Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Sri Lanka instead of Mali, you would:
Health
live 17.0 years longer
In Mali, the average life expectancy is 61 years (59 years for men, 62 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 15.6% less likely to be obese
In Mali, 13.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Sri Lanka, that number is 11.2% of people as of 2024.
see 4.9 times more spent on your healthcare
Mali spends $104 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Sri Lanka spends $507 as of 2023.
have 6.0 times more doctors per person
Mali has 1.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Sri Lanka has 11.4 as of 2023.
have 63.4% more access to essential health services
Mali scores 41 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Sri Lanka scores 67 as of 2021.
be 3.5 times more likely to die by suicide
Mali has a suicide rate of 4.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Sri Lanka, it is 14.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 68.6% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Mali, 45.5% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Sri Lanka, however, that number is 14.3% as of 2019.
make 4.2 times more money
Mali has a GDP per capita of $1,193 as of 2025, while in Sri Lanka, the GDP per capita is $5,002 as of 2025.
be 41.3% more likely to be unemployed
In Mali, 2.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Sri Lanka, that number is 4.0% as of 2025.
Life
be 95.1% less likely to die during childbirth
In Mali, approximately 367.0 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 2.6 times more likely to be literate
In Mali, the literacy rate is 35.6% as of 2024. In Sri Lanka, it is 92.7% as of 2024.
be 89.1% less likely to die during infancy
In Mali, approximately 47.5 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 74.4% fewer children
In Mali, there are approximately 39.5 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 83.5% more likely to have access to electricity
In Mali, approximately 54% of people have electricity access (92% in urban areas, and 23% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Sri Lanka, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 48.3% more likely to have internet access
In Mali, approximately 36.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Sri Lanka, about 54.6% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 56.2% less on education
Mali spends 4.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Sri Lanka spends 1.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Safety
be 43.1% less likely to die in a road accident
In Mali, road accidents kill 20.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Sri Lanka, they kill 11.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 11.0 times more home broadband
Mali has 0.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Sri Lanka has 8.5 as of 2024.
live with 11.3 times more strain on fresh water
Mali withdraws 8% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Sri Lanka withdraws 91% as of 2022.
Environment
be 43.1% less likely to die from air pollution
In Mali, air pollution causes 65.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Sri Lanka, it causes 37.0 as of 2019.
emit 3.5 times more CO2
Mali emits 0.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Sri Lanka emits 1.1 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2019–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Mali vs. Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: At a glance
How big is Sri Lanka compared to Mali? See an in-depth size comparison.