Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Sri Lanka instead of Burundi, you would:
Health
live 13.9 years longer
In Burundi, the average life expectancy is 64 years (62 years for men, 66 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 5.1 times more spent on your healthcare
Burundi spends $100 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Sri Lanka spends $507 as of 2023.
have 14.6 times more doctors per person
Burundi has 0.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Sri Lanka has 11.4 as of 2023.
have 63.4% more access to essential health services
Burundi scores 41 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Sri Lanka scores 67 as of 2021.
be 2.2 times more likely to be obese
In Burundi, 5.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Sri Lanka, that number is 11.2% of people as of 2024.
be 92.7% more likely to die by suicide
Burundi has a suicide rate of 7.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Sri Lanka, it is 14.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 72.0% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Burundi, 51.0% live below the poverty line as of 2020. In Sri Lanka, however, that number is 14.3% as of 2019.
make 21.4 times more money
Burundi has a GDP per capita of $234 as of 2025, while in Sri Lanka, the GDP per capita is $5,002 as of 2025.
be 4.3 times more likely to be unemployed
In Burundi, 0.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Sri Lanka, that number is 4.0% as of 2025.
Life
be 95.4% less likely to die during childbirth
In Burundi, approximately 392.0 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 24.1% more likely to be literate
In Burundi, the literacy rate is 74.7% as of 2021. In Sri Lanka, it is 92.7% as of 2024.
be 83.0% less likely to die during infancy
In Burundi, approximately 30.5 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 69.6% fewer children
In Burundi, there are approximately 33.2 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 8.6 times more likely to have access to electricity
In Burundi, approximately 12% of people have electricity access (65% in urban areas, and 2% 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 6.3 times more likely to have internet access
In Burundi, approximately 8.6% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Sri Lanka, about 54.6% do as of 2024.
be 36.8% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Burundi, approximately 66% of people have access to drinking water (91% in urban areas, and 61% 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 59.3% less on education
Burundi spends 4.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2025. Sri Lanka spends 1.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 59.5% less on healthcare
Burundi spends 9.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Sri Lanka, that number is 3.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 41.4% less likely to be murdered
Burundi has a homicide rate of 5.7 per 100,000 people as of 2016. In Sri Lanka, that number is 3.3 per 100,000 as of 2019.
Infrastructure
find 423.5 times more home broadband
Burundi has 0.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Sri Lanka has 8.5 as of 2024.
live with 8.9 times more strain on fresh water
Burundi withdraws 10% 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 Burundi, air pollution causes 71.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Sri Lanka, it causes 37.0 as of 2019.
emit 15.1 times more CO2
Burundi emits 0.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Sri Lanka emits 1.1 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2016–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Burundi vs. Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: At a glance
How big is Sri Lanka compared to Burundi? See an in-depth size comparison.