Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Sierra Leone instead of Bangladesh, you would:
Health
be 14.0 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Bangladesh, 0.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Sierra Leone, that number is 1.4% of people as of 2024.
live 13.0 years less
In Bangladesh, the average life expectancy is 75 years (73 years for men, 77 years for women) as of 2024. In Sierra Leone, that number is 62 years (60 years for men, 64 years for women) as of 2024.
be 42.4% more likely to be obese
In Bangladesh, 5.8% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Sierra Leone, that number is 8.2% of people as of 2024.
see 20.0% less spent on your healthcare
Bangladesh spends $199 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Sierra Leone spends $159 as of 2023.
have 81.4% fewer doctors per person
Bangladesh has 7.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Sierra Leone has 1.3 as of 2022.
have 21.2% less access to essential health services
Bangladesh scores 52 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Sierra Leone scores 41 as of 2021.
be 2.2 times more likely to die by suicide
Bangladesh has a suicide rate of 2.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Sierra Leone, it is 6.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 16.7% less likely to be unemployed
In Bangladesh, 3.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Sierra Leone, that number is 3.1% as of 2025.
make 67.4% less money
Bangladesh has a GDP per capita of $2,597 as of 2025, while in Sierra Leone, the GDP per capita is $846 as of 2025.
Life
have 50.6% more children
In Bangladesh, there are approximately 20.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Sierra Leone, there are 30.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 3.1 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Bangladesh, approximately 115.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Sierra Leone, 354.0 women do as of 2023.
be 38.5% less likely to be literate
In Bangladesh, the literacy rate is 79.0% as of 2022. In Sierra Leone, it is 48.6% as of 2022.
be 2.2 times more likely to die during infancy
In Bangladesh, approximately 24.4 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Sierra Leone, on the other hand, 54.6 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 64.3% less likely to have access to electricity
In Bangladesh, approximately 100% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Sierra Leone, that number is 36% of people on average (56% in urban areas, and 19% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 53.0% less likely to have internet access
In Bangladesh, approximately 53.4% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Sierra Leone, about 25.1% do as of 2024.
be 31.1% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Bangladesh, approximately 99% of people have access to drinking water (99% in urban areas, and 99% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Sierra Leone, that number is 68% of people on average (82% in urban areas, and 57% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 29.1% more on education
Bangladesh spends 2.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Sierra Leone spends 2.6% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 2.2 times more on healthcare
Bangladesh spends 2.2% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Sierra Leone, that number is 4.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 30.7% less coastline
Bangladesh has a total of 580 km of coastline. In Sierra Leone, that number is 402 km.
Safety
be 25.8% less likely to die in a road accident
In Bangladesh, road accidents kill 18.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Sierra Leone, they kill 13.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 91.3% less strain on fresh water
Bangladesh withdraws 6% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Sierra Leone withdraws 0% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 76.4% less CO2
Bangladesh emits 0.7 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Sierra Leone emits 0.2 tonnes as of 2024.
be 47.0% more likely to die from air pollution
In Bangladesh, air pollution causes 66.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Sierra Leone, it causes 97.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2022), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Bangladesh vs. Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: At a glance
How big is Sierra Leone compared to Bangladesh? See an in-depth size comparison.