Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Sri Lanka instead of South Korea, you would:

Health

live 5.5 years less

In South Korea, the average life expectancy is 83 years (80 years for men, 86 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.

be 10.6% more likely to be obese

In South Korea, 4.7% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Sri Lanka, that number is 5.2% of people as of 2016.

Economy

pay a 60.5% lower top tax rate

South Korea has a top tax rate of 38.0% as of 2016. In Sri Lanka, the top tax rate is 15.0% as of 2016.

make 74.3% less money

South Korea has a GDP per capita of $50,600 as of 2023, while in Sri Lanka, the GDP per capita is $13,000 as of 2023.

be 2.4 times more likely to be unemployed

In South Korea, 2.6% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Sri Lanka, that number is 6.4% as of 2023.

Life

have 2.1 times more children

In South Korea, there are approximately 6.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022. In Sri Lanka, there are 14.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

be 3.6 times more likely to die during childbirth

In South Korea, approximately 8.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Sri Lanka, 29.0 women do as of 2020.

be 2.9 times more likely to die during infancy

In South Korea, approximately 2.9 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.

Basic Needs

be 31.6% less likely to have internet access

In South Korea, approximately 98.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Sri Lanka, about 67.0% do as of 2021.

Expenditures

spend 59.6% less on education

South Korea spends 4.7% of its total GDP on education as of 2019. Sri Lanka spends 1.9% of total GDP on education as of 2019.

spend 51.2% less on healthcare

South Korea spends 8.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Sri Lanka, that number is 4.1% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 44.5% less coastline

South Korea has a total of 2,413 km of coastline. In Sri Lanka, that number is 1,340 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, National Tax Service, South Korea, 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 South Korea? See an in-depth size comparison.

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