placestats

Last European coloniser: United Kingdom · Largest religious group: Buddhists. These are labels that describe the country, not numbers, so they are never compared with other measures. The numbers behind them, such as population shares, are.

Sri Lanka

Against upper middle income countries, Sri Lanka ranks 4th of 58 on health and 48th of 57 on education. Each ranking counts only the countries that report that score, so the totals differ and the two ranks can’t be compared directly. Both compare Sri Lanka with countries of similar wealth. That is the only kind of ranking that tells you something a ranking by income does not already show.

How it has changed

Every measure Sri Lanka reports, over all the years it has been published. Pick one. Hover or use the arrow keys to read a year. Gaps in a line are years with no data. They are left open, not filled in.

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Scores by area

Each score averages the measures in one area, such as health. Each measure is first put on a common scale and turned so that higher is always better. Zero is the average country in an average year. One point is a typical gap between countries (a standard deviation), so +1 means about one typical gap above average. These are summaries, not measurements. See how the country scores are built and how the topic scores compare with each other.

ScoreValueRank, all countriesRank, similar incomeMostly income?
Governance score 2025+0.6067 of 17912 of 51moderate +0.53
Health score 2024+0.5120 of 1934 of 58moderate +0.32
Education score 2023+0.42123 of 19948 of 57proxy +0.81
Equality score 2019+0.2086 of 16526 of 53high +0.64
Infrastructure score 2024+0.67134 of 21044 of 58proxy +0.90
Gender score 2024-0.26152 of 18646 of 57moderate +0.37
Environment score 2024+0.5535 of 2135 of 58moderate -0.33
Labour score 2025+0.3184 of 19521 of 56high +0.79

The last column shows how closely each score just tracks national income. The number is its link with GDP per person (the value of everything a country produces, divided by its people), from −1 to +1. A score marked proxy is mostly a measure of how rich the country is. Its rank among all countries says little that GDP per person does not. That is why the rank among similar-income countries sits beside it.

The measures behind them

Every measure reported for Sri Lanka, grouped by area. Some measures have no agreed better direction, such as population growth, inflation and military spending. They are listed here but left out of every score, since there is no fair way to say which way is better. Some names use technical terms: PPP means adjusted for what money buys in each country, HDI is a United Nations score combining life expectancy, schooling and income, and a Gini indexmeasures how unequally income is shared. Each measure’s own page explains it.

crime

Conflict deaths0per 100,000 people2025higher is worse
Armed conflict present01 if any conflict, else 02025higher is worse
Homicide rate3.31per 100,000 population2019higher is worse

culture

Religiously unaffiliated0.0699%% of population2020no agreed direction
Christian share5.59%% of population2020no agreed direction
Muslim share10.2%% of population2020no agreed direction
Women in a union66.3%% of women aged 15-492016no agreed direction
Marriage rate (UN)6.87marriages per 1,000 people2023no agreed direction

demography

Median age32.8years2023no agreed direction
Age at childbearing29.6years2023no agreed direction
Population21,756,000people2025no agreed direction
Population growth-0.733%% per year2025no agreed direction
Urbanization20.5%% of population2025no agreed direction
Population 65+12.5%% of population2025no agreed direction
Population 0-1421.7%% of population2025no agreed direction
Fertility rate1.95births per woman2024no agreed direction
Birth rate10.1per 1,000 people2024no agreed direction
Net migration-30,724people2025no agreed direction
Migrant share of population0.2%% of population2024no agreed direction

economy

HDI0.776index, 0 to 12023higher is better
Inequality-adjusted HDI0.63index, 0 to 12023higher is better
GDP per capita (PPP)$14,583international $2025higher is better
GNI per capita (PPP)$14,291international $2025higher is better
GDP per capita (market)$4,439US$2025higher is better
GDP growth4.95%% per year2025no agreed direction
Inflation-4.76%% per year2025no agreed direction
Trade openness41.8%% of GDP2025no agreed direction
FDI inflows0.764%% of GDP2024no agreed direction
Tax revenue9.88%% of GDP2023no agreed direction
Government consumption6.74%% of GDP2025no agreed direction
Government expense18%% of GDP2023no agreed direction
Military spending1.43%% of GDP2024no agreed direction
Employment in agriculture25.9%% of employment2025no agreed direction

education

Expected schooling13.1years2023higher is better
Mean years of schooling10.8years2023higher is better
Education spending1.83%% of GDP2023no agreed direction
Primary enrollment91.5%% gross2023higher is better
Secondary enrollment88%% gross2023higher is better
Tertiary enrollment20.7%% gross2023higher is better
Adult literacy92.7%% of adults2024higher is better
Compulsory schooling11years2025no agreed direction
Out of school, primary9.14%% of primary-age children2023higher is worse
Pupil-teacher ratio21.7pupils per teacher2018higher is worse
Researchers94.5per million people2022higher is better

environment

CO2 per capita1.06t CO2e per capita2024higher is worse
Forest area34%% of land area2023higher is better
Agricultural land48.6%% of land area2023no agreed direction
Protected land30.8%% of land area2025higher is better

