Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Sri Lanka instead of Nepal, you would:
Health
live 7.0 years longer
In Nepal, the average life expectancy is 71 years (69 years for men, 72 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.
see 52.7% more spent on your healthcare
Nepal spends $332 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Sri Lanka spends $507 as of 2023.
have 12.4% more doctors per person
Nepal has 10.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Sri Lanka has 11.4 as of 2023.
have 24.1% more access to essential health services
Nepal scores 54 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Sri Lanka scores 67 as of 2021.
be 41.0% more likely to be obese
In Nepal, 8.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Sri Lanka, that number is 11.2% of people as of 2024.
be 45.4% more likely to die by suicide
Nepal has a suicide rate of 10.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Sri Lanka, it is 14.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 61.8% less likely to be unemployed
In Nepal, 10.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Sri Lanka, that number is 4.0% as of 2025.
be 29.6% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Nepal, 20.3% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Sri Lanka, however, that number is 14.3% as of 2019.
make 3.3 times more money
Nepal has a GDP per capita of $1,536 as of 2025, while in Sri Lanka, the GDP per capita is $5,002 as of 2025.
Life
be 87.3% less likely to die during childbirth
In Nepal, approximately 142.0 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 30.3% more likely to be literate
In Nepal, the literacy rate is 71.2% as of 2021. In Sri Lanka, it is 92.7% as of 2024.
be 76.6% less likely to die during infancy
In Nepal, approximately 22.2 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 46.7% fewer children
In Nepal, there are approximately 19.0 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 17.9% more likely to have internet access
In Nepal, approximately 46.3% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Sri Lanka, about 54.6% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 50.4% less on education
Nepal spends 3.7% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Sri Lanka spends 1.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 40.3% less on healthcare
Nepal spends 6.2% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Sri Lanka, that number is 3.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 59.2% less likely to die in a road accident
In Nepal, road accidents kill 28.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Sri Lanka, they kill 11.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 55.4% more likely to be murdered
Nepal has a homicide rate of 2.1 per 100,000 people as of 2020. In Sri Lanka, that number is 3.3 per 100,000 as of 2019.
Infrastructure
use 83.6% more electricity
Nepal uses 351 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Sri Lanka uses 644 kWh as of 2023.
find 15.9% less home broadband
Nepal has 10.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Sri Lanka has 8.5 as of 2024.
live with 10.9 times more strain on fresh water
Nepal withdraws 8% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Sri Lanka withdraws 91% as of 2022.
Environment
be 51.3% less likely to die from air pollution
In Nepal, air pollution causes 76.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Sri Lanka, it causes 37.0 as of 2019.
emit 96.3% more CO2
Nepal emits 0.5 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), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Nepal vs. Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: At a glance
How big is Sri Lanka compared to Nepal? See an in-depth size comparison.