Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 9.9 years longer

In Pakistan, the average life expectancy is 68 years (65 years for men, 70 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 54.2% less likely to be obese

In Pakistan, 24.5% 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 3.3 times more spent on your healthcare

Pakistan spends $152 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Sri Lanka spends $507 as of 2023.

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have 48.9% more access to essential health services

Pakistan scores 45 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Sri Lanka scores 67 as of 2021.

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be 2.6 times more likely to die by suicide

Pakistan has a suicide rate of 5.6 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

be 26.2% less likely to be unemployed

In Pakistan, 5.4% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Sri Lanka, that number is 4.0% as of 2025.

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make 3.1 times more money

Pakistan has a GDP per capita of $1,596 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 Pakistan, 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 57.6% more likely to be literate

In Pakistan, the literacy rate is 58.9% as of 2021. In Sri Lanka, it is 92.7% as of 2024.

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be 89.2% less likely to die during infancy

In Pakistan, approximately 48.2 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.

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have 63.2% fewer children

In Pakistan, there are approximately 27.4 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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Expenditures

spend 46.0% more on healthcare

Pakistan spends 2.5% 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 28.1% more coastline

Pakistan has a total of 1,046 km of coastline. In Sri Lanka, that number is 1,340 km.

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Infrastructure

find 5.8 times more home broadband

Pakistan has 1.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Sri Lanka has 8.5 as of 2024.

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live with 17.5% less strain on fresh water

Pakistan withdraws 110% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Sri Lanka withdraws 91% as of 2022.

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use 24.3% more electricity

Pakistan uses 518 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Sri Lanka uses 644 kWh as of 2023.

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Environment

be 64.8% less likely to die from air pollution

In Pakistan, air pollution causes 105.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Sri Lanka, it causes 37.0 as of 2019.

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emit 30.9% more CO2

Pakistan emits 0.8 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: Pakistan vs. Sri Lanka

Cost of Living Comparison · 7 categories - 2026 data
Sri Lanka is 28.0% more expensive than Pakistan overall
→
Size Comparison · See true size
Pakistan is about 12 times bigger than Sri Lanka.
→
Moving from Pakistan to Sri Lanka · UN DESA 2020
1,083 people born in Pakistan live in Sri Lanka.
→

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 Pakistan? See an in-depth size comparison.

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