Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Sri Lanka instead of Burma, you would:
Health
live 10.6 years longer
In Burma, the average life expectancy is 67 years (64 years for men, 70 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 79.1% more spent on your healthcare
Burma spends $283 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Sri Lanka spends $507 as of 2023.
have 28.8% more access to essential health services
Burma scores 52 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Sri Lanka scores 67 as of 2021.
be 38.0% more likely to be obese
In Burma, 8.1% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Sri Lanka, that number is 11.2% of people as of 2024.
be 5.1 times more likely to die by suicide
Burma has a suicide rate of 2.9 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Sri Lanka, it is 14.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 42.3% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Burma, 24.8% live below the poverty line as of 2017. In Sri Lanka, however, that number is 14.3% as of 2019.
make 3.4 times more money
Burma has a GDP per capita of $1,489 as of 2025, while in Sri Lanka, the GDP per capita is $5,002 as of 2025.
be 31.1% more likely to be unemployed
In Burma, 3.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Sri Lanka, that number is 4.0% as of 2025.
Life
be 90.3% less likely to die during childbirth
In Burma, approximately 185.0 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 84.1% less likely to die during infancy
In Burma, approximately 32.8 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 38.6% fewer children
In Burma, there are approximately 16.5 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 30.2% more likely to have access to electricity
In Burma, approximately 77% of people have electricity access (95% in urban areas, and 69% 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 24.1% more likely to have internet access
In Burma, approximately 44.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Sri Lanka, about 54.6% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 17.5% less on healthcare
Burma spends 4.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Sri Lanka, that number is 3.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 30.6% less coastline
Burma has a total of 1,930 km of coastline. In Sri Lanka, that number is 1,340 km.
Safety
be 40.4% less likely to die in a road accident
In Burma, road accidents kill 19.3 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Sri Lanka, they kill 11.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 3.0 times more home broadband
Burma has 2.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Sri Lanka has 8.5 as of 2024.
use 74.9% more electricity
Burma uses 368 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Sri Lanka uses 644 kWh as of 2023.
live with 15.7 times more strain on fresh water
Burma withdraws 6% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Sri Lanka withdraws 91% as of 2022.
Environment
be 47.9% less likely to die from air pollution
In Burma, air pollution causes 71.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Sri Lanka, it causes 37.0 as of 2019.
emit 82.8% more CO2
Burma emits 0.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Sri Lanka emits 1.1 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2017–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Burma vs. Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: At a glance
How big is Sri Lanka compared to Burma? See an in-depth size comparison.