Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 7.4 years less

In Sri Lanka, the average life expectancy is 78 years (74 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024. In Greenland, that number is 70 years (68 years for men, 72 years for women) as of 2024.

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be 2.5 times more likely to be obese

In Sri Lanka, 11.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Greenland, that number is 28.1% of people as of 2024.

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Economy

make 11.7 times more money

Sri Lanka has a GDP per capita of $5,002 as of 2025, while in Greenland, the GDP per capita is $58,499 as of 2023.

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Life

have 18.8% more children

In Sri Lanka, there are approximately 10.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Greenland, there are 12.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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be 68.3% 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 Greenland, on the other hand, 8.8 children do as of 2022.

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Basic Needs

be 27.3% more likely to have internet access

In Sri Lanka, approximately 54.6% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Greenland, about 69.5% do as of 2021.

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be 10.9% more 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 Greenland, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2024.

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Geography

see 32.9 times more coastline

Sri Lanka has a total of 1,340 km of coastline. In Greenland, that number is 44,087 km.

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Safety

be 61.6% more likely to be murdered

Sri Lanka has a homicide rate of 3.3 per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Greenland, that number is 5.3 per 100,000 as of 2016.

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Infrastructure

find 3.8 times more home broadband

Sri Lanka has 8.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Greenland has 32.0 as of 2022.

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Environment

emit 9.9 times more CO2

Sri Lanka emits 1.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Greenland emits 10.4 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2016–2025), The World Factbook (2021–2022), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this

Compare further: Sri Lanka vs. Greenland

Cost of Living Comparison · 7 categories - 2026 data
Greenland is 4.6 times more expensive than Sri Lanka overall
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Size Comparison · See true size
Sri Lanka is about 33 times smaller than Greenland.
→
Moving from Sri Lanka to Greenland · Cost, visas & climate
Compare cost of living, salary and climate.
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Greenland: At a glance

Greenland is a sovereign country in North America, with a total land area of approximately 2,166,086 sq km. Greenland, the world's largest island, is about 81% ice-capped. Vikings reached the island in the 10th century from Iceland; Danish colonization began in the 18th century, and Greenland was made an integral part of Denmark in 1953. It joined the European Community (now the EU) with Denmark in 1973 but withdrew in 1985 over a dispute centered on stringent fishing quotas. Greenland was granted self-government in 1979 by the Danish parliament; the law went into effect the following year. Greenland voted in favor of increased self-rule in November 2008 and acquired greater responsibility for internal affairs when the Act on Greenland Self-Government was signed into law in June 2009. Denmark, however, continues to exercise control over several policy areas on behalf of Greenland including foreign affairs, security, and financial policy in consultation with Greenland's Self-Rule Government.
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How big is Greenland compared to Sri Lanka? See an in-depth size comparison.

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