Sri Lanka’s overall quality of life, while showing improvement, still lags behind global best practices and its potential given its resources. While the country has made strides in areas like healthcare and life expectancy, challenges remain in areas like poverty, access to basic necessities, and economic inequality.
Strengths:
- Improved Healthcare and Life Expectancy: Sri Lanka has seen significant improvements in healthcare, leading to increased life expectancy.
- Low Neonatal Mortality Rate: Sri Lanka has one of the lowest neonatal mortality rates in the region.
- Poverty Reduction: Sri Lanka has made considerable strides in reducing poverty, particularly in rural areas.
Areas for Improvement:
- Multidimensional Poverty:A significant portion of the population (16.0%) experiences multidimensional poverty, with higher rates in estate areas and rural areas.
- Income Inequality:There are disparities in income and access to basic services, particularly between urban and rural areas, and across different age groups.
- Cost of Living:While the cost of living is relatively lower than in many Western countries, it can still be a challenge for some, especially given recent economic fluctuations.
- Access to Basic Needs:Despite progress, challenges remain in ensuring that all citizens have access to adequate food, education, healthcare, housing, and work.
Key Indicators:
- Life Expectancy: Life expectancy at birth is 77.2 years for females and 68.8 years for males.
- Poverty Rate: Approximately 16% of the population is multidimensionally poor.
- Neonatal Mortality Rate: 6 deaths per 1,000 live births.
- Quality of Life Score (Income Adjusted):81.6%.
- Quality of Life Score (Global Best):80.4%.
