Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Sri Lanka instead of Democratic Republic of the Congo, you would:
Health
live 15.6 years longer
In Democratic Republic of the Congo, the average life expectancy is 62 years (60 years for men, 64 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 8.8 times more spent on your healthcare
Democratic Republic of the Congo spends $58 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Sri Lanka spends $507 as of 2023.
have 5.5 times more doctors per person
Democratic Republic of the Congo has 2.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Sri Lanka has 11.4 as of 2023.
have 59.5% more access to essential health services
Democratic Republic of the Congo scores 42 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Sri Lanka scores 67 as of 2021.
be 67.7% more likely to be obese
In Democratic Republic of the Congo, 6.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Sri Lanka, that number is 11.2% of people as of 2024.
be 68.1% more likely to die by suicide
Democratic Republic of the Congo has a suicide rate of 8.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Sri Lanka, it is 14.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 74.6% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Democratic Republic of the Congo, 56.2% live below the poverty line as of 2020. In Sri Lanka, however, that number is 14.3% as of 2019.
make 6.2 times more money
Democratic Republic of the Congo has a GDP per capita of $807 as of 2025, while in Sri Lanka, the GDP per capita is $5,002 as of 2025.
Life
be 95.8% less likely to die during childbirth
In Democratic Republic of the Congo, approximately 427.0 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 35.4% more likely to be literate
In Democratic Republic of the Congo, the literacy rate is 68.5% as of 2023. In Sri Lanka, it is 92.7% as of 2024.
be 90.8% less likely to die during infancy
In Democratic Republic of the Congo, approximately 56.4 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 75.3% fewer children
In Democratic Republic of the Congo, there are approximately 40.9 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 4.5 times more likely to have access to electricity
In Democratic Republic of the Congo, approximately 22% of people have electricity access (56% in urban areas, and 1% 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 2.8 times more likely to have internet access
In Democratic Republic of the Congo, approximately 19.7% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Sri Lanka, about 54.6% do as of 2024.
be 2.5 times more likely to have access to drinking water
In Democratic Republic of the Congo, approximately 36% of people have access to drinking water (59% in urban areas, and 14% 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 35.6% less on education
Democratic Republic of the Congo spends 2.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Sri Lanka spends 1.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Geography
see 36.2 times more coastline
Democratic Republic of the Congo has a total of 37 km of coastline. In Sri Lanka, that number is 1,340 km.
Safety
be 29.4% less likely to die in a road accident
In Democratic Republic of the Congo, road accidents kill 16.3 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Sri Lanka, they kill 11.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 282.3 times more home broadband
Democratic Republic of the Congo has 0.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Sri Lanka has 8.5 as of 2024.
use 5.0 times more electricity
Democratic Republic of the Congo uses 129 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Sri Lanka uses 644 kWh as of 2023.
live with 394.7 times more strain on fresh water
Democratic Republic of the Congo withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Sri Lanka withdraws 91% as of 2022.
Environment
be 48.6% less likely to die from air pollution
In Democratic Republic of the Congo, air pollution causes 72.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Sri Lanka, it causes 37.0 as of 2019.
emit 17.7 times more CO2
Democratic Republic of the Congo 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 (2019–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Democratic Republic of the Congo vs. Sri Lanka
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