Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Sierra Leone instead of Cambodia, you would:
Health
be 2.8 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Cambodia, 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.
live 8.9 years less
In Cambodia, the average life expectancy is 71 years (68 years for men, 73 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 66.5% more likely to be obese
In Cambodia, 4.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Sierra Leone, that number is 8.2% of people as of 2024.
see 54.6% less spent on your healthcare
Cambodia spends $350 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Sierra Leone spends $159 as of 2023.
have 36.5% fewer doctors per person
Cambodia has 2.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2019. Sierra Leone has 1.3 as of 2022.
have 29.3% less access to essential health services
Cambodia scores 58 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Sierra Leone scores 41 as of 2021.
be 36.4% more likely to die by suicide
Cambodia has a suicide rate of 4.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Sierra Leone, it is 6.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 12.1 times more likely to be unemployed
In Cambodia, 0.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Sierra Leone, that number is 3.1% as of 2025.
be 3.4 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Cambodia, 16.5% live below the poverty line as of 2016. In Sierra Leone, however, that number is 56.8% as of 2018.
make 70.5% less money
Cambodia has a GDP per capita of $2,872 as of 2025, while in Sierra Leone, the GDP per capita is $846 as of 2025.
Life
have 48.3% more children
In Cambodia, there are approximately 20.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Sierra Leone, there are 30.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 2.6 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Cambodia, approximately 137.0 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 32.4% less likely to be literate
In Cambodia, the literacy rate is 71.9% as of 2021. In Sierra Leone, it is 48.6% as of 2022.
be 3.3 times more likely to die during infancy
In Cambodia, approximately 16.4 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 62.6% less likely to have access to electricity
In Cambodia, approximately 95% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 93% 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 63.3% less likely to have internet access
In Cambodia, approximately 68.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Sierra Leone, about 25.1% do as of 2024.
be 17.8% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Cambodia, approximately 83% of people have access to drinking water (94% in urban areas, and 79% 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 20.2% more on education
Cambodia spends 2.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Sierra Leone spends 2.6% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Safety
be 26.6% less likely to die in a road accident
In Cambodia, road accidents kill 18.8 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Sierra Leone, they kill 13.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 51.9% less strain on fresh water
Cambodia withdraws 1% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Sierra Leone withdraws 0% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 84.5% less CO2
Cambodia emits 1.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Sierra Leone emits 0.2 tonnes as of 2024.
be 61.7% more likely to die from air pollution
In Cambodia, air pollution causes 60.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Sierra Leone, it causes 97.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2018–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2016–2022). How we calculate this
Compare further: Cambodia vs. Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: At a glance
How big is Sierra Leone compared to Cambodia? See an in-depth size comparison.