Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Sri Lanka instead of Afghanistan, you would:
Health
live 11.4 years longer
In Afghanistan, the average life expectancy is 66 years (65 years for men, 68 years for women) as of 2024. In Sri Lanka, that number is 78 years (74 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024.
be 45.5% less likely to be obese
In Afghanistan, 20.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Sri Lanka, that number is 11.2% of people as of 2024.
see 53.7% more spent on your healthcare
Afghanistan spends $330 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Sri Lanka spends $507 as of 2023.
have 3.6 times more doctors per person
Afghanistan has 3.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Sri Lanka has 11.4 as of 2023.
have 63.4% more access to essential health services
Afghanistan scores 41 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Sri Lanka scores 67 as of 2021.
be 4.1 times more likely to die by suicide
Afghanistan has a suicide rate of 3.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Sri Lanka, it is 14.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 70.0% less likely to be unemployed
In Afghanistan, 13.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Sri Lanka, that number is 4.0% as of 2025.
be 69.6% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Afghanistan, 47.1% live below the poverty line as of 2019. In Sri Lanka, however, that number is 14.3% as of 2019.
make 12.0 times more money
Afghanistan has a GDP per capita of $417 as of 2024, while in Sri Lanka, the GDP per capita is $5,002 as of 2025.
Life
be 96.5% less likely to die during childbirth
In Afghanistan, approximately 521.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Sri Lanka, 18.0 women do as of 2023.
be 2.5 times more likely to be literate
In Afghanistan, the literacy rate is 37.3% as of 2021. In Sri Lanka, it is 92.7% as of 2024.
be 89.2% less likely to die during infancy
In Afghanistan, approximately 48.3 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Sri Lanka, on the other hand, 5.2 children do as of 2024.
have 71.2% fewer children
In Afghanistan, there are approximately 35.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Sri Lanka, there are 10.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 17.2% more likely to have access to electricity
In Afghanistan, approximately 85% of people have electricity access (96% in urban areas, and 81% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Sri Lanka, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 3.4 times more likely to have internet access
In Afghanistan, approximately 16.1% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Sri Lanka, about 54.6% do as of 2024.
be 11.6% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Afghanistan, approximately 81% of people have access to drinking water (97% in urban areas, and 75% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Sri Lanka, that number is 90% of people on average (98% in urban areas, and 88% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 36.9% less on education
Afghanistan spends 2.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Sri Lanka spends 1.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 75.5% less on healthcare
Afghanistan spends 15.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Sri Lanka, that number is 3.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 17.9% less likely to be murdered
Afghanistan has a homicide rate of 4.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Sri Lanka, that number is 3.3 per 100,000 as of 2019.
be 52.3% less likely to die in a road accident
In Afghanistan, road accidents kill 24.1 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Sri Lanka, they kill 11.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 105.9 times more home broadband
Afghanistan has 0.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Sri Lanka has 8.5 as of 2024.
live with 65.8% more strain on fresh water
Afghanistan withdraws 55% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Sri Lanka withdraws 91% as of 2022.
Environment
be 74.1% less likely to die from air pollution
In Afghanistan, air pollution causes 143.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Sri Lanka, it causes 37.0 as of 2019.
emit 3.8 times more CO2
Afghanistan emits 0.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Sri Lanka emits 1.1 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2019–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2020). How we calculate this
Compare further: Afghanistan vs. Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: At a glance
How big is Sri Lanka compared to Afghanistan? See an in-depth size comparison.