Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Sri Lanka instead of Marshall Islands, you would:

Health

live 10.6 years longer

In Marshall Islands, the average life expectancy is 67 years (65 years for men, 69 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 73.3% less likely to be obese

In Marshall Islands, 42.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Sri Lanka, that number is 11.2% of people as of 2024.

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have 13.6% more access to essential health services

Marshall Islands scores 59 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Sri Lanka scores 67 as of 2021.

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see 42.0% less spent on your healthcare

Marshall Islands spends $874 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Sri Lanka spends $507 as of 2023.

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Economy

be 98.6% more likely to live below the poverty line

In Marshall Islands, 7.2% live below the poverty line as of 2019. In Sri Lanka, however, that number is 14.3% as of 2019.

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make 41.1% less money

Marshall Islands has a GDP per capita of $8,489 as of 2025, while in Sri Lanka, the GDP per capita is $5,002 as of 2025.

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Life

be 88.4% less likely to die during childbirth

In Marshall Islands, approximately 155.0 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 77.1% less likely to die during infancy

In Marshall Islands, approximately 22.7 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 49.7% fewer children

In Marshall Islands, there are approximately 20.1 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 17.2% less likely to have internet access

In Marshall Islands, approximately 65.9% 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 76.2% less on education

Marshall Islands spends 7.7% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Sri Lanka spends 1.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.

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spend 72.6% less on healthcare

Marshall Islands spends 13.4% 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 3.6 times more coastline

Marshall Islands has a total of 370 km of coastline. In Sri Lanka, that number is 1,340 km.

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Infrastructure

find 3.6 times more home broadband

Marshall Islands has 2.4 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Sri Lanka has 8.5 as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2019–2025), World Health Organization (2024), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021), The World Factbook. How we calculate this

Compare further: Marshall Islands vs. Sri Lanka

Cost of Living Comparison · 7 categories - 2026 data
Sri Lanka is 66.4% cheaper than Marshall Islands overall
→
Size Comparison · See true size
Marshall Islands is about 362 times smaller than Sri Lanka.
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Moving from Marshall Islands to Sri Lanka · Cost, visas & climate
Compare cost of living, salary and climate.
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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 Marshall Islands? See an in-depth size comparison.

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