Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 11.1 years longer

In Kiribati, the average life expectancy is 67 years (65 years for men, 68 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.

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be 75.4% less likely to be obese

In Kiribati, 45.6% 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 26.5% more spent on your healthcare

Kiribati spends $401 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Sri Lanka spends $507 as of 2023.

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have 39.6% more access to essential health services

Kiribati scores 48 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Sri Lanka scores 67 as of 2021.

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be 15.6% less likely to die by suicide

Kiribati has a suicide rate of 17.5 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

make 95.5% more money

Kiribati has a GDP per capita of $2,559 as of 2025, while in Sri Lanka, the GDP per capita is $5,002 as of 2025.

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Life

be 77.5% less likely to die during childbirth

In Kiribati, approximately 80.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Sri Lanka, 18.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 86.6% less likely to die during infancy

In Kiribati, approximately 38.8 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.

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have 60.1% fewer children

In Kiribati, there are approximately 25.3 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 14.1% more likely to have access to drinking water

In Kiribati, approximately 79% of people have access to drinking water (90% in urban areas, and 64% 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.

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be 39.0% less likely to have internet access

In Kiribati, approximately 89.4% 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 88.8% less on education

Kiribati spends 16.4% 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 66.4% less on healthcare

Kiribati spends 10.9% 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 17.2% more coastline

Kiribati has a total of 1,143 km of coastline. In Sri Lanka, that number is 1,340 km.

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Safety

be 85.5% more likely to die in a road accident

In Kiribati, road accidents kill 6.2 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 282.3 times more home broadband

Kiribati has 0.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Sri Lanka has 8.5 as of 2024.

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Environment

be 24.5% less likely to die from air pollution

In Kiribati, air pollution causes 49.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Sri Lanka, it causes 37.0 as of 2019.

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emit 79.7% more CO2

Kiribati emits 0.6 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: Kiribati vs. Sri Lanka

Size Comparison · See true size
Kiribati is about 81 times smaller than Sri Lanka.
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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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How big is Sri Lanka compared to Kiribati? See an in-depth size comparison.

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