Sri Lanka vs India
Sri Lanka
India
| Metric | Sri Lanka | India |
|---|---|---|
| Capital | Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte | New Delhi |
| Population | 23,229,470 | 1,463,865,525 |
| Area (km²) | 65,610 | 3,287,263 |
| Population density (/km²) | 354 | 445 |
| GDP per capita (USD) | $5,000 | $2,700 |
| Region | Southern Asia | Southern Asia |
| Currency | LKR | INR |
| Languages | Sinhala, Tamil | Hindi, English |
| Main religions | Buddhism, Hinduism | Hinduism, Islam, Christianity |
| Time zone | UTC+5:30 | UTC+5:30 |
Green highlights the higher value (or higher GDP per capita). Figures are approximate.
At a glance
Sri Lanka and India are both located in Asia (both in Southern Asia). India has the larger population — about 63× the population of Sri Lanka, while India covers more land area.
For full geographic detail, see the Sri Lanka map and the India map.
Separated by a shallow strait
Sri Lanka lies off India's southeastern tip, separated from Tamil Nadu by the Palk Strait and the Gulf of Mannar. Between them runs Adam's Bridge (Ram Setu), a chain of limestone shoals and sandbanks linking Rameswaram Island to Mannar Island; in Hindu tradition it is the bridge built in the Ramayana. The two countries settled their maritime boundary in agreements in 1974 and 1976, which placed the islet of Katchatheevu on the Sri Lankan side. Fishing by Indian trawlers in Sri Lankan waters is still a recurring source of friction.
Religion, language and the Tamil connection
Buddhism reached Sri Lanka from India in the 3rd century BCE, traditionally through Mahinda, a son of the Mauryan emperor Ashoka. It faded in most of India but became the faith of the Sinhalese majority, who speak Sinhala, an Indo-Aryan language. Sri Lanka's Tamil minority shares language, Hindu religion and many family ties with Tamil Nadu.
Those links shaped modern history. During Sri Lanka's civil war (1983–2009) between the government and the Tamil separatist LTTE, India sent a peacekeeping force in 1987–90 under the Indo-Sri Lanka Accord; it withdrew after heavy losses. In 1991 an LTTE suicide bomber assassinated former Indian prime minister Rajiv Gandhi.
Size and economy
The difference in scale is huge: India's population is more than 60 times Sri Lanka's. Yet Sri Lanka has long had higher literacy and life expectancy than the Indian average, and a higher GDP per capita. Its economy rests on tourism, tea, garments and remittances. In 2022 Sri Lanka defaulted on its foreign debt during a severe economic crisis, and India provided substantial emergency credit and currency support. India is also one of Sri Lanka's largest trading partners and sources of tourists.
Getting between them
Colombo is a short flight from Chennai and other South Indian cities. A passenger ferry between Nagapattinam in Tamil Nadu and Kankesanthurai near Jaffna was revived in 2023 after decades without a regular service.
Frequently asked questions
- How far is Sri Lanka from India?
- At the closest point, across the Palk Strait between Rameswaram and Mannar, the gap is only a few dozen kilometres, and much of it is spanned by the shoals of Adam's Bridge.
- Is Sri Lanka part of India?
- No. Sri Lanka is an independent country. It was a British colony called Ceylon, administered separately from British India, and became independent in 1948.