Nepal vs Sri Lanka
Nepal vs Sri Lanka: GDP growth
GDP growth in 2025: 4.4% a year in Nepal and 5% a year in Sri Lanka, by IMF estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in Sri Lanka, by 0.5 percentage points, or 1.12 times that in Nepal.
% a year · IMF
What the numbers say
- Sri Lanka has been higher since 2024, when it overtook Nepal.
- In 2025, Nepal ranked 47 and Sri Lanka ranked 34 of 143 countries, counting from the highest.
- The IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) puts Nepal at 5% a year and Sri Lanka at 3.5% a year in 2031.
Every year
% a year · IMF
| Year | Nepal | Sri Lanka |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 4.4 | 5 |
| 2024 | 3.7 | 5 |
| 2023 | 2 | -2 |
| 2022 | 5.6 | -7.3 |
| 2021 | 4.8 | 4.2 |
| 2020 | -2.4 | -4.6 |
| 2019 | 6.7 | -0.2 |
| 2018 | 7.6 | 2.3 |
| 2017 | 9 | 6.5 |
| 2016 | 0.4 | 5.1 |
| 2015 | 4 | 4.2 |
| 2014 | 6 | 6.4 |
| 2013 | 3.5 | 4.1 |
| 2012 | 4.7 | 8.6 |
| 2011 | 3.4 | 8.7 |
| 2010 | 4.8 | 8 |
| 2009 | 4.5 | 3.5 |
| 2008 | 6.1 | 6 |
| 2007 | 3.4 | 6.8 |
| 2006 | 3.4 | 7.7 |
| 2005 | 3.5 | 6.2 |
| 2004 | 4.7 | 5.4 |
| 2003 | 3.9 | 5.9 |
| 2002 | 0.1 | 3.7 |
| 2001 | 5.6 | -1.9 |
| 2000 | 6.1 | 8.4 |
| 1999 | 4.5 | 2.9 |
| 1998 | 2.9 | -1.6 |
| 1997 | 5.3 | 10.3 |
| 1996 | 5.3 | 12.2 |
| 1995 | 3.5 | 6.1 |
| 1994 | 8.2 | 8 |
| 1993 | 3.8 | 7.5 |
| 1992 | 4.1 | -3.1 |
| 1991 | 6.4 | 10.8 |
| 1990 | 4.6 | 6.2 |
| 1989 | 4.3 | 2.3 |
| 1988 | 7.7 | 2.7 |
| 1987 | 1.7 | 1.5 |
| 1986 | 4.6 | 4.3 |
| 1985 | 6.1 | 5 |
| 1984 | 9.7 | 6.7 |
| 1983 | -3 | 3.3 |
| 1982 | 3.8 | 5.2 |
| 1981 | 8.3 | 5.3 |
| 1980 | -2.3 | 5.8 |
IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) · 2026–2031
| Year | Nepal | Sri Lanka |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 3.6 | 4 |
| 2027 | 3.7 | 3.7 |
| 2028 | 5.7 | 3.5 |
| 2029 | 5.1 | 3.5 |
| 2030 | 5 | 3.5 |
| 2031 | 5 | 3.5 |
Each country on its own
Good to know
- How much the economy grew or shrank in a year, after inflation.
- Source: IMF, World Economic Outlook, October 2026.
- The dashed line is the IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026), a scenario rather than a forecast.
- Ranks count the 143 countries with a value in 2025, highest first.
How the layers work, where their data comes from and what they can’t tell you: Countries through time
Nepal vs Sri Lanka
Health
- Life expectancyNepal: 70.4 years in 2023Sri Lanka: 77.5 years in 2023
- Child mortalityNepal: 2.5 per 100 live births in 2024Sri Lanka: 0.6 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalityNepal: 21.9 per 1,000 live births in 2023Sri Lanka: 5.1 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- Safe drinking waterNepal: 16.1% in 2022Sri Lanka: 47.1% in 2022
- DepressionNepal: 3.61% in 2017Sri Lanka: 3.44% in 2017
- Suicide rateNepal: 8.4 per 100,000 people in 2017Sri Lanka: 19.8 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationNepal: 29.7 million people in 2023Sri Lanka: 23 million people in 2023
- Population growthNepal: -0.14% a year in 2023Sri Lanka: 0.58% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateNepal: 1.98 births per woman in 2023Sri Lanka: 1.97 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationNepal: 67% in 2025Sri Lanka: 20.5% in 2025
- Median ageNepal: 24.7 years in 2023Sri Lanka: 32.8 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overNepal: 6.4% in 2023Sri Lanka: 11.7% in 2023
- Net migration rateNepal: -13.8 per 1,000 people in 2023Sri Lanka: -1.2 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spendingNepal: 0.97% of GDP in 2025Sri Lanka: 1.31% of GDP in 2025
- Military spending in US dollarsNepal: $429M in 2025Sri Lanka: $1.36B in 2025
- Military spending per personNepal: $14 in 2025Sri Lanka: $60 in 2025
- Military share of state spendingNepal: 4.5% of government spending in 2025Sri Lanka: 4.9% of government spending in 2025
- Armed forces personnelNepal: 112,000 people in 2020Sri Lanka: 317,000 people in 2020
- National powerNepal: 0.18% of world capability in 2022Sri Lanka: 0.31% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersNepal: 1.4% of the labour force in 2020Sri Lanka: 3.74% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsNepal: 6 million TIV in 2025Sri Lanka: 11 million TIV in 2025