Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Sierra Leone instead of Burma, you would:
Health
be 55.6% more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Burma, 0.9% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Sierra Leone, that number is 1.4% of people as of 2024.
live 5.1 years less
In Burma, the average life expectancy is 67 years (64 years for men, 70 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 43.9% less spent on your healthcare
Burma spends $283 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Sierra Leone spends $159 as of 2023.
have 82.3% fewer doctors per person
Burma has 7.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2019. Sierra Leone has 1.3 as of 2022.
have 21.2% less access to essential health services
Burma scores 52 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Sierra Leone scores 41 as of 2021.
be 2.1 times more likely to die by suicide
Burma has a suicide rate of 2.9 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Sierra Leone, it is 6.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 2.3 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Burma, 24.8% live below the poverty line as of 2017. In Sierra Leone, however, that number is 56.8% as of 2018.
make 43.2% less money
Burma has a GDP per capita of $1,489 as of 2025, while in Sierra Leone, the GDP per capita is $846 as of 2025.
Life
have 82.9% more children
In Burma, there are approximately 16.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Sierra Leone, there are 30.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 91.4% more likely to die during childbirth
In Burma, approximately 185.0 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 48.0% less likely to be literate
In Burma, the literacy rate is 93.5% as of 2020. In Sierra Leone, it is 48.6% as of 2022.
be 66.5% more likely to die during infancy
In Burma, approximately 32.8 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 53.8% less likely to have access to electricity
In Burma, approximately 77% of people have electricity access (95% in urban areas, and 69% 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 43.0% less likely to have internet access
In Burma, approximately 44.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Sierra Leone, about 25.1% do as of 2024.
be 20.6% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Burma, approximately 86% of people have access to drinking water (96% in urban areas, and 81% 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.
Geography
see 79.2% less coastline
Burma has a total of 1,930 km of coastline. In Sierra Leone, that number is 402 km.
Safety
be 14.0% less likely to be murdered
Burma has a homicide rate of 2.6 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Sierra Leone, that number is 2.2 per 100,000 as of 2020.
be 28.5% less likely to die in a road accident
In Burma, road accidents kill 19.3 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Sierra Leone, they kill 13.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 91.4% less strain on fresh water
Burma withdraws 6% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Sierra Leone withdraws 0% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 70.7% less CO2
Burma emits 0.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Sierra Leone emits 0.2 tonnes as of 2024.
be 36.6% more likely to die from air pollution
In Burma, air pollution causes 71.0 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 (2021–2022). How we calculate this
Compare further: Burma vs. Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: At a glance
How big is Sierra Leone compared to Burma? See an in-depth size comparison.