Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Sri Lanka instead of Vietnam, you would:
Health
live 2.9 years longer
In Vietnam, the average life expectancy is 75 years (70 years for men, 79 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 4.7 times more likely to be obese
In Vietnam, 2.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Sri Lanka, that number is 11.2% of people as of 2024.
see 26.5% less spent on your healthcare
Vietnam spends $690 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Sri Lanka spends $507 as of 2023.
be 2.0 times more likely to die by suicide
Vietnam has a suicide rate of 7.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Sri Lanka, it is 14.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 2.6 times more likely to be unemployed
In Vietnam, 1.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Sri Lanka, that number is 4.0% as of 2025.
be 3.4 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Vietnam, 4.2% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Sri Lanka, however, that number is 14.3% as of 2019.
Life
be 62.5% less likely to die during childbirth
In Vietnam, approximately 48.0 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 56.7% less likely to die during infancy
In Vietnam, approximately 12.0 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.
have 24.7% fewer children
In Vietnam, there are approximately 13.4 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 35.1% less likely to have internet access
In Vietnam, approximately 84.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Sri Lanka, about 54.6% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 36.7% less on education
Vietnam spends 2.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Sri Lanka spends 1.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 19.3% less on healthcare
Vietnam spends 4.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Sri Lanka, that number is 3.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 61.1% less coastline
Vietnam has a total of 3,444 km of coastline. In Sri Lanka, that number is 1,340 km.
Safety
be 35.0% less likely to die in a road accident
In Vietnam, road accidents kill 17.7 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Sri Lanka, they kill 11.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 64.3% less home broadband
Vietnam has 23.7 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Sri Lanka has 8.5 as of 2024.
live with 5.0 times more strain on fresh water
Vietnam withdraws 18% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Sri Lanka withdraws 91% as of 2022.
use 75.1% less electricity
Vietnam uses 2,585 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Sri Lanka uses 644 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 28.8% less likely to die from air pollution
In Vietnam, air pollution causes 52.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Sri Lanka, it causes 37.0 as of 2019.
emit 75.2% less CO2
Vietnam emits 4.3 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), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Vietnam vs. Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: At a glance
How big is Sri Lanka compared to Vietnam? See an in-depth size comparison.