Nepal vs Sri Lanka
Nepal vs Sri Lanka: Government debt
Government debt in 2025: 47.4% of GDP in Nepal and 96.8% of GDP in Sri Lanka, by IMF estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in Sri Lanka, by 49.4 percentage points, or 2.04 times that in Nepal.
% of GDP · IMF
What the numbers say
- Sri Lanka has been higher in every year both have figures for since 2000.
- In 2025, Nepal ranked 86 and Sri Lanka ranked 19 of 149 countries, counting from the highest.
- The IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) puts Nepal at 47.7% of GDP and Sri Lanka at 82.4% of GDP in 2031.
Every year
% of GDP · IMF
| Year | Nepal | Sri Lanka |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 47.4 | 96.8 |
| 2024 | 47.9 | 100.2 |
| 2023 | 47 | 109.9 |
| 2022 | 42.7 | 115.9 |
| 2021 | 43.3 | 102.7 |
| 2020 | 43.3 | 96.9 |
| 2019 | 34 | 82.6 |
| 2018 | 31.1 | 83.6 |
| 2017 | 25 | 72.3 |
| 2016 | 25 | 75 |
| 2015 | 25.7 | 76.3 |
| 2014 | 27.6 | 69.6 |
| 2013 | 31.9 | 69.5 |
| 2012 | 34.5 | 67.5 |
| 2011 | 32.4 | 69.4 |
| 2010 | 35.4 | 68.7 |
| 2009 | 39.5 | 72.8 |
| 2008 | 36.8 | 68.8 |
| 2007 | 37.9 | 71.9 |
| 2006 | 42.9 | 74.3 |
| 2005 | 45.1 | 76.6 |
| 2004 | 51.3 | 86.5 |
| 2003 | 53 | 86.5 |
| 2002 | 51.8 | 96.3 |
| 2001 | 50.8 | 84.4 |
| 2000 | 50.8 | 79.2 |
| 1999 | – | 77.7 |
| 1998 | – | 74.2 |
| 1997 | – | 70.2 |
| 1996 | – | 76.2 |
| 1995 | – | 77.8 |
| 1994 | – | 77.9 |
| 1993 | – | 79.2 |
| 1992 | – | 77.9 |
| 1991 | – | 80.5 |
| 1990 | – | 78.9 |
IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) · 2026–2031
| Year | Nepal | Sri Lanka |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 49.4 | 95.2 |
| 2027 | 50.7 | 91.8 |
| 2028 | 51 | 90.1 |
| 2029 | 49.9 | 87.4 |
| 2030 | 48.8 | 84.7 |
| 2031 | 47.7 | 82.4 |
Each country on its own
Good to know
- What the government owes, as a share of the economy’s yearly output.
- 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 149 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