Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Sri Lanka instead of Puerto Rico, you would:

Health

be 73.5% less likely to be obese

In Puerto Rico, 42.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Sri Lanka, that number is 11.2% of people as of 2024.

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live 4.2 years less

In Puerto Rico, the average life expectancy is 82 years (78 years for men, 85 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 2.7 times more likely to die by suicide

Puerto Rico has a suicide rate of 5.4 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 33.2% less likely to be unemployed

In Puerto Rico, 6.0% 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 87.7% less money

Puerto Rico has a GDP per capita of $40,620 as of 2025, while in Sri Lanka, the GDP per capita is $5,002 as of 2025.

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Life

be 13.9% less likely to die during infancy

In Puerto Rico, approximately 6.0 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Sri Lanka, on the other hand, 5.2 children do as of 2024.

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have 77.2% more children

In Puerto Rico, there are approximately 5.7 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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be 63.6% more likely to die during childbirth

In Puerto Rico, approximately 11.0 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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Basic Needs

be 37.5% less likely to have internet access

In Puerto Rico, approximately 87.3% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In Sri Lanka, about 54.6% do as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 57.1% less on education

Puerto Rico spends 4.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Sri Lanka spends 1.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.

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Geography

see 2.7 times more coastline

Puerto Rico has a total of 501 km of coastline. In Sri Lanka, that number is 1,340 km.

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Infrastructure

find 69.7% less home broadband

Puerto Rico has 28.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Sri Lanka has 8.5 as of 2024.

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live with 4.6 times more strain on fresh water

Puerto Rico withdraws 20% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Sri Lanka withdraws 91% as of 2022.

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Environment

emit 78.0% less CO2

Puerto Rico emits 4.8 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), The World Factbook (2022), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this

Compare further: Puerto Rico vs. Sri Lanka

Cost of Living Comparison · 7 categories - 2026 data
Sri Lanka is 70.5% cheaper than Puerto Rico overall
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Size Comparison · See true size
Puerto Rico is about 7 times smaller than Sri Lanka.
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Moving from Puerto Rico 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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