Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Sierra Leone instead of Burundi, you would:
Health
see 58.8% more spent on your healthcare
Burundi spends $100 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Sierra Leone spends $159 as of 2023.
have 71.8% more doctors per person
Burundi has 0.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Sierra Leone has 1.3 as of 2022.
be 19.7% less likely to die by suicide
Burundi has a suicide rate of 7.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Sierra Leone, it is 6.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 75.0% more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Burundi, 0.8% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Sierra Leone, that number is 1.4% of people as of 2024.
live 1.9 years less
In Burundi, the average life expectancy is 64 years (62 years for men, 66 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 58.1% more likely to be obese
In Burundi, 5.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Sierra Leone, that number is 8.2% of people as of 2024.
Economy
make 3.6 times more money
Burundi has a GDP per capita of $234 as of 2025, while in Sierra Leone, the GDP per capita is $846 as of 2025.
be 3.4 times more likely to be unemployed
In Burundi, 0.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Sierra Leone, that number is 3.1% as of 2025.
be 11.4% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Burundi, 51.0% live below the poverty line as of 2020. In Sierra Leone, however, that number is 56.8% as of 2018.
Life
be 34.9% less likely to be literate
In Burundi, the literacy rate is 74.7% as of 2021. In Sierra Leone, it is 48.6% as of 2022.
be 79.0% more likely to die during infancy
In Burundi, approximately 30.5 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 3.1 times more likely to have access to electricity
In Burundi, approximately 12% of people have electricity access (65% 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 2.9 times more likely to have internet access
In Burundi, approximately 8.6% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Sierra Leone, about 25.1% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 41.8% less on education
Burundi spends 4.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2025. Sierra Leone spends 2.6% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 48.1% less on healthcare
Burundi spends 9.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Sierra Leone, that number is 4.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 12.2% more likely to die in a road accident
In Burundi, road accidents kill 12.3 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Sierra Leone, they kill 13.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 95.1% less strain on fresh water
Burundi withdraws 10% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Sierra Leone withdraws 0% as of 2022.
Environment
be 36.6% more likely to die from air pollution
In Burundi, air pollution causes 71.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Sierra Leone, it causes 97.0 as of 2019.
emit 2.4 times more CO2
Burundi emits 0.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Sierra Leone emits 0.2 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2018–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2021–2022). How we calculate this
Compare further: Burundi vs. Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: At a glance
How big is Sierra Leone compared to Burundi? See an in-depth size comparison.