Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Sri Lanka instead of Republic of the Congo, you would:

Health

be 96.9% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Republic of the Congo, 3.2% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Sri Lanka, that number is 0.1% of people as of 2024.

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live 11.7 years longer

In Republic of the Congo, the average life expectancy is 66 years (64 years for men, 68 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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see 2.4 times more spent on your healthcare

Republic of the Congo spends $209 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Sri Lanka spends $507 as of 2023.

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have 6.6 times more doctors per person

Republic of the Congo has 1.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Sri Lanka has 11.4 as of 2023.

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have 63.4% more access to essential health services

Republic of the Congo scores 41 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Sri Lanka scores 67 as of 2021.

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be 2.2 times more likely to die by suicide

Republic of the Congo has a suicide rate of 6.7 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 79.9% less likely to be unemployed

In Republic of the Congo, 19.9% 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 98.9% more money

Republic of the Congo has a GDP per capita of $2,515 as of 2025, while in Sri Lanka, the GDP per capita is $5,002 as of 2025.

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Life

be 92.5% less likely to die during childbirth

In Republic of the Congo, approximately 241.0 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 15.1% more likely to be literate

In Republic of the Congo, the literacy rate is 80.6% as of 2021. In Sri Lanka, it is 92.7% as of 2024.

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be 80.7% less likely to die during infancy

In Republic of the Congo, approximately 27.0 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 66.8% fewer children

In Republic of the Congo, there are approximately 30.4 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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Basic Needs

be 94.9% more likely to have access to electricity

In Republic of the Congo, approximately 51% of people have electricity access (69% in urban areas, and 11% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Sri Lanka, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.

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be 15.5% more likely to have internet access

In Republic of the Congo, approximately 47.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Sri Lanka, about 54.6% do as of 2024.

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be 22.8% more likely to have access to drinking water

In Republic of the Congo, approximately 73% of people have access to drinking water (87% in urban areas, and 44% in rural areas) as of 2021. In Sri Lanka, that number is 90% of people on average (98% in urban areas, and 88% in rural areas) as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 45.2% less on education

Republic of the Congo spends 3.3% 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 11.5% more on healthcare

Republic of the Congo spends 3.3% 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 7.9 times more coastline

Republic of the Congo has a total of 169 km of coastline. In Sri Lanka, that number is 1,340 km.

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Safety

be 36.9% more likely to die in a road accident

In Republic of the Congo, road accidents kill 8.4 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 6.7 times more home broadband

Republic of the Congo has 1.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Sri Lanka has 8.5 as of 2024.

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use 90.5% more electricity

Republic of the Congo uses 338 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Sri Lanka uses 644 kWh as of 2023.

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live with 3026.3 times more strain on fresh water

Republic of the Congo withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Sri Lanka withdraws 91% as of 2022.

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Environment

be 43.9% less likely to die from air pollution

In Republic of the Congo, air pollution causes 66.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Sri Lanka, it causes 37.0 as of 2019.

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emit 20.9% less CO2

Republic of the Congo emits 1.3 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), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this

Compare further: Republic of the Congo vs. Sri Lanka

Cost of Living Comparison · 7 categories - 2026 data
Sri Lanka is 66.8% cheaper than Republic of the Congo overall
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Size Comparison · See true size
Republic of the Congo is about 5 times bigger than Sri Lanka.
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Moving from Republic of the Congo 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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