Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Korea instead of Sri Lanka, you would:
Health
live 6.0 years longer
In Sri Lanka, the average life expectancy is 78 years (74 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024. In South Korea, that number is 84 years (81 years for men, 87 years for women) as of 2024.
be 25.4% less likely to be obese
In Sri Lanka, 11.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In South Korea, that number is 8.4% of people as of 2024.
see 10.0 times more spent on your healthcare
Sri Lanka spends $507 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). South Korea spends $5,081 as of 2024.
have 2.3 times more doctors per person
Sri Lanka has 11.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. South Korea has 26.1 as of 2022.
have 32.8% more access to essential health services
Sri Lanka scores 67 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. South Korea scores 89 as of 2021.
be 86.8% more likely to die by suicide
Sri Lanka has a suicide rate of 14.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In South Korea, it is 27.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 33.0% less likely to be unemployed
In Sri Lanka, 4.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In South Korea, that number is 2.7% as of 2025.
make 7.2 times more money
Sri Lanka has a GDP per capita of $5,002 as of 2025, while in South Korea, the GDP per capita is $36,227 as of 2025.
Life
be 77.8% 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 South Korea, 4.0 women do as of 2023.
be 55.8% 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 South Korea, on the other hand, 2.3 children do as of 2024.
have 53.5% fewer children
In Sri Lanka, there are approximately 10.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In South Korea, there are 4.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 79.3% more likely to have internet access
In Sri Lanka, approximately 54.6% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In South Korea, about 97.9% 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 as of 2024. In South Korea, 100% of people do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 3.0 times more on education
Sri Lanka spends 1.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. South Korea spends 5.4% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 2.4 times more on healthcare
Sri Lanka spends 3.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In South Korea, that number is 8.7% of GDP as of 2024.
Geography
see 80.1% more coastline
Sri Lanka has a total of 1,340 km of coastline. In South Korea, that number is 2,413 km.
Safety
be 40.0% less likely to die in a road accident
In Sri Lanka, road accidents kill 11.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In South Korea, they kill 6.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 5.6 times more home broadband
Sri Lanka has 8.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. South Korea has 47.8 as of 2024.
use 17.6 times more electricity
Sri Lanka uses 644 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. South Korea uses 11,350 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
be 48.6% less likely to die from air pollution
In Sri Lanka, air pollution causes 37.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In South Korea, it causes 19.0 as of 2019.
emit 10.7 times more CO2
Sri Lanka emits 1.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. South Korea emits 11.4 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Sri Lanka vs. South Korea
South Korea: At a glance
How big is South Korea compared to Sri Lanka? See an in-depth size comparison.