Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Sri Lanka instead of Japan, you would:
Health
be 15.4% less likely to die by suicide
Japan has a suicide rate of 17.4 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Sri Lanka, it is 14.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 6.4 years less
In Japan, the average life expectancy is 84 years (81 years for men, 87 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 90.2% more likely to be obese
In Japan, 5.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Sri Lanka, that number is 11.2% of people as of 2024.
see 90.5% less spent on your healthcare
Japan spends $5,365 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Sri Lanka spends $507 as of 2023.
have 57.1% fewer doctors per person
Japan has 26.5 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Sri Lanka has 11.4 as of 2023.
have 19.3% less access to essential health services
Japan scores 83 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Sri Lanka scores 67 as of 2021.
Economy
be 63.3% more likely to be unemployed
In Japan, 2.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Sri Lanka, that number is 4.0% as of 2025.
make 86.1% less money
Japan has a GDP per capita of $35,951 as of 2025, while in Sri Lanka, the GDP per capita is $5,002 as of 2025.
Life
have 77.2% more children
In Japan, there are approximately 5.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Sri Lanka, there are 10.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 6.0 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Japan, 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 2.9 times more likely to die during infancy
In Japan, approximately 1.8 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 36.2% less likely to have internet access
In Japan, approximately 85.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Sri Lanka, about 54.6% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 45.2% less on education
Japan spends 3.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Sri Lanka spends 1.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 65.7% less on healthcare
Japan spends 10.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Sri Lanka, that number is 3.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 95.5% less coastline
Japan has a total of 29,751 km of coastline. In Sri Lanka, that number is 1,340 km.
Safety
be 4.3 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Japan, road accidents kill 2.7 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Sri Lanka, they kill 11.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 78.1% less home broadband
Japan has 38.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Sri Lanka has 8.5 as of 2024.
live with 2.5 times more strain on fresh water
Japan withdraws 37% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Sri Lanka withdraws 91% as of 2022.
use 91.4% less electricity
Japan uses 7,530 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Sri Lanka uses 644 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 86.5% less CO2
Japan emits 7.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Sri Lanka emits 1.1 tonnes as of 2024.
be 3.1 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Japan, air pollution causes 12.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Sri Lanka, it causes 37.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Japan vs. Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: At a glance
How big is Sri Lanka compared to Japan? See an in-depth size comparison.