Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Democratic Republic of the Congo instead of Sri Lanka, you would:
Health
be 40.4% less likely to be obese
In Sri Lanka, 11.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 6.7% of people as of 2024.
be 40.5% less likely to die by suicide
Sri Lanka has a suicide rate of 14.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, it is 8.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 15.6 years less
In Sri Lanka, the average life expectancy is 78 years (74 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 62 years (60 years for men, 64 years for women) as of 2024.
see 88.6% less spent on your healthcare
Sri Lanka spends $507 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Democratic Republic of the Congo spends $58 as of 2023.
have 81.7% fewer doctors per person
Sri Lanka has 11.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Democratic Republic of the Congo has 2.1 as of 2022.
have 37.3% less access to essential health services
Sri Lanka scores 67 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Democratic Republic of the Congo scores 42 as of 2021.
Economy
be 10.7% more likely to be unemployed
In Sri Lanka, 4.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 4.4% as of 2025.
be 3.9 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Sri Lanka, 14.3% live below the poverty line as of 2019. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, however, that number is 56.2% as of 2020.
make 83.9% less money
Sri Lanka has a GDP per capita of $5,002 as of 2025, while in Democratic Republic of the Congo, the GDP per capita is $807 as of 2025.
Life
have 4.0 times more children
In Sri Lanka, there are approximately 10.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, there are 40.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 23.7 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Sri Lanka, approximately 18.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, 427.0 women do as of 2023.
be 26.1% less likely to be literate
In Sri Lanka, the literacy rate is 92.7% as of 2024. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, it is 68.5% as of 2023.
be 10.8 times more likely to die during infancy
In Sri Lanka, approximately 5.2 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the other hand, 56.4 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 77.9% less likely to have access to electricity
In Sri Lanka, approximately 100% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 22% of people on average (56% in urban areas, and 1% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 64.0% less likely to have internet access
In Sri Lanka, approximately 54.6% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, about 19.7% do as of 2024.
be 60.4% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Sri Lanka, approximately 90% of people have access to drinking water (98% in urban areas, and 88% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 36% of people on average (59% in urban areas, and 14% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 55.2% more on education
Sri Lanka spends 1.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Democratic Republic of the Congo spends 2.8% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
Geography
see 97.2% less coastline
Sri Lanka has a total of 1,340 km of coastline. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 37 km.
Safety
be 41.7% more likely to die in a road accident
In Sri Lanka, road accidents kill 11.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, they kill 16.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 99.7% less strain on fresh water
Sri Lanka withdraws 91% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Democratic Republic of the Congo withdraws 0% as of 2022.
find 99.6% less home broadband
Sri Lanka has 8.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Democratic Republic of the Congo has 0.0 as of 2024.
use 80.1% less electricity
Sri Lanka uses 644 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Democratic Republic of the Congo uses 129 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 94.3% less CO2
Sri Lanka emits 1.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Democratic Republic of the Congo emits 0.1 tonnes as of 2024.
be 94.6% more likely to die from air pollution
In Sri Lanka, air pollution causes 37.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, it causes 72.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2019–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Sri Lanka vs. Democratic Republic of the Congo
Democratic Republic of the Congo: At a glance
How big is Democratic Republic of the Congo compared to Sri Lanka? See an in-depth size comparison.