Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Sri Lanka instead of Sweden, you would:
Health
be 35.9% less likely to be obese
In Sweden, 17.5% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Sri Lanka, that number is 11.2% of people as of 2024.
live 6.4 years less
In Sweden, the average life expectancy is 84 years (83 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2024. In Sri Lanka, that number is 78 years (74 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024.
see 93.5% less spent on your healthcare
Sweden spends $7,770 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Sri Lanka spends $507 as of 2023.
have 74.2% fewer doctors per person
Sweden has 44.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. Sri Lanka has 11.4 as of 2023.
have 21.2% less access to essential health services
Sweden scores 85 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Sri Lanka scores 67 as of 2021.
Economy
be 54.0% less likely to be unemployed
In Sweden, 8.7% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Sri Lanka, that number is 4.0% as of 2025.
be 11.2% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Sweden, 16.1% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Sri Lanka, however, that number is 14.3% as of 2019.
make 92.1% less money
Sweden has a GDP per capita of $63,133 as of 2025, while in Sri Lanka, the GDP per capita is $5,002 as of 2025.
Life
be 4.5 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Sweden, approximately 4.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Sri Lanka, 18.0 women do as of 2023.
be 2.6 times more likely to die during infancy
In Sweden, approximately 2.0 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Sri Lanka, on the other hand, 5.2 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 43.0% less likely to have internet access
In Sweden, approximately 95.8% of the population has internet access as of 2025. In Sri Lanka, about 54.6% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 75.0% less on education
Sweden spends 7.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Sri Lanka spends 1.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 67.2% less on healthcare
Sweden spends 11.2% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Sri Lanka, that number is 3.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 58.4% less coastline
Sweden has a total of 3,218 km of coastline. In Sri Lanka, that number is 1,340 km.
Safety
be 5.5 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Sweden, road accidents kill 2.1 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Sri Lanka, they kill 11.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 79.1% less home broadband
Sweden has 40.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Sri Lanka has 8.5 as of 2024.
live with 25.4 times more strain on fresh water
Sweden withdraws 4% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Sri Lanka withdraws 91% as of 2022.
use 94.7% less electricity
Sweden uses 12,226 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Sri Lanka uses 644 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 70.3% less CO2
Sweden emits 3.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Sri Lanka emits 1.1 tonnes as of 2024.
be 4.6 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Sweden, air pollution causes 8.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Sri Lanka, it causes 37.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2019–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Sweden vs. Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: At a glance
How big is Sri Lanka compared to Sweden? See an in-depth size comparison.