Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Sri Lanka instead of Central African Republic, you would:

Health

be 95.8% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Central African Republic, 2.4% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Sri Lanka, that number is 0.1% of people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

live 20.0 years longer

In Central African Republic, the average life expectancy is 58 years (56 years for men, 60 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.

View global rankings →

see 3.7 times more spent on your healthcare

Central African Republic spends $137 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Sri Lanka spends $507 as of 2023.

View global rankings →

have 15.4 times more doctors per person

Central African Republic has 0.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Sri Lanka has 11.4 as of 2023.

View global rankings →

have 2.1 times more access to essential health services

Central African Republic scores 32 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Sri Lanka scores 67 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

be 60.4% more likely to die by suicide

Central African Republic has a suicide rate of 9.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Sri Lanka, it is 14.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

Economy

be 36.0% less likely to be unemployed

In Central African Republic, 6.2% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Sri Lanka, that number is 4.0% as of 2025.

View global rankings →

be 79.2% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Central African Republic, 68.8% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Sri Lanka, however, that number is 14.3% as of 2019.

View global rankings →

make 9.0 times more money

Central African Republic has a GDP per capita of $556 as of 2025, while in Sri Lanka, the GDP per capita is $5,002 as of 2025.

View global rankings →

Life

be 97.4% less likely to die during childbirth

In Central African Republic, approximately 692.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Sri Lanka, 18.0 women do as of 2023.

View global rankings →

be 91.2% less likely to die during infancy

In Central African Republic, approximately 58.8 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.

View global rankings →

have 78.1% fewer children

In Central African Republic, there are approximately 46.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Sri Lanka, there are 10.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Basic Needs

be 5.7 times more likely to have access to electricity

In Central African Republic, approximately 18% of people have electricity access (37% 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.

View global rankings →

be 4.0 times more likely to have internet access

In Central African Republic, approximately 13.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Sri Lanka, about 54.6% do as of 2024.

View global rankings →

be 2.5 times more likely to have access to drinking water

In Central African Republic, approximately 36% of people have access to drinking water (48% in urban areas, and 27% 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.

View global rankings →

Expenditures

spend 65.5% less on healthcare

Central African Republic spends 10.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Sri Lanka, that number is 3.7% of GDP as of 2023.

View global rankings →

Safety

be 83.5% less likely to be murdered

Central African Republic has a homicide rate of 20.1 per 100,000 people as of 2016. In Sri Lanka, that number is 3.3 per 100,000 as of 2019.

View global rankings →

be 55.6% less likely to die in a road accident

In Central African Republic, road accidents kill 25.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Sri Lanka, they kill 11.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

Infrastructure

find 423.5 times more home broadband

Central African Republic has 0.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Sri Lanka has 8.5 as of 2024.

View global rankings →

live with 267.0 times more strain on fresh water

Central African Republic withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Sri Lanka withdraws 91% as of 2022.

View global rankings →

Environment

be 62.2% less likely to die from air pollution

In Central African Republic, air pollution causes 98.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Sri Lanka, it causes 37.0 as of 2019.

View global rankings →

emit 17.7 times more CO2

Central African Republic emits 0.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Sri Lanka emits 1.1 tonnes as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Sources: World Bank (2016–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021). How we calculate this

Compare further: Central African Republic vs. Sri Lanka

Size Comparison · See true size
Central African Republic is about 10 times bigger than Sri Lanka.
→
Moving from Central African Republic to Sri Lanka · Cost, visas & climate
Compare cost of living, salary and climate.
→

Sri Lanka: At a glance

Sri Lanka is a sovereign country in South Asia, with a total land area of approximately 64,630 sq km. The first Sinhalese arrived in Sri Lanka late in the 6th century B.C., probably from northern India. Buddhism was introduced in about the mid-third century B.C., and a great civilization developed at the cities of Anuradhapura (kingdom from circa 200 B.C. to circa A.D. 1000) and Polonnaruwa (from about 1070 to 1200). In the 14th century, a south Indian dynasty established a Tamil kingdom in northern Sri Lanka. The coastal areas of the island were controlled by the Portuguese in the 16th century and by the Dutch in the 17th century. The island was ceded to the British in 1796, became a crown colony in 1802, and was formally united under British rule by 1815. As Ceylon, it became independent in 1948; its name was changed to Sri Lanka in 1972. Tensions between the Sinhalese majority and Tamil separatists erupted into war in 1983. After two decades of fighting, the government and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) formalized a cease-fire in February 2002 with Norway brokering peace negotiations. Violence between the LTTE and government forces intensified in 2006, but the government regained control of the Eastern Province in 2007. By May 2009, the government announced that its military had defeated the remnants of the LTTE. Since the end of the conflict, the government has enacted an ambitious program of economic development projects, many of which are financed by loans from the Government of China. In addition to efforts to reconstruct its economy, the government has resettled more than 95% of those civilians who were displaced during the final phase of the conflict and released the vast majority of former LTTE combatants captured by Government Security Forces. At the same time, there has been little progress on more contentious and politically difficult issues such as reaching a political settlement with Tamil elected representatives and holding accountable those alleged to have been involved in human rights violations and other abuses during the conflict.
Read more

How big is Sri Lanka compared to Central African Republic? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

Ask the Elsewhere Community

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Sri Lanka or Central African Republic. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.