Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Sri Lanka instead of United Arab Emirates, you would:
Health
be 64.5% less likely to be obese
In United Arab Emirates, 31.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Sri Lanka, that number is 11.2% of people as of 2024.
live 5.4 years less
In United Arab Emirates, the average life expectancy is 83 years (82 years for men, 84 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 86.4% less spent on your healthcare
United Arab Emirates spends $3,727 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Sri Lanka spends $507 as of 2023.
have 62.0% fewer doctors per person
United Arab Emirates has 29.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Sri Lanka has 11.4 as of 2023.
have 18.3% less access to essential health services
United Arab Emirates scores 82 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Sri Lanka scores 67 as of 2021.
be 8.6 times more likely to die by suicide
United Arab Emirates has a suicide rate of 1.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Sri Lanka, it is 14.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 84.3% more likely to be unemployed
In United Arab Emirates, 2.2% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Sri Lanka, that number is 4.0% as of 2025.
make 90.1% less money
United Arab Emirates has a GDP per capita of $50,274 as of 2024, while in Sri Lanka, the GDP per capita is $5,002 as of 2025.
Life
be 6.0 times more likely to die during childbirth
In United Arab Emirates, approximately 3.0 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 36.8% more likely to die during infancy
In United Arab Emirates, approximately 3.8 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 45.4% less likely to have internet access
In United Arab Emirates, approximately 100.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Sri Lanka, about 54.6% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 53.0% less on education
United Arab Emirates spends 3.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Sri Lanka spends 1.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 26.0% less on healthcare
United Arab Emirates spends 5.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Sri Lanka, that number is 3.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 4.8 times more likely to be murdered
United Arab Emirates has a homicide rate of 0.7 per 100,000 people as of 2022. In Sri Lanka, that number is 3.3 per 100,000 as of 2019.
be 94.9% more likely to die in a road accident
In United Arab Emirates, road accidents kill 5.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Sri Lanka, they kill 11.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 94.0% less strain on fresh water
United Arab Emirates withdraws 1510% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Sri Lanka withdraws 91% as of 2022.
find 79.3% less home broadband
United Arab Emirates has 40.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Sri Lanka has 8.5 as of 2024.
use 95.8% less electricity
United Arab Emirates uses 15,285 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Sri Lanka uses 644 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 47.1% less likely to die from air pollution
In United Arab Emirates, air pollution causes 70.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Sri Lanka, it causes 37.0 as of 2019.
emit 94.2% less CO2
United Arab Emirates emits 18.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Sri Lanka emits 1.1 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2019–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: United Arab Emirates vs. Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: At a glance
How big is Sri Lanka compared to United Arab Emirates? See an in-depth size comparison.