Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Rwanda instead of Sri Lanka, you would:
Health
be 50.3% less likely to be obese
In Sri Lanka, 11.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Rwanda, that number is 5.6% of people as of 2024.
be 41.1% less likely to die by suicide
Sri Lanka has a suicide rate of 14.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Rwanda, it is 8.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 20.0 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Sri Lanka, 0.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Rwanda, that number is 2.0% of people as of 2024.
live 9.7 years less
In Sri Lanka, the average life expectancy is 78 years (74 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024. In Rwanda, that number is 68 years (66 years for men, 70 years for women) as of 2024.
see 65.1% less spent on your healthcare
Sri Lanka spends $507 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Rwanda spends $177 as of 2023.
have 92.1% fewer doctors per person
Sri Lanka has 11.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Rwanda has 0.9 as of 2022.
have 26.9% less access to essential health services
Sri Lanka scores 67 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Rwanda scores 49 as of 2021.
Economy
be 2.8 times more likely to be unemployed
In Sri Lanka, 4.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Rwanda, that number is 11.4% as of 2025.
make 77.5% less money
Sri Lanka has a GDP per capita of $5,002 as of 2025, while in Rwanda, the GDP per capita is $1,124 as of 2025.
Life
have 2.8 times more children
In Sri Lanka, there are approximately 10.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Rwanda, there are 28.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 12.7 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 Rwanda, 229.0 women do as of 2023.
be 15.1% less likely to be literate
In Sri Lanka, the literacy rate is 92.7% as of 2024. In Rwanda, it is 78.8% as of 2022.
be 5.7 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 Rwanda, on the other hand, 29.4 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 36.1% 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 Rwanda, that number is 64% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 58% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 41.9% less likely to have internet access
In Sri Lanka, approximately 54.6% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Rwanda, about 31.7% do as of 2024.
be 31.9% 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 Rwanda, that number is 61% of people on average (88% in urban areas, and 56% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 2.5 times more on education
Sri Lanka spends 1.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Rwanda spends 4.6% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
spend 39.4% more on healthcare
Sri Lanka spends 3.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Rwanda, that number is 5.1% of GDP as of 2023.
Infrastructure
live with 77.8% less strain on fresh water
Sri Lanka withdraws 91% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Rwanda withdraws 20% as of 2022.
find 92.9% less home broadband
Sri Lanka has 8.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Rwanda has 0.6 as of 2024.
use 88.1% less electricity
Sri Lanka uses 644 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Rwanda uses 77 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 84.9% less CO2
Sri Lanka emits 1.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Rwanda emits 0.2 tonnes as of 2024.
be 67.6% more likely to die from air pollution
In Sri Lanka, air pollution causes 37.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Rwanda, it causes 62.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Sri Lanka vs. Rwanda
Rwanda: At a glance
How big is Rwanda compared to Sri Lanka? See an in-depth size comparison.