Quality of life comparison
If you lived in New Zealand instead of Sri Lanka, you would:
Health
live 4.3 years longer
In Sri Lanka, the average life expectancy is 78 years (74 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024. In New Zealand, that number is 82 years (80 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024.
see 11.0 times more spent on your healthcare
Sri Lanka spends $507 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). New Zealand spends $5,576 as of 2024.
have 3.2 times more doctors per person
Sri Lanka has 11.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. New Zealand has 36.1 as of 2022.
have 26.9% more access to essential health services
Sri Lanka scores 67 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. New Zealand scores 85 as of 2021.
be 19.1% less likely to die by suicide
Sri Lanka has a suicide rate of 14.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In New Zealand, it is 11.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 3.0 times more likely to be obese
In Sri Lanka, 11.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In New Zealand, that number is 34.0% of people as of 2024.
Economy
make 9.9 times more money
Sri Lanka has a GDP per capita of $5,002 as of 2025, while in New Zealand, the GDP per capita is $49,591 as of 2025.
be 27.0% more likely to be unemployed
In Sri Lanka, 4.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In New Zealand, that number is 5.1% as of 2025.
Life
be 61.1% less 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 New Zealand, 7.0 women do as of 2023.
be 23.1% less 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 New Zealand, on the other hand, 4.0 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 71.3% more likely to have internet access
In Sri Lanka, approximately 54.6% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In New Zealand, about 93.5% do as of 2024.
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 New Zealand, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 2.8 times more on education
Sri Lanka spends 1.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. New Zealand spends 5.2% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 2.7 times more on healthcare
Sri Lanka spends 3.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In New Zealand, that number is 10.1% of GDP as of 2024.
Geography
see 11.3 times more coastline
Sri Lanka has a total of 1,340 km of coastline. In New Zealand, that number is 15,134 km.
Safety
be 55.9% less likely to be murdered
Sri Lanka has a homicide rate of 3.3 per 100,000 people as of 2019. In New Zealand, that number is 1.5 per 100,000 as of 2022.
be 42.6% less likely to die in a road accident
In Sri Lanka, road accidents kill 11.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In New Zealand, they kill 6.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 4.5 times more home broadband
Sri Lanka has 8.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. New Zealand has 38.0 as of 2024.
live with 91.1% less strain on fresh water
Sri Lanka withdraws 91% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. New Zealand withdraws 8% as of 2022.
use 12.4 times more electricity
Sri Lanka uses 644 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. New Zealand uses 7,989 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
be 67.6% less likely to die from air pollution
In Sri Lanka, air pollution causes 37.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In New Zealand, it causes 12.0 as of 2019.
emit 5.7 times more CO2
Sri Lanka emits 1.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. New Zealand emits 6.0 tonnes as of 2024.
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. New Zealand
New Zealand: At a glance
How big is New Zealand compared to Sri Lanka? See an in-depth size comparison.