Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 23.9 years longer

In Afghanistan, the average life expectancy is 54 years (52 years for men, 55 years for women) as of 2022. In Sri Lanka, that number is 78 years (75 years for men, 82 years for women) as of 2020.

Economy

make 6.5 times more money

Afghanistan has a GDP per capita of $2,000 as of 2022, while in Sri Lanka, the GDP per capita is $13,000 as of 2023.

be 55.8% less likely to be unemployed

In Afghanistan, 14.4% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Sri Lanka, that number is 6.4% as of 2023.

be 73.8% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Afghanistan, 54.5% live below the poverty line as of 2017. In Sri Lanka, however, that number is 14.3% as of 2019.

pay a 25.0% lower top tax rate

Afghanistan has a top tax rate of 20.0% as of 2016. In Sri Lanka, the top tax rate is 15.0% as of 2016.

Life

be 95.3% less likely to die during childbirth

In Afghanistan, approximately 620.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Sri Lanka, 29.0 women do as of 2020.

be 2.5 times more likely to be literate

In Afghanistan, the literacy rate is 37.3% as of 2021. In Sri Lanka, it is 92.3% as of 2019.

be 92.2% less likely to die during infancy

In Afghanistan, approximately 104.9 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Sri Lanka, on the other hand, 8.2 children do as of 2022.

have 57.6% fewer children

In Afghanistan, there are approximately 34.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Sri Lanka, there are 14.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

Basic Needs

be 17.2% more likely to have access to electricity

In Afghanistan, approximately 85% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 97% in rural areas) as of 2022. In Sri Lanka, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 95% in rural areas) as of 2022.

be 3.7 times more likely to have internet access

In Afghanistan, approximately 18.0% of the population has internet access as of 2020. In Sri Lanka, about 67.0% do as of 2021.

be 21.3% more likely to have access to improved drinking water

In Afghanistan, approximately 76% of people have improved drinking water access (100% in urban areas, and 68% in rural areas) as of 2020. In Sri Lanka, that number is 93% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 91% in rural areas) as of 2020.

Expenditures

spend 34.5% less on education

Afghanistan spends 2.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Sri Lanka spends 1.9% of total GDP on education as of 2019.

spend 73.5% less on healthcare

Afghanistan spends 15.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Sri Lanka, that number is 4.1% of GDP as of 2020.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Afghanistan Revenue Department, Sri Lanka Inland Revenue Department.

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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How big is Sri Lanka compared to Afghanistan? See an in-depth size comparison.

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