Sri Lanka

Geography

Economics

Demographics

Military

Politics

Surface

Surface (in square kilometers)

Surface (in square miles)

Surface (water)

Water Surface (in square kilometers)

Water Surface (in square miles)

Share of water (%)

Temperature

Average temperature (in Celcius)

Average temperature (in Farenheit)

Average high temperature (in Celcius)

Average high temperature (in Farenheit)

Average low temperature (in Celcius)

Average low temperature (in Farenheit)

Rainfall

Average rainfall (mm)

Average rainfall (inch)

Distance to other capitals (kilometers)

Distance to other capitals (miles)

Proximity

Economic organizations

Gross Domestic Product (US$)

Gross Domestic Product per capita

Amount of memberships (economic organizations)

Absolute earnings for every 1$

Relative earnings

GDP in PPP per capita (in US$)

GDP in PPP per capita

Gross Domestic product (in million US$)

GDP per capita (in US$)

Surface GDP

GDP per square kilometer (in US$)

GDP per square mile(in US$)

Relative GDP in PPP

Population

Population density

Emigration

Immigration

Literacy

Health

Population density (in km2)

Population density (in mi2)

Religion

Christianity (share of the total population)

Islam (share of the total population)

Buddhism (share of the total population)

Hinduism (share of the total population)

Judaism (share of the total population)

Other religions (share of the total population)

Non-religious (share of the total population)

Military spending (in % of GDP)

Military spending

In total, Sri Lanka spends US$1.666 million on its military, or 2.05 percent of its GDP. This makes Sri Lanka the 68th highest military spender in the world and represents 0.09 percent of total global military expenditure.

The military of Sri Lanka, called the Sri Lanka Armed Forces, consist of a Navy, an army and an air force which are under the control of the Ministry of Defence. The largest supplier of weapons as well as military trainers has been the United Kingdom which helped to set up this army as well as its maintenance.

Military membership

Sri Lanka is also a member of 5 international military organizations. This makes it the 88th most militarily connected state in the world. It is a member of the following organizations:

Conference on Disarmament
Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons
Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty
International Atomic Energy Agency
Non-Aligned Movement

Military membership

International wars

Sri Lanka has not partaken in international wars.

Number of international wars fought

Military spending (in US$ million)

Membership (international political organizations)

In total, Sri Lanka is a member of 15 international political organizations. This makes it the 47th most connected state in the world. It is a member of the following organizations:

Member state of the United Nations
International Labour Organization
Asia Cooperation Dialogue
South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation
Colombo Plan
Asian–African Legal Consultative Organization
Commonwealth of Nations
International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property
Interpol

Political Membership

Democracy/dictatorship rating

After the defeat of the Tamils, the government of Sri Lanka held repressive policies towards the Tamil population. However, over the last years, these policies have been lifted which have improved civil rights for all citizens. It is the 68th most democratic state in the world. However, there are some democratic deficits such as the limitations on legal actions regarding atrocities in its civil war as well as the dominance of a single family within Sri Lankan politics.

Democracy/Dictatorship

The politics of Sri Lanka take place in the form of a semi-presidential representative Republic where the president of Sri Lanka is head of state as well as head of government. The Prime Minister, which is the head of a multiparty system, only has an advisory role to the president of Sri Lanka.

Permanent Court of Arbitration
Global Green Growth Institute
Association of World Election Bodies
Partners in Population and Development
South Centre (organization)
World Organization for Animal Health

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Known for its tea production as well as its biodiversity, Sri Lanka, meaning holy island, has had a long civil war since its independence until the start of the 21st century. Before contact with Europeans, the area was inhabited by the Tamil, who were mostly Hindu and the Sinhal people who are mostly Buddhist. Throughout the century, both groups tried to gain control over Sri Lanka. After being explored by the Portuguese at the start of the 16th century, the area came under the control of the Dutch East India Company during the second half of the 17th century. At the end of the 18th century, the British took control from the Dutch East India Company and developed several plantations. After the second world war, Sri Lanka entered a period of decolonization and gained full independence in 1948. Since then, there has been a struggle for power between the Singal and Tamil population which turned into a civil war which lasted from 1983 to 2009 when the Tamil army was defeated. This civil war led to the displacement of hundreds of thousands of people as well as the loss of more than 50,000 lives. After 2009, Sri Lanka returned to a period of stability which lasts to this day.

Located in the Indian Ocean off the coast of southern India, Sri Lanka's geography consists of a central mountain range which slowly descends into flat planes along its coast. Most of its terrain is densely or sparsely forested with the exception of its planes which are used for agriculture.

It is the 120th largest state with a total surface area of 65.938 square kilometers or 25.457 square miles. This makes Sri Lanka slightly smaller than Lithuania and slightly larger than Georgia.

It has a total water surface area of 2892 square kilometers or 1117 square miles. This makes Sri Lanka the 79th largest state in the world.

Below, a graph is shown which displays the absolute amount of water of each state in square kilometers and square miles.

The largest source of drinking water is groundwater which is pumped up from the ground into local wells. The remaining parts come from desalination treatment plants which are mainly used for the water supply in larger cities.

The climate of Sri Lanka is a tropical climate which knows a distinct wet and a dry season. The average temperature is 26.13 degrees Celsius or 79 degrees Fahrenheit. This makes Sri Lanka the 37th warmest state in the world.

The average high temperature is 29.5 degrees Celsius or 85 degrees Fahrenheit.

The average low temperature is 23.3 degrees Celsius or 73.9 degrees Fahrenheit.

Rain is unevenly distributed throughout Sri Lanka. Its mountainous area to its south as well as its southwestern coast receive the majority of rainfall which is roughly 2 times as much as its northern part. On average, Sri Lanka receives 184.2 centimetres or 72.5 inches of rainfall per year which ranks it as the 36th highest in the world.

The capital of Sri Lanka, Colombo, is home to roughly 700,000 people. The closest capital is Male, Maldives, with a distance of 770 kilometers or 478 miles. The capital that is the furthest removed is Quito, Ecuador, with a distance of 17.505 kilometers or 10.877 miles.

The economy of Sri Lanka has seen a large growth since the end of its civil war. After a slow start during the financial crisis of 2008, Sri Lanka has made a steady economic growth over the last decade. Its current economic model is a mixed model with a private sector as well as a state sector. A large portion of its GDP is made up of remittances from Sri Lankan workers abroad. Other products that are a mainly exported from Sri Lanka are rubber, tea and clothing which are mainly exported to the United States which is solely responsible for 25 percent of all exports. Most of its imports comes from China and India which combined represent 40 percent of all imports.

Sri Lanka is a member of 16 international economic organizations. This makes it the 40th most connected state in the world. It is a member of the following organizations:

Alliance for Financial Inclusion
Asian Development Bank
Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank
International Monetary Fund
World Bank Group
World Customs Organization
World Trade Organization
Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation
International Bamboo and Rattan Organization
Indian Ocean Rim Association
International Renewable Energy Agency
International Solar Alliance

Group of 15
Group of 77
Group of 24
Advisory Centre on World Trade Organization Law

It has a GDP of US$82.564 million, which makes it the 70th highest in the world and represents 0.098 percent of total global GDP.

Its GDP per surface area is the 59th highest in the world with US$1.252.149 per square kilometer or US$3.243.327 per square mile.

Its GDP per capita is the 118th highest in the world with US$3835.

The absolute earnings (GDP per capita) reflect the average yearly income. The figure below shows how much, on average, an inhabitant of another state earns for every $1 earned by a citizen of this state.

Its purchasing power parity per capita is the 97th highest in the world with US$13257.

The relative Gross Domestic Product in Purchasing Power Parity compares the purchasing power of this state with that of the rest of the world. The graph on the left shows how much purchasing power of 1$ compared to the purchasing power of other states

It is the 25th most populous state with a population of 21.5 million people. Aside from the Sinhal and Tamil ethnicities, there is a sizable Muslim population as well.

It has the 28th highest population density in the world with 326 people per square kilometer or 843 people per square mile.

8.7 percent of its population, or 1.9 million people, have migrated to other states. This makes Sri Lanka the 36th state with the highest number of emigrants and represents 0.76 percent of total global emigration. These are mainly migrant workers that intend to return to Sri Lanka. Most of the men that migrated are skilled workers that supply labour shortages in the Gulf states. Most of the women also work in the Gulf states, but mainly perform household tasks.

Immigration to Sri Lanka is represented by 0.16 percent of the population, or around 35,000 people. This makes Sri Lanka the 125th state with the highest number of immigrants and represents 0.014 percent of total global immigration. These are mainly people that entered Sri Lanka through marriage, or through investment.

The education system in Sri Lanka is free and compulsory between the ages of five and 14. After the age of 14, further education is still provided for free, but not compulsory. Its current literacy rate is 92 percent which is the 112 highest in the world.

In its transition from a low-income state to a middle-income state, the government of Sri Lanka has invested largely into its healthcare system. In doing so, it has drastically lowered birth related deaths as well as the elimination of communicable diseases such as malaria. With the rise of noncommunicable diseases, the government of Sri Lanka has implemented policies that limit unhealthy lifestyle choices including sugar intake and tobacco. The average life expectancy is 77.58 years which is the 66th highest in the world. Women have an average life expectancy of 80.74 years, while men have an average life expectancy of 74.3 years.

At the end of the civil war, Sri Lanka has become a Buddhist state with the goal of serving Buddhism in Sri Lanka.

Christianity is represented by 6.1 percent of the population which makes it the 159th most Christian state in the world. It has Catholicism as its largest denomination which is a result of the Dutch missionaries that were active during the colonial era.

Islam has been present in Sri Lanka at the start of the 8th century through Arab merchants that sailed along the Indian Ocean. After settling there and through intermarriage, the muslim population grew and has reached 9.8 percent of the population.

Buddhism is the largest religion in Sri Lanka and is represented by 69.6 percent of the population. It has been introduced in the second century through Buddhist migration. The Theravada denomination is the largest Buddhist denomination within Sri Lanka.

Hinduism is the second largest religion in Sri Lanka and is represented by 13.3 percent of the population. Before the Civil War, Hinduism represented roughly a quarter of the population. However, after the Civil War, many Tamils fled Sri Lanka which decreased its Hindu population.

There are no official Jewish organizations in Sri Lanka.

Other religions are represented by 0.07 percent of the population and are mainly adherents to the Baha'i faith.

Irreligion is represented by 0.03 percent of the population. This percentage is likely to be correct due to its high esteem of religion that is reflected in its national surveys.