Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Sri Lanka instead of United Kingdom, you would:
Health
be 59.0% less likely to be obese
In United Kingdom, 27.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Sri Lanka, that number is 11.2% of people as of 2024.
live 3.7 years less
In United Kingdom, the average life expectancy is 81 years (80 years for men, 83 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 92.3% less spent on your healthcare
United Kingdom spends $6,606 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Sri Lanka spends $507 as of 2023.
have 65.6% fewer doctors per person
United Kingdom has 33.0 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Sri Lanka has 11.4 as of 2023.
have 23.9% less access to essential health services
United Kingdom scores 88 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Sri Lanka scores 67 as of 2021.
be 54.3% more likely to die by suicide
United Kingdom has a suicide rate of 9.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Sri Lanka, it is 14.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 15.8% less likely to be unemployed
In United Kingdom, 4.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Sri Lanka, that number is 4.0% as of 2025.
be 23.1% less likely to live below the poverty line
In United Kingdom, 18.6% live below the poverty line as of 2017. In Sri Lanka, however, that number is 14.3% as of 2019.
make 91.3% less money
United Kingdom has a GDP per capita of $57,602 as of 2025, while in Sri Lanka, the GDP per capita is $5,002 as of 2025.
Life
be 2.2 times more likely to die during childbirth
In United Kingdom, approximately 8.0 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 26.8% more likely to die during infancy
In United Kingdom, approximately 4.1 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 42.8% less likely to have internet access
In United Kingdom, approximately 95.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Sri Lanka, about 54.6% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 69.0% less on education
United Kingdom spends 5.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Sri Lanka spends 1.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 66.9% less on healthcare
United Kingdom spends 11.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Sri Lanka, that number is 3.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 89.2% less coastline
United Kingdom has a total of 12,429 km of coastline. In Sri Lanka, that number is 1,340 km.
Safety
be 3.0 times more likely to be murdered
United Kingdom has a homicide rate of 1.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Sri Lanka, that number is 3.3 per 100,000 as of 2019.
be 4.8 times more likely to die in a road accident
In United Kingdom, road accidents kill 2.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Sri Lanka, they kill 11.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 79.9% less home broadband
United Kingdom has 42.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Sri Lanka has 8.5 as of 2024.
live with 6.3 times more strain on fresh water
United Kingdom withdraws 14% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Sri Lanka withdraws 91% as of 2022.
use 84.6% less electricity
United Kingdom uses 4,195 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Sri Lanka uses 644 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 74.9% less CO2
United Kingdom emits 4.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Sri Lanka emits 1.1 tonnes as of 2024.
be 2.8 times more likely to die from air pollution
In United Kingdom, air pollution causes 13.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Sri Lanka, it causes 37.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2017–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: United Kingdom vs. Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: At a glance
How big is Sri Lanka compared to United Kingdom? See an in-depth size comparison.