Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Sweden instead of Sri Lanka, you would:
Health
live 6.4 years longer
In Sri Lanka, the average life expectancy is 78 years (74 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024. In Sweden, that number is 84 years (83 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2024.
see 15.3 times more spent on your healthcare
Sri Lanka spends $507 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Sweden spends $7,770 as of 2024.
have 3.9 times more doctors per person
Sri Lanka has 11.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Sweden has 44.1 as of 2021.
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. Sweden scores 85 as of 2021.
be 56.1% more likely to be obese
In Sri Lanka, 11.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Sweden, that number is 17.5% of people as of 2024.
Economy
make 12.6 times more money
Sri Lanka has a GDP per capita of $5,002 as of 2025, while in Sweden, the GDP per capita is $63,133 as of 2025.
be 2.2 times more likely to be unemployed
In Sri Lanka, 4.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Sweden, that number is 8.7% as of 2025.
be 12.6% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Sri Lanka, 14.3% live below the poverty line as of 2019. In Sweden, however, that number is 16.1% as of 2022.
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 Sweden, 4.0 women do as of 2023.
be 61.5% 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 Sweden, on the other hand, 2.0 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 75.4% more likely to have internet access
In Sri Lanka, approximately 54.6% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Sweden, about 95.8% do as of 2025.
be 10.6% 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 Sweden, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 4.0 times more on education
Sri Lanka spends 1.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Sweden spends 7.3% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 3.0 times more on healthcare
Sri Lanka spends 3.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Sweden, that number is 11.2% of GDP as of 2024.
Geography
see 2.4 times more coastline
Sri Lanka has a total of 1,340 km of coastline. In Sweden, that number is 3,218 km.
Safety
be 81.7% less likely to die in a road accident
In Sri Lanka, road accidents kill 11.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Sweden, they kill 2.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 4.8 times more home broadband
Sri Lanka has 8.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Sweden has 40.6 as of 2024.
live with 96.1% less strain on fresh water
Sri Lanka withdraws 91% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Sweden withdraws 4% as of 2022.
use 19.0 times more electricity
Sri Lanka uses 644 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Sweden uses 12,226 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
be 78.4% less likely to die from air pollution
In Sri Lanka, air pollution causes 37.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Sweden, it causes 8.0 as of 2019.
emit 3.4 times more CO2
Sri Lanka emits 1.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Sweden emits 3.6 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. Sweden
Sweden: At a glance
How big is Sweden compared to Sri Lanka? See an in-depth size comparison.