Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 8.3 years longer

In Palau, the average life expectancy is 69 years (67 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.

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be 72.3% less likely to be obese

In Palau, 40.5% 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 72.7% less spent on your healthcare

Palau spends $1,857 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Sri Lanka spends $507 as of 2023.

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have 37.2% fewer doctors per person

Palau has 18.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Sri Lanka has 11.4 as of 2023.

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Economy

make 74.4% less money

Palau has a GDP per capita of $19,532 as of 2025, while in Sri Lanka, the GDP per capita is $5,002 as of 2025.

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Life

be 79.8% less likely to die during childbirth

In Palau, approximately 89.0 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 72.0% less likely to die during infancy

In Palau, approximately 18.6 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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Basic Needs

be 35.0% less likely to have internet access

In Palau, approximately 83.9% 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 46.8% less on education

Palau spends 3.4% 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 66.1% less on healthcare

Palau spends 10.8% 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 11.8% less coastline

Palau has a total of 1,519 km of coastline. In Sri Lanka, that number is 1,340 km.

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Safety

be 70.5% less likely to be murdered

Palau has a homicide rate of 11.2 per 100,000 people as of 2018. In Sri Lanka, that number is 3.3 per 100,000 as of 2019.

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be 48.2% less likely to die in a road accident

In Palau, road accidents kill 22.2 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 15.6% more home broadband

Palau has 7.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Sri Lanka has 8.5 as of 2024.

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Environment

emit 98.7% less CO2

Palau emits 82.8 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 (2018–2025), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook, United Nations SDG Indicators (2021). How we calculate this

Compare further: Palau vs. Sri Lanka

Cost of Living Comparison · 7 categories - 2026 data
Sri Lanka is 65.1% cheaper than Palau overall
→
Size Comparison · See true size
Palau is about 143 times smaller than Sri Lanka.
→
Moving from Palau 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 Palau? See an in-depth size comparison.

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