Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Sri Lanka instead of Zimbabwe, you would:
Health
be 99.0% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Zimbabwe, 9.8% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Sri Lanka, that number is 0.1% of people as of 2024.
live 14.6 years longer
In Zimbabwe, the average life expectancy is 63 years (60 years for men, 65 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 23.7% less likely to be obese
In Zimbabwe, 14.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Sri Lanka, that number is 11.2% of people as of 2024.
see 4.9 times more spent on your healthcare
Zimbabwe spends $103 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Sri Lanka spends $507 as of 2023.
have 8.4 times more doctors per person
Zimbabwe has 1.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Sri Lanka has 11.4 as of 2023.
have 21.8% more access to essential health services
Zimbabwe scores 55 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Sri Lanka scores 67 as of 2021.
be 15.0% less likely to die by suicide
Zimbabwe has a suicide rate of 17.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Sri Lanka, it is 14.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 56.9% less likely to be unemployed
In Zimbabwe, 9.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Sri Lanka, that number is 4.0% as of 2025.
be 62.7% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Zimbabwe, 38.3% live below the poverty line as of 2019. In Sri Lanka, however, that number is 14.3% as of 2019.
make 65.6% more money
Zimbabwe has a GDP per capita of $3,021 as of 2025, while in Sri Lanka, the GDP per capita is $5,002 as of 2025.
Life
be 95.0% less likely to die during childbirth
In Zimbabwe, approximately 358.0 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 91.7% less likely to die during infancy
In Zimbabwe, approximately 62.4 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 66.2% fewer children
In Zimbabwe, there are approximately 29.9 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 61.3% more likely to have access to electricity
In Zimbabwe, approximately 62% of people have electricity access (84% in urban areas, and 51% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Sri Lanka, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 31.1% more likely to have internet access
In Zimbabwe, approximately 41.6% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Sri Lanka, about 54.6% do as of 2024.
be 34.2% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Zimbabwe, approximately 67% of people have access to drinking water (94% in urban areas, and 54% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Sri Lanka, that number is 90% of people on average (98% in urban areas, and 88% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 4.8 times more on education
Zimbabwe spends 0.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Sri Lanka spends 1.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 25.6% more on healthcare
Zimbabwe spends 2.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Sri Lanka, that number is 3.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 51.0% less likely to be murdered
Zimbabwe has a homicide rate of 6.8 per 100,000 people as of 2022. In Sri Lanka, that number is 3.3 per 100,000 as of 2019.
be 61.5% less likely to die in a road accident
In Zimbabwe, road accidents kill 29.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Sri Lanka, they kill 11.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 4.4 times more home broadband
Zimbabwe has 1.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Sri Lanka has 8.5 as of 2024.
use 27.9% more electricity
Zimbabwe uses 504 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Sri Lanka uses 644 kWh as of 2023.
live with 97.0% more strain on fresh water
Zimbabwe withdraws 46% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Sri Lanka withdraws 91% as of 2022.
Environment
be 33.9% less likely to die from air pollution
In Zimbabwe, air pollution causes 56.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Sri Lanka, it causes 37.0 as of 2019.
emit 37.7% more CO2
Zimbabwe emits 0.8 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: Zimbabwe vs. Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: At a glance
How big is Sri Lanka compared to Zimbabwe? See an in-depth size comparison.