Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Sri Lanka instead of Iceland, you would:
Health
be 49.5% less likely to be obese
In Iceland, 22.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Sri Lanka, that number is 11.2% of people as of 2024.
live 5.1 years less
In Iceland, the average life expectancy is 83 years (81 years for men, 84 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 92.7% less spent on your healthcare
Iceland spends $6,927 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Sri Lanka spends $507 as of 2023.
have 74.0% fewer doctors per person
Iceland has 43.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Sri Lanka has 11.4 as of 2023.
have 24.7% less access to essential health services
Iceland scores 89 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Sri Lanka scores 67 as of 2021.
be 23.8% more likely to die by suicide
Iceland has a suicide rate of 11.9 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Sri Lanka, it is 14.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 10.5% more likely to be unemployed
In Iceland, 3.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Sri Lanka, that number is 4.0% as of 2025.
be 62.5% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Iceland, 8.8% live below the poverty line as of 2017. In Sri Lanka, however, that number is 14.3% as of 2019.
make 94.9% less money
Iceland has a GDP per capita of $98,323 as of 2025, while in Sri Lanka, the GDP per capita is $5,002 as of 2025.
Life
be 6.0 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Iceland, approximately 3.0 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 2.5 times more likely to die during infancy
In Iceland, approximately 2.1 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.
Basic Needs
be 44.4% less likely to have internet access
In Iceland, approximately 98.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Sri Lanka, about 54.6% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 75.0% less on education
Iceland spends 7.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Sri Lanka spends 1.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 59.0% less on healthcare
Iceland spends 9.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Sri Lanka, that number is 3.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 73.0% less coastline
Iceland has a total of 4,970 km of coastline. In Sri Lanka, that number is 1,340 km.
Safety
be 4.8 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Iceland, road accidents kill 2.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Sri Lanka, they kill 11.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 77.4% less home broadband
Iceland has 37.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Sri Lanka has 8.5 as of 2024.
live with 232.8 times more strain on fresh water
Iceland withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Sri Lanka withdraws 91% as of 2022.
use 98.7% less electricity
Iceland uses 48,998 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Sri Lanka uses 644 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 87.6% less CO2
Iceland emits 8.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Sri Lanka emits 1.1 tonnes as of 2024.
be 4.6 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Iceland, air pollution causes 8.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Sri Lanka, it causes 37.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2017–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Iceland vs. Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: At a glance
How big is Sri Lanka compared to Iceland? See an in-depth size comparison.