Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Sri Lanka instead of Syria, you would:
Health
live 5.1 years longer
In Syria, the average life expectancy is 73 years (70 years for men, 75 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.
be 66.0% less likely to be obese
In Syria, 33.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Sri Lanka, that number is 11.2% of people as of 2024.
see 4.1 times more spent on your healthcare
Syria spends $122 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Sri Lanka spends $507 as of 2023.
have 25.3% fewer doctors per person
Syria has 15.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. Sri Lanka has 11.4 as of 2023.
be 25.0 times more likely to die by suicide
Syria has a suicide rate of 0.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Sri Lanka, it is 14.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 70.5% less likely to be unemployed
In Syria, 13.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Sri Lanka, that number is 4.0% as of 2025.
make 4.7 times more money
Syria has a GDP per capita of $1,057 as of 2022, while in Sri Lanka, the GDP per capita is $5,002 as of 2025.
Life
be 70.6% less likely to die during infancy
In Syria, approximately 17.7 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.
have 56.4% fewer children
In Syria, there are approximately 23.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Sri Lanka, there are 10.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 13.1% more likely to have access to electricity
In Syria, approximately 88% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 73% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Sri Lanka, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 17.1% more likely to have internet access
In Syria, approximately 46.6% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In Sri Lanka, about 54.6% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 35.8% more on healthcare
Syria spends 2.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Sri Lanka, that number is 3.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 6.9 times more coastline
Syria has a total of 193 km of coastline. In Sri Lanka, that number is 1,340 km.
Safety
be 61.5% less likely to die in a road accident
In Syria, road accidents kill 29.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Sri Lanka, they kill 11.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 23.5% more home broadband
Syria has 6.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Sri Lanka has 8.5 as of 2024.
live with 27.0% less strain on fresh water
Syria withdraws 124% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Sri Lanka withdraws 91% as of 2022.
use 24.5% less electricity
Syria uses 854 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Sri Lanka uses 644 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 55.4% less likely to die from air pollution
In Syria, air pollution causes 83.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Sri Lanka, it causes 37.0 as of 2019.
emit 16.5% less CO2
Syria emits 1.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Sri Lanka emits 1.1 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2022), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Syria vs. Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: At a glance
How big is Sri Lanka compared to Syria? See an in-depth size comparison.