What is the difference in years a country was a european overseas colony between Seychelles and Sri Lanka?

13 years, with Seychelles ahead.

How many years of comparable data are there for Seychelles and Sri Lanka?

561 years are reported by both, from 1462 to 2022.

Where does this data come from?

Bastian Becker (2023) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Years a country was a European overseas colony. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Seychelles vs Sri Lanka: Years a country was a European overseas colony

Seychelles

202 years

in 2022

Sri Lanka

189 years

in 2022

Seychelles rank

45th

Sri Lanka rank

47th

Years a country was a European overseas colony over time

Seychelles
Sri Lanka

How they compare

Seychelles currently reports 202 years against 189 years in Sri Lanka, a difference of 13 years.

That makes Seychelles's figure about 1.1 times Sri Lanka's.

The two have swapped places 3 times across 561 shared years of data; in 1462 it was Sri Lanka ahead.

Seychelles ranks 45th and Sri Lanka ranks 47th of 159 countries.

Across the 57 decades both report, Seychelles averaged higher in 7 and Sri Lanka in 35.

Head to head by decade

Decade	Seychelles	Sri Lanka	Difference	Ahead
1460s	0 years	0 years	0 years	—
1470s	0 years	0 years	0 years	—
1480s	0 years	0 years	0 years	—
1490s	0 years	0 years	0 years	—
1500s	0 years	0 years	0 years	—
1510s	0 years	0 years	0 years	—
1520s	0 years	0 years	0 years	—
1530s	0 years	0 years	0 years	—
1540s	0 years	0 years	0 years	—
1550s	0 years	0 years	0 years	—
1560s	0 years	0 years	0 years	—
1570s	0 years	0 years	0 years	—
1580s	0 years	0 years	0 years	—
1590s	0 years	0 years	0 years	—
1600s	0 years	0 years	0 years	—
1610s	0 years	0.1 years	0.1 years	Sri Lanka
1620s	0 years	6.5 years	6.5 years	Sri Lanka
1630s	0 years	16.5 years	16.5 years	Sri Lanka
1640s	0 years	26.5 years	26.5 years	Sri Lanka
1650s	0 years	35.9 years	35.9 years	Sri Lanka
1660s	0 years	38 years	38 years	Sri Lanka
1670s	0 years	38 years	38 years	Sri Lanka
1680s	0 years	38 years	38 years	Sri Lanka
1690s	0 years	38 years	38 years	Sri Lanka
1700s	0 years	38 years	38 years	Sri Lanka
1710s	0 years	38 years	38 years	Sri Lanka
1720s	0 years	38 years	38 years	Sri Lanka
1730s	0 years	38 years	38 years	Sri Lanka
1740s	0 years	38 years	38 years	Sri Lanka
1750s	1 years	38 years	37 years	Sri Lanka
1760s	9.5 years	38 years	28.5 years	Sri Lanka
1770s	19.5 years	38 years	18.5 years	Sri Lanka
1780s	29.5 years	38 years	8.5 years	Sri Lanka
1790s	38 years	38.3 years	0.3 years	Sri Lanka
1800s	39 years	45.5 years	6.5 years	Sri Lanka
1810s	41.1 years	55.5 years	14.4 years	Sri Lanka
1820s	50.5 years	65.5 years	15 years	Sri Lanka
1830s	60.5 years	75.5 years	15 years	Sri Lanka
1840s	70.5 years	85.5 years	15 years	Sri Lanka
1850s	80.5 years	95.5 years	15 years	Sri Lanka
1860s	90.5 years	105.5 years	15 years	Sri Lanka
1870s	100.5 years	115.5 years	15 years	Sri Lanka
1880s	110.5 years	125.5 years	15 years	Sri Lanka
1890s	120.5 years	135.5 years	15 years	Sri Lanka
1900s	130.5 years	145.5 years	15 years	Sri Lanka
1910s	140.5 years	155.5 years	15 years	Sri Lanka
1920s	150.5 years	165.5 years	15 years	Sri Lanka
1930s	160.5 years	175.5 years	15 years	Sri Lanka
1940s	170.5 years	185.4 years	14.9 years	Sri Lanka
1950s	180.5 years	189 years	8.5 years	Sri Lanka
1960s	190.5 years	189 years	1.5 years	Seychelles
1970s	199.9 years	189 years	10.9 years	Seychelles
1980s	202 years	189 years	13 years	Seychelles
1990s	202 years	189 years	13 years	Seychelles
2000s	202 years	189 years	13 years	Seychelles
2010s	202 years	189 years	13 years	Seychelles
2020s	202 years	189 years	13 years	Seychelles

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher years a country was a european overseas colony, Seychelles or Sri Lanka?: Seychelles, at 202 years against 189 years in Sri Lanka as of 2022.
What is the difference in years a country was a european overseas colony between Seychelles and Sri Lanka?: 13 years, with Seychelles ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Seychelles and Sri Lanka?: 561 years are reported by both, from 1462 to 2022.
How do Seychelles and Sri Lanka rank globally for years a country was a european overseas colony?: Seychelles ranks 45th and Sri Lanka ranks 47th of 159 countries.
Where does this data come from?: Bastian Becker (2023) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Years a country was a European overseas colony. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Seychelles vs Sri Lanka: Years a country was a European overseas colony. Statizoid, drawing on Bastian Becker (2023) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 23 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/compare/years-colonized/seychelles/sri-lanka/

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About this data

Indicator: Years a country was a European overseas colony
Unit: years
Source: Bastian Becker (2023) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 159 places, 88,747 data points, 1462–2022
Last refreshed: 18 September 2026

Number of years the country has been colonized from overseas by the European colonial power(s) in a specific year, between Belgium, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, and Italy, or a combination of them.