Nepal vs Sri Lanka
Nepal vs Sri Lanka: Inflation
Inflation in 2025: 4.1% a year in Nepal and -0.5% a year in Sri Lanka, by IMF estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in Nepal, by 4.6 percentage points.
% a year · IMF
What the numbers say
- Nepal has been higher since 2024, when it overtook Sri Lanka.
- In 2025, Nepal ranked 52 and Sri Lanka ranked 175 of 179 countries, counting from the highest.
- The IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) puts Nepal at 5% a year and Sri Lanka at 5% a year in 2031.
Every year
% a year · IMF
| Year | Nepal | Sri Lanka |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 4.1 | -0.5 |
| 2024 | 5.4 | 1.2 |
| 2023 | 7.7 | 17.4 |
| 2022 | 6.4 | 45.2 |
| 2021 | 3.6 | 6 |
| 2020 | 6.1 | 4.6 |
| 2019 | 4.6 | 4.3 |
| 2018 | 4.1 | 4.3 |
| 2017 | 4.5 | 6.6 |
| 2016 | 9.9 | 4 |
| 2015 | 7.8 | 2.2 |
| 2014 | 9 | 2.8 |
| 2013 | 9.9 | 6.9 |
| 2012 | 8.3 | 7.5 |
| 2011 | 9.6 | 6.7 |
| 2010 | 9.6 | 6.2 |
| 2009 | 12.6 | 3.5 |
| 2008 | 6.7 | 22.4 |
| 2007 | 6.2 | 15.9 |
| 2006 | 8 | 9.9 |
| 2005 | 4.5 | 11 |
| 2004 | 4 | 9 |
| 2003 | 4.7 | 9 |
| 2002 | 2.9 | 9.6 |
| 2001 | 2.4 | 14.2 |
| 2000 | 3.4 | 6.2 |
| 1999 | 11.4 | 4.7 |
| 1998 | 8.3 | 9.4 |
| 1997 | 8.1 | 9.6 |
| 1996 | 7.2 | 15.9 |
| 1995 | 7.7 | 7.7 |
| 1994 | 9 | 8.4 |
| 1993 | 8.9 | 11.8 |
| 1992 | 21.1 | 11.4 |
| 1991 | 7.9 | 12.2 |
| 1990 | 8.9 | 21.5 |
| 1989 | 8.1 | 11.6 |
| 1988 | 11 | 14 |
| 1987 | 13.3 | 7.7 |
| 1986 | 15.9 | 8 |
| 1985 | 4.1 | 1.5 |
| 1984 | 6.2 | 16.6 |
| 1983 | 14.2 | 14 |
| 1982 | 10.4 | 10.8 |
| 1981 | 13.5 | 18 |
| 1980 | 9.8 | 26.1 |
IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) · 2026–2031
| Year | Nepal | Sri Lanka |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 3.1 | 5.3 |
| 2027 | 5.8 | 5.4 |
| 2028 | 5 | 5.1 |
| 2029 | 5 | 5 |
| 2030 | 5 | 5 |
| 2031 | 5 | 5 |
Each country on its own
Good to know
- How much consumer prices rose in a year, on average.
- 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 179 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