Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Sri Lanka instead of Iraq, you would:
Health
live 5.2 years longer
In Iraq, the average life expectancy is 72 years (70 years for men, 74 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.
be 71.7% less likely to be obese
In Iraq, 39.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Sri Lanka, that number is 11.2% of people as of 2024.
have 11.2% more doctors per person
Iraq has 10.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Sri Lanka has 11.4 as of 2023.
have 13.6% more access to essential health services
Iraq scores 59 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Sri Lanka scores 67 as of 2021.
see 39.8% less spent on your healthcare
Iraq spends $843 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Sri Lanka spends $507 as of 2023.
be 5.0 times more likely to die by suicide
Iraq has a suicide rate of 3.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Sri Lanka, it is 14.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 74.2% less likely to be unemployed
In Iraq, 15.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Sri Lanka, that number is 4.0% as of 2025.
Life
be 72.7% less likely to die during childbirth
In Iraq, approximately 66.0 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 10.3% more likely to be literate
In Iraq, the literacy rate is 84.1% as of 2021. In Sri Lanka, it is 92.7% as of 2024.
be 74.1% less likely to die during infancy
In Iraq, approximately 20.1 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.
have 60.5% fewer children
In Iraq, there are approximately 25.6 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 33.0% less likely to have internet access
In Iraq, approximately 81.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Sri Lanka, about 54.6% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 33.5% less on healthcare
Iraq spends 5.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Sri Lanka, that number is 3.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 23.1 times more coastline
Iraq has a total of 58 km of coastline. In Sri Lanka, that number is 1,340 km.
Safety
be 46.5% less likely to die in a road accident
In Iraq, road accidents kill 21.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Sri Lanka, they kill 11.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 52.0% less home broadband
Iraq has 17.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Sri Lanka has 8.5 as of 2024.
live with 52.4% more strain on fresh water
Iraq withdraws 60% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Sri Lanka withdraws 91% as of 2022.
use 53.2% less electricity
Iraq uses 1,377 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Sri Lanka uses 644 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 57.5% less likely to die from air pollution
In Iraq, air pollution causes 87.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Sri Lanka, it causes 37.0 as of 2019.
emit 79.5% less CO2
Iraq emits 5.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Sri Lanka emits 1.1 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Iraq vs. Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: At a glance
How big is Sri Lanka compared to Iraq? See an in-depth size comparison.