Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Sri Lanka instead of Bangladesh, you would:
Health
live 2.7 years longer
In Bangladesh, the average life expectancy is 75 years (73 years for men, 77 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.
see 2.6 times more spent on your healthcare
Bangladesh spends $199 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Sri Lanka spends $507 as of 2023.
have 57.3% more doctors per person
Bangladesh has 7.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Sri Lanka has 11.4 as of 2023.
have 28.8% more access to essential health services
Bangladesh scores 52 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Sri Lanka scores 67 as of 2021.
be 95.1% more likely to be obese
In Bangladesh, 5.8% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Sri Lanka, that number is 11.2% of people as of 2024.
be 5.2 times more likely to die by suicide
Bangladesh has a suicide rate of 2.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Sri Lanka, it is 14.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 23.5% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Bangladesh, 18.7% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Sri Lanka, however, that number is 14.3% as of 2019.
make 92.6% more money
Bangladesh has a GDP per capita of $2,597 as of 2025, while in Sri Lanka, the GDP per capita is $5,002 as of 2025.
Life
be 84.3% less likely to die during childbirth
In Bangladesh, approximately 115.0 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 17.4% more likely to be literate
In Bangladesh, the literacy rate is 79.0% as of 2022. In Sri Lanka, it is 92.7% as of 2024.
be 78.7% less likely to die during infancy
In Bangladesh, approximately 24.4 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 49.5% fewer children
In Bangladesh, there are approximately 20.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Sri Lanka, there are 10.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 69.6% more on healthcare
Bangladesh spends 2.2% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Sri Lanka, that number is 3.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 2.3 times more coastline
Bangladesh has a total of 580 km of coastline. In Sri Lanka, that number is 1,340 km.
Safety
be 38.2% less likely to die in a road accident
In Bangladesh, road accidents kill 18.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Sri Lanka, they kill 11.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 41.5% more likely to be murdered
Bangladesh has a homicide rate of 2.3 per 100,000 people as of 2018. In Sri Lanka, that number is 3.3 per 100,000 as of 2019.
Infrastructure
live with 15.9 times more strain on fresh water
Bangladesh withdraws 6% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Sri Lanka withdraws 91% as of 2022.
Environment
be 43.9% less likely to die from air pollution
In Bangladesh, air pollution causes 66.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Sri Lanka, it causes 37.0 as of 2019.
emit 47.2% more CO2
Bangladesh emits 0.7 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Sri Lanka emits 1.1 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2018–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Bangladesh vs. Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: At a glance
How big is Sri Lanka compared to Bangladesh? See an in-depth size comparison.