If you lived in Sri Lanka instead of Chad, you would:

Health

live 22.4 years longer

In Chad, the average life expectancy is 55 years (53 years for men, 57 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.

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see 3.9 times more spent on your healthcare

Chad spends $130 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Sri Lanka spends $507 as of 2023.

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have 13.4 times more doctors per person

Chad has 0.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Sri Lanka has 11.4 as of 2023.

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have 2.3 times more access to essential health services

Chad scores 29 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Sri Lanka scores 67 as of 2021.

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be 51.6% more likely to be obese

In Chad, 7.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Sri Lanka, that number is 11.2% of people as of 2024.

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be 2.8 times more likely to die by suicide

Chad has a suicide rate of 5.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Sri Lanka, it is 14.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 68.1% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Chad, 44.8% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Sri Lanka, however, that number is 14.3% as of 2019.

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make 4.9 times more money

Chad has a GDP per capita of $1,022 as of 2025, while in Sri Lanka, the GDP per capita is $5,002 as of 2025.

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be 3.8 times more likely to be unemployed

In Chad, 1.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Sri Lanka, that number is 4.0% as of 2025.

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Life

be 97.6% less likely to die during childbirth

In Chad, approximately 748.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Sri Lanka, 18.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 3.5 times more likely to be literate

In Chad, the literacy rate is 26.8% as of 2021. In Sri Lanka, it is 92.7% as of 2024.

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be 90.8% less likely to die during infancy

In Chad, approximately 56.3 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.

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have 76.7% fewer children

In Chad, there are approximately 43.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Sri Lanka, there are 10.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 8.3 times more likely to have access to electricity

In Chad, approximately 12% of people have electricity access (48% in urban areas, and 0% 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.

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be 4.3 times more likely to have internet access

In Chad, approximately 12.6% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Sri Lanka, about 54.6% do as of 2024.

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be 72.8% more likely to have access to drinking water

In Chad, approximately 52% of people have access to drinking water (78% in urban areas, and 44% 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.

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Expenditures

spend 42.8% less on education

Chad spends 3.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Sri Lanka spends 1.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.

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spend 26.4% less on healthcare

Chad spends 5.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Sri Lanka, that number is 3.7% of GDP as of 2023.

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Safety

be 56.4% less likely to die in a road accident

In Chad, road accidents kill 26.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Sri Lanka, they kill 11.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

use 47.0 times more electricity

Chad uses 14 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Sri Lanka uses 644 kWh as of 2023.

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live with 21.2 times more strain on fresh water

Chad withdraws 4% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Sri Lanka withdraws 91% as of 2022.

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Environment

be 61.1% less likely to die from air pollution

In Chad, air pollution causes 95.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Sri Lanka, it causes 37.0 as of 2019.

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emit 7.6 times more CO2

Chad emits 0.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Sri Lanka emits 1.1 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2019–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this

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.
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