Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Sierra Leone instead of Democratic Republic of the Congo, you would:
Health
see 2.8 times more spent on your healthcare
Democratic Republic of the Congo spends $58 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Sierra Leone spends $159 as of 2023.
be 30.0% less likely to die by suicide
Democratic Republic of the Congo has a suicide rate of 8.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Sierra Leone, it is 6.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 100.0% more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Democratic Republic of the Congo, 0.7% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Sierra Leone, that number is 1.4% of people as of 2024.
be 22.4% more likely to be obese
In Democratic Republic of the Congo, 6.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Sierra Leone, that number is 8.2% of people as of 2024.
have 35.6% fewer doctors per person
Democratic Republic of the Congo has 2.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Sierra Leone has 1.3 as of 2022.
Economy
be 28.9% less likely to be unemployed
In Democratic Republic of the Congo, 4.4% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Sierra Leone, that number is 3.1% as of 2025.
Life
be 17.1% less likely to die during childbirth
In Democratic Republic of the Congo, approximately 427.0 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 29.1% less likely to be literate
In Democratic Republic of the Congo, the literacy rate is 68.5% as of 2023. In Sierra Leone, it is 48.6% as of 2022.
have 26.3% fewer children
In Democratic Republic of the Congo, there are approximately 40.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Sierra Leone, there are 30.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 60.6% more likely to have access to electricity
In Democratic Republic of the Congo, approximately 22% of people have electricity access (56% in urban areas, and 1% 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 27.6% more likely to have internet access
In Democratic Republic of the Congo, approximately 19.7% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Sierra Leone, about 25.1% do as of 2024.
be 90.8% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Democratic Republic of the Congo, approximately 36% of people have access to drinking water (59% in urban areas, and 14% 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 28.3% more on healthcare
Democratic Republic of the Congo spends 3.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Sierra Leone, that number is 4.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 10.9 times more coastline
Democratic Republic of the Congo has a total of 37 km of coastline. In Sierra Leone, that number is 402 km.
Safety