litres of pure alcohol; smoking = % of adults 15+ (WHO)
Olympic Medals
China
330
Gold
262
Silver
227
Bronze
819
Total Medals
☀ Summer: 727
❄ Winter: 92
Sri Lanka
0
Gold
2
Silver
0
Bronze
2
Total Medals
☀ Summer: 2
❄ Winter: 0
Religious Demographics
Religious Distribution
Religious Composition by Country
China
Sri Lanka
Age Demographics
Median Age
China
39.0
YEARS
10
30
50
70
Sri Lanka
33.2
YEARS
10
30
50
70
Age Distribution
Population breakdown by age bracket (percentage)
Demographic Insights
Age Gap
China is 5.8 years older (median) than Sri Lanka
Youth Population
Sri Lanka has the highest youth population at 46% (under 30)
Elderly Population
China has the highest elderly population at 19.0% (60+)
Global Statistics
| Metric |
China
|
Sri Lanka
|
|---|---|---|
| Travel & Mobility | ||
| Passport Power visa-free destinations |
85
|
— |
| Tourist Arrivals per year |
65.7M
|
— |
| Culture & Prestige | ||
| Nobel Laureates all-time |
8
|
0
|
| 3-Michelin-Star Restaurants current guide |
12
|
0
|
| UNESCO Heritage Sites inscribed sites |
56
|
8
|
Figures as of 2026. Sources: IMF, EIA/OPEC, Henley Passport Index, UNWTO, Forbes, Michelin Guide, Nobel Foundation, UNESCO World Heritage Centre.
Cost of Living
|
Metric
All indices use New York City as base (100)
Lower values indicate lower costs.
|
China
|
Sri Lanka
|
|---|---|---|
| Cost of Living Index |
|
|
| Rent Index |
|
|
| Groceries Index |
|
|
| Restaurant Price Index |
|
|
| Local Purchasing Power |
|
|
| Common Expenses Comparison | ||
| Meal at Inexpensive Restaurant (USD) | $5 | $3 |
| Three-Course Meal for 2 (USD) | $25 | $15 |
| Monthly Rent - City Center (USD) | $600 | $350 |
| Monthly Rent - Outside Center (USD) | $380 | $200 |
| Monthly Utilities (USD) | $50 | $50 |
| Internet (60 Mbps, USD) | $20 | $18 |
| Monthly Public Transport Pass (USD) | $30 | $10 |
Health
Healthcare spending, capacity and outcomes. Sources: World Bank / WHO — the year tag shows each figure’s vintage; “—” means the country doesn’t report that metric.
Health spending / person
China
Sri Lanka
Physicians per 1,000
China
Sri Lanka
Hospital beds per 1,000
China
Sri Lanka
Diabetes prevalence
China
Sri Lanka
Obesity prevalence
Sri Lanka
China
Suicide rate per 100k
Sri Lanka
China
Want the long view?
GDP, population, reserves & trade for China vs Sri Lanka — charted over the decades.
Basic Information
| Metric | China | Sri Lanka |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 1406585000 | 21756000 |
| Area (sq km) | 9596961 | 65610 |
| Capital | Beijing | Colombo (commercial), Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte (administrative) |
| Official Language | Mandarin Chinese | Sinhala, Tamil |
| Currency | Renminbi (Yuan, CNY) | Sri Lankan Rupee (LKR) |
| Government Type | Unitary one-party socialist republic | Unitary semi-presidential republic |
Military Strength
| Metric | China | Sri Lanka |
|---|---|---|
| Active Personnel | 2,035,000 | 255,000 |
| Reserve Personnel | 510,000 | 5,500 |
| Total Military Personnel | 2,545,000 | 260,500 |
| Defense Budget (USD) | $292,000,000,000 | $1,890,000,000 |
| Tanks | 5,651 | 22 |
| Armored Vehicles | 35,000 | 213 |
| Self-Propelled Artillery | 4,120 | 25 |
| Towed Artillery | 6,246 | 76 |
| Rocket Projectors | 2,430 | 0 |
Economy
| Metric | China | Sri Lanka |
|---|---|---|
| GDP (USD) | $19,498,039,388,043 | $108,825,231,671 |
| GDP Per Capita (USD) | $13,862 | $5,002 |
| Unemployment Rate (%) | 4.6% | 4.0% |
| GINI Index (Income Inequality) | 36.0 | 37.7 |
| Currency | Renminbi (Yuan, CNY) | Sri Lankan Rupee (LKR) |
| Loading current exchange rates… | ||
Interesting Comparisons & Trivia
Did You Know?
China is 146.3 times larger in area than Sri Lanka.
That's a massive difference!
China has 64.7 times more people than Sri Lanka.
With over a billion people, that's more than 1/8 of humanity!
China has the highest GDP per capita at $13,862 among the selected countries.
China has the largest economy with a GDP of
$19.5 trillion.
China has the largest active military personnel with 2,035,000 troops.
China has the largest air force with 3,285 aircraft.
China has the largest navy with 777 vessels.
China Fact: China produces more than 1.4 billion tons of rice annually, feeding nearly 20% of the world's population.
China vs Sri Lanka: Key Comparisons
Economy: China's GDP of $19.5T is 179.2x larger than Sri Lanka's $109B — both among the world's largest economies.
Population: China's population of 1.4B is 64.7x larger than Sri Lanka's 22M.
Area: China covers 9,596,961 km², making it 146.3x larger than Sri Lanka.
Military: China fields 2Million active troops vs Sri Lanka's 260Thousand.
Trade: China runs a trade surplus of $534B while Sri Lanka has a trade deficit of $3B.
Life Expectancy: China leads with a life expectancy of 78 years vs Sri Lanka's 78.
Data compiled from World Bank, IMF, Global Firepower, SIPRI, Numbeo, and Pew Research.
Last updated August 2026.
Sources & methodology