Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Sri Lanka instead of Turkey, you would:

Health

be 61.0% less likely to be obese

In Turkey, 28.8% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Sri Lanka, that number is 11.2% of people as of 2024.

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see 71.3% less spent on your healthcare

Turkey spends $1,769 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Sri Lanka spends $507 as of 2023.

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have 49.2% fewer doctors per person

Turkey has 22.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Sri Lanka has 11.4 as of 2023.

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have 11.8% less access to essential health services

Turkey scores 76 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Sri Lanka scores 67 as of 2021.

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be 5.5 times more likely to die by suicide

Turkey has a suicide rate of 2.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Sri Lanka, it is 14.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 53.1% less likely to be unemployed

In Turkey, 8.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Sri Lanka, that number is 4.0% as of 2025.

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make 73.1% less money

Turkey has a GDP per capita of $18,599 as of 2025, while in Sri Lanka, the GDP per capita is $5,002 as of 2025.

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Life

be 35.0% less likely to die during infancy

In Turkey, approximately 8.0 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.

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be 20.0% more likely to die during childbirth

In Turkey, approximately 15.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Sri Lanka, 18.0 women do as of 2023.

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Basic Needs

be 39.2% less likely to have internet access

In Turkey, approximately 89.8% of the population has internet access as of 2025. In Sri Lanka, about 54.6% do as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 41.0% less on education

Turkey spends 3.1% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Sri Lanka spends 1.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.

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spend 14.0% less on healthcare

Turkey spends 4.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Sri Lanka, that number is 3.7% of GDP as of 2023.

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Geography

see 81.4% less coastline

Turkey has a total of 7,200 km of coastline. In Sri Lanka, that number is 1,340 km.

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Safety

be 76.9% more likely to die in a road accident

In Turkey, road accidents kill 6.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Sri Lanka, they kill 11.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 63.8% less home broadband

Turkey has 23.4 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Sri Lanka has 8.5 as of 2024.

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live with 89.6% more strain on fresh water

Turkey withdraws 48% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Sri Lanka withdraws 91% as of 2022.

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use 82.7% less electricity

Turkey uses 3,731 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Sri Lanka uses 644 kWh as of 2023.

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Environment

emit 80.3% less CO2

Turkey emits 5.4 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Sri Lanka emits 1.1 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this

Compare further: Turkey vs. Sri Lanka

Cost of Living Comparison · 7 categories - 2026 data
Sri Lanka is 46.0% cheaper than Turkey overall
→
Size Comparison · See true size
Turkey is about 12 times bigger than Sri Lanka.
→
Moving from Turkey to Sri Lanka · UN DESA 2020
44 people born in Turkey live in Sri Lanka.
→

Sri Lanka: At a glance

Sri Lanka is a sovereign country in South Asia, with a total land area of approximately 64,630 sq km. The first Sinhalese arrived in Sri Lanka late in the 6th century B.C., probably from northern India. Buddhism was introduced in about the mid-third century B.C., and a great civilization developed at the cities of Anuradhapura (kingdom from circa 200 B.C. to circa A.D. 1000) and Polonnaruwa (from about 1070 to 1200). In the 14th century, a south Indian dynasty established a Tamil kingdom in northern Sri Lanka. The coastal areas of the island were controlled by the Portuguese in the 16th century and by the Dutch in the 17th century. The island was ceded to the British in 1796, became a crown colony in 1802, and was formally united under British rule by 1815. As Ceylon, it became independent in 1948; its name was changed to Sri Lanka in 1972. Tensions between the Sinhalese majority and Tamil separatists erupted into war in 1983. After two decades of fighting, the government and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) formalized a cease-fire in February 2002 with Norway brokering peace negotiations. Violence between the LTTE and government forces intensified in 2006, but the government regained control of the Eastern Province in 2007. By May 2009, the government announced that its military had defeated the remnants of the LTTE. Since the end of the conflict, the government has enacted an ambitious program of economic development projects, many of which are financed by loans from the Government of China. In addition to efforts to reconstruct its economy, the government has resettled more than 95% of those civilians who were displaced during the final phase of the conflict and released the vast majority of former LTTE combatants captured by Government Security Forces. At the same time, there has been little progress on more contentious and politically difficult issues such as reaching a political settlement with Tamil elected representatives and holding accountable those alleged to have been involved in human rights violations and other abuses during the conflict.
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