Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Sri Lanka instead of Timor-Leste, you would:
Health
live 9.8 years longer
In Timor-Leste, the average life expectancy is 68 years (66 years for men, 70 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.
have 51.1% more doctors per person
Timor-Leste has 7.5 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2020. Sri Lanka has 11.4 as of 2023.
have 28.8% more access to essential health services
Timor-Leste scores 52 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Sri Lanka scores 67 as of 2021.
be 3.1 times more likely to be obese
In Timor-Leste, 3.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Sri Lanka, that number is 11.2% of people as of 2024.
be 4.1 times more likely to die by suicide
Timor-Leste has a suicide rate of 3.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Sri Lanka, it is 14.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
make 3.7 times more money
Timor-Leste has a GDP per capita of $1,341 as of 2025, while in Sri Lanka, the GDP per capita is $5,002 as of 2025.
be 2.5 times more likely to be unemployed
In Timor-Leste, 1.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Sri Lanka, that number is 4.0% as of 2025.
Life
be 90.6% less likely to die during childbirth
In Timor-Leste, approximately 192.0 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 33.6% more likely to be literate
In Timor-Leste, the literacy rate is 69.4% as of 2022. In Sri Lanka, it is 92.7% as of 2024.
be 85.0% less likely to die during infancy
In Timor-Leste, approximately 34.6 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 53.6% fewer children
In Timor-Leste, there are approximately 21.8 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 34.0% more likely to have internet access
In Timor-Leste, approximately 40.8% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In Sri Lanka, about 54.6% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 65.1% less on education
Timor-Leste spends 5.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Sri Lanka spends 1.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 61.7% less on healthcare
Timor-Leste spends 9.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Sri Lanka, that number is 3.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 89.8% more coastline
Timor-Leste has a total of 706 km of coastline. In Sri Lanka, that number is 1,340 km.
Infrastructure
find 847.0 times more home broadband
Timor-Leste has 0.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Sri Lanka has 8.5 as of 2024.
live with 3.2 times more strain on fresh water
Timor-Leste withdraws 28% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Sri Lanka withdraws 91% as of 2022.
Environment
be 39.3% less likely to die from air pollution
In Timor-Leste, air pollution causes 61.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Sri Lanka, it causes 37.0 as of 2019.
emit 2.1 times more CO2
Timor-Leste emits 0.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Sri Lanka emits 1.1 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2022), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Timor-Leste vs. Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: At a glance
How big is Sri Lanka compared to Timor-Leste? See an in-depth size comparison.