gender

Gender Inequality Index0.367index, 0 to 12023higher is worse
Gender Development Index0.951ratio of women's HDI to men's2023no agreed direction
Women's political empowerment0.742index (0-1)2025higher is better
Women ministers9.09%% of ministers2024higher is better
Women in parliament9.78%% of seats2025higher is better
Women in management29.2%% of managers2024higher is better
Married by 189.8%% of women aged 20-242016higher is worse

governance

Corruption Perceptions Index32index (0-100, higher = cleaner)2024higher is better
Political rights (FH)3rating (1-7, 1 = most free)2025higher is worse
Civil liberties (FH)4rating (1-7, 1 = most free)2025higher is worse
Pre-trial detainee share66.2%% of prisoners2024higher is worse
Refugees originating636per 100,000 people2024higher is worse
Electoral democracy0.783index (0-1)2025higher is better
Liberal democracy0.613index (0-1)2025higher is better
Participatory democracy0.52index (0-1)2025higher is better
Free and fair elections0.914index (0-1)2025higher is better
Regime type2regime category (0-3)2025higher is better
Political corruption0.278index (0-1)2025higher is worse
Freedom of expression0.871index (0-1)2025higher is better
Freedom of association0.853index (0-1)2025higher is better
Political civil liberties0.895index (0-1)2025higher is better
Civil society participation0.805index (0-1)2025higher is better
Control of corruption-0.385index (approx. -2.5 to 2.5)2024higher is better
Rule of law-0.258index (approx. -2.5 to 2.5)2024higher is better
Government effectiveness-0.275index (approx. -2.5 to 2.5)2024higher is better
Regulatory quality-0.299index (approx. -2.5 to 2.5)2024higher is better
Voice and accountability-0.126index (approx. -2.5 to 2.5)2024higher is better
Political stability-0.35index (approx. -2.5 to 2.5)2024higher is better

health

Life expectancy77.7years2024higher is better
Infant mortality5.2per 1,000 live births2024higher is worse
Under-5 mortality5.9per 1,000 live births2024higher is worse
Health spending3.68%% of GDP2023no agreed direction
Suicide rate14.7per 100,0002021higher is worse
Hospital beds3.93per 1,000 people2023no agreed direction
Basic water access90.2%% of population2024higher is better
Basic sanitation95.4%% of population2024higher is better
Child stunting10.1%% of children under 52024higher is worse
Adolescent fertility14.7births per 1,000 women aged 15-192024higher is worse
Maternal mortality18per 100,000 live births2023higher is worse
Skilled birth attendance99.5%% of births2016higher is better
Alcohol consumption2.91litres per adult per year2020no agreed direction
Tobacco use20.7%% of adults2024higher is worse
Road traffic deaths19.7per 100,000 population2019higher is worse
Physicians1.14per 1,000 people2023higher is better
DTP3 immunisation97%% of children aged 12-23 months2024higher is better
HIV prevalence0.1%% of adults aged 15-492024higher is worse
Tuberculosis incidence59per 100,000 people2024higher is worse
Premature NCD mortality13.9%% probability, ages 30-702021higher is worse
Anaemia in women20.9%% of women aged 15-492023higher is worse
Out-of-pocket health spending54.8%% of health spending2023higher is worse
Undernourishment7.4%% of population2023higher is worse
Food insecurity11.2%% of population2023higher is worse
Adult obesity11.2%% of adults2024higher is worse
Health coverage index72index, 0 to 1002023higher is better

inequality

Gini index37.7index (0-100)2019higher is worse
Extreme poverty rate2.7%% of population2019higher is worse

infrastructure

Internet users54.6%% of population2024higher is better
Mobile subscriptions133per 100 people2024higher is better
Electricity access100%% of population2024higher is better
Slum share of urban population44.7%% of urban population2022higher is worse
Fixed broadband8.47per 100 people2024higher is better

labor

Informal employment67.6%% of employment2023higher is worse
Unemployment4%% of labor force2025higher is worse
Female labor participation31%% of women 15+2025no agreed direction
Male labor participation67.8%% of men 15+2025no agreed direction
Youth not in work or study17.2%% of 15 to 24 year olds2024higher is worse
Vulnerable employment39.2%% of employment2025higher is worse

wellbeing

Life satisfaction4.01score (0-10)2025higher is better

Values are the most recent in 2010–2025, and different measures can come from different years. The year is shown beside each. Nothing here ranks countries by merit. An area score averages whatever measures its publishers happen to collect, and the choice of what to collect is itself a judgement made by someone else. All countries · How the country data works

Countries to compare with Sri Lanka

Also in South Asia: Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal.

Also upper middle income, in other regions: Albania, Algeria, Argentina, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belize, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Cabo Verde, China, Colombia, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Fiji, Gabon, Georgia, Grenada, Guatemala, Indonesia, Iran, Islamic Rep., Iraq, Jamaica, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Libya, Malaysia, Marshall Islands, Mauritius, Mexico, Micronesia, Fed. Sts., Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, and more on the full list of countries.