Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

be 54.3% less likely to be obese

In Iran, 24.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Sri Lanka, that number is 11.2% of people as of 2024.

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see 52.3% less spent on your healthcare

Iran spends $1,064 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Sri Lanka spends $507 as of 2023.

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have 37.3% fewer doctors per person

Iran has 18.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Sri Lanka has 11.4 as of 2023.

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be 3.6 times more likely to die by suicide

Iran has a suicide rate of 4.1 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 51.8% less likely to be unemployed

In Iran, 8.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Sri Lanka, that number is 4.0% as of 2025.

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make 27.5% more money

Iran has a GDP per capita of $3,924 as of 2025, while in Sri Lanka, the GDP per capita is $5,002 as of 2025.

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Life

be 49.5% less likely to die during infancy

In Iran, approximately 10.3 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 19.6% fewer children

In Iran, there are approximately 12.6 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 36.0% less likely to have internet access

In Iran, approximately 85.3% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Sri Lanka, about 54.6% do as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 35.1% less on education

Iran spends 2.8% 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 39.0% less on healthcare

Iran spends 6.0% 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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Geography

see 45.1% less coastline

Iran has a total of 2,440 km of coastline. In Sri Lanka, that number is 1,340 km.

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Safety

be 44.2% less likely to die in a road accident

In Iran, road accidents kill 20.6 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

find 29.8% less home broadband

Iran has 12.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Sri Lanka has 8.5 as of 2024.

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live with 11.7% more strain on fresh water

Iran withdraws 81% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Sri Lanka withdraws 91% as of 2022.

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use 83.1% less electricity

Iran uses 3,815 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Sri Lanka uses 644 kWh as of 2023.

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Environment

be 27.5% less likely to die from air pollution

In Iran, air pollution causes 51.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Sri Lanka, it causes 37.0 as of 2019.

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emit 88.3% less CO2

Iran emits 9.1 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 (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this

Compare further: Iran vs. Sri Lanka

Cost of Living Comparison · 7 categories - 2026 data
Sri Lanka is 8.4% more expensive than Iran overall
→
Size Comparison · See true size
Iran is about 25 times bigger than Sri Lanka.
→
Moving from Iran to Sri Lanka · UN DESA 2020
104 people born in Iran live in Sri Lanka.
→

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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