Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Sri Lanka instead of Rwanda, you would:
Health
be 95.0% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Rwanda, 2.0% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Sri Lanka, that number is 0.1% of people as of 2024.
live 9.7 years longer
In Rwanda, the average life expectancy is 68 years (66 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.
see 2.9 times more spent on your healthcare
Rwanda spends $177 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Sri Lanka spends $507 as of 2023.
have 12.6 times more doctors per person
Rwanda has 0.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Sri Lanka has 11.4 as of 2023.
have 36.7% more access to essential health services
Rwanda scores 49 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Sri Lanka scores 67 as of 2021.
be 2.0 times more likely to be obese
In Rwanda, 5.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Sri Lanka, that number is 11.2% of people as of 2024.
be 69.8% more likely to die by suicide
Rwanda has a suicide rate of 8.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Sri Lanka, it is 14.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 64.8% less likely to be unemployed
In Rwanda, 11.4% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Sri Lanka, that number is 4.0% as of 2025.
make 4.5 times more money
Rwanda has a GDP per capita of $1,124 as of 2025, while in Sri Lanka, the GDP per capita is $5,002 as of 2025.
Life
be 92.1% less likely to die during childbirth
In Rwanda, approximately 229.0 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 17.8% more likely to be literate
In Rwanda, the literacy rate is 78.8% as of 2022. In Sri Lanka, it is 92.7% as of 2024.
be 82.3% less likely to die during infancy
In Rwanda, approximately 29.4 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 64.0% fewer children
In Rwanda, there are approximately 28.1 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 56.5% more likely to have access to electricity
In Rwanda, approximately 64% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 58% 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.
be 72.2% more likely to have internet access
In Rwanda, approximately 31.7% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Sri Lanka, about 54.6% do as of 2024.
be 46.9% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Rwanda, approximately 61% of people have access to drinking water (88% in urban areas, and 56% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Sri Lanka, that number is 90% of people on average (98% in urban areas, and 88% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 60.3% less on education
Rwanda spends 4.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Sri Lanka spends 1.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 28.3% less on healthcare
Rwanda spends 5.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Sri Lanka, that number is 3.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Infrastructure
find 14.1 times more home broadband
Rwanda has 0.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Sri Lanka has 8.5 as of 2024.
use 8.4 times more electricity
Rwanda uses 77 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Sri Lanka uses 644 kWh as of 2023.
live with 4.5 times more strain on fresh water
Rwanda withdraws 20% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Sri Lanka withdraws 91% as of 2022.
Environment
be 40.3% less likely to die from air pollution
In Rwanda, air pollution causes 62.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Sri Lanka, it causes 37.0 as of 2019.
emit 6.6 times more CO2
Rwanda emits 0.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Sri Lanka emits 1.1 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Rwanda vs. Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: At a glance
How big is Sri Lanka compared to Rwanda? See an in-depth size comparison.