Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Sierra Leone instead of Botswana, you would:
Health
be 91.1% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Botswana, 15.7% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Sierra Leone, that number is 1.4% of people as of 2024.
be 58.6% less likely to be obese
In Botswana, 19.8% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Sierra Leone, that number is 8.2% of people as of 2024.
be 26.5% less likely to die by suicide
Botswana has a suicide rate of 8.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Sierra Leone, it is 6.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 7.3 years less
In Botswana, the average life expectancy is 69 years (67 years for men, 72 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.
see 87.9% less spent on your healthcare
Botswana spends $1,310 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Sierra Leone spends $159 as of 2023.
have 64.6% fewer doctors per person
Botswana has 3.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Sierra Leone has 1.3 as of 2022.
have 25.5% less access to essential health services
Botswana scores 55 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Sierra Leone scores 41 as of 2021.
Economy
be 87.1% less likely to be unemployed
In Botswana, 24.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Sierra Leone, that number is 3.1% as of 2025.
be 3.5 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Botswana, 16.1% live below the poverty line as of 2015. In Sierra Leone, however, that number is 56.8% as of 2018.
make 89.1% less money
Botswana has a GDP per capita of $7,778 as of 2025, while in Sierra Leone, the GDP per capita is $846 as of 2025.
Life
have 23.6% more children
In Botswana, there are approximately 24.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Sierra Leone, there are 30.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 2.3 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Botswana, approximately 155.0 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 70.1% more likely to die during infancy
In Botswana, approximately 32.1 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 53.3% less likely to have access to electricity
In Botswana, approximately 76% of people have electricity access (98% in urban areas, and 25% 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 56.3% less likely to have internet access
In Botswana, approximately 57.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Sierra Leone, about 25.1% do as of 2024.
be 25.8% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Botswana, approximately 92% of people have access to drinking water (97% in urban areas, and 78% 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 67.5% less on education
Botswana spends 8.1% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Sierra Leone spends 2.6% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 24.6% less on healthcare
Botswana spends 6.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Sierra Leone, that number is 4.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 80.5% less likely to be murdered
Botswana has a homicide rate of 11.4 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Sierra Leone, that number is 2.2 per 100,000 as of 2020.
be 16.4% less likely to die in a road accident
In Botswana, road accidents kill 16.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Sierra Leone, they kill 13.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 77.6% less strain on fresh water
Botswana withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Sierra Leone withdraws 0% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 93.8% less CO2
Botswana emits 2.7 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Sierra Leone emits 0.2 tonnes as of 2024.
be 76.4% more likely to die from air pollution
In Botswana, air pollution causes 55.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Sierra Leone, it causes 97.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2015–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Botswana vs. Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: At a glance
How big is Sierra Leone compared to Botswana? See an in-depth size comparison.