Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Sierra Leone instead of Burkina Faso, you would:
Health
live 0.7 years longer
In Burkina Faso, the average life expectancy is 61 years (59 years for men, 63 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 27.8% less likely to die by suicide
Burkina Faso has a suicide rate of 8.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Sierra Leone, it is 6.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 2.8 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Burkina Faso, 0.5% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Sierra Leone, that number is 1.4% of people as of 2024.
see 29.0% less spent on your healthcare
Burkina Faso spends $224 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Sierra Leone spends $159 as of 2023.
Economy
be 31.5% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Burkina Faso, 43.2% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Sierra Leone, however, that number is 56.8% as of 2018.
make 26.3% less money
Burkina Faso has a GDP per capita of $1,148 as of 2025, while in Sierra Leone, the GDP per capita is $846 as of 2025.
Life
be 16.9% more likely to be literate
In Burkina Faso, the literacy rate is 41.6% as of 2023. In Sierra Leone, it is 48.6% as of 2022.
be 46.3% more likely to die during childbirth
In Burkina Faso, approximately 242.0 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 25.2% more likely to die during infancy
In Burkina Faso, approximately 43.6 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 63.6% more likely to have access to electricity
In Burkina Faso, approximately 22% of people have electricity access (63% in urban areas, and 2% 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 36.2% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Burkina Faso, approximately 50% of people have access to drinking water (81% in urban areas, and 34% 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.
be 11.2% less likely to have internet access
In Burkina Faso, approximately 28.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Sierra Leone, about 25.1% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 50.8% less on education
Burkina Faso spends 5.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Sierra Leone spends 2.6% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 39.5% less on healthcare
Burkina Faso spends 7.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Sierra Leone, that number is 4.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 50.4% less likely to die in a road accident
In Burkina Faso, road accidents kill 27.8 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Sierra Leone, they kill 13.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 77.6% more likely to be murdered
Burkina Faso has a homicide rate of 1.2 per 100,000 people as of 2017. In Sierra Leone, that number is 2.2 per 100,000 as of 2020.
Infrastructure
live with 93.6% less strain on fresh water
Burkina Faso withdraws 8% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Sierra Leone withdraws 0% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 37.0% less CO2
Burkina Faso emits 0.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Sierra Leone emits 0.2 tonnes as of 2024.
be 15.5% more likely to die from air pollution
In Burkina Faso, air pollution causes 84.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Sierra Leone, it causes 97.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2017–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2022). How we calculate this
Compare further: Burkina Faso vs. Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: At a glance
How big is Sierra Leone compared to Burkina Faso? See an in-depth size comparison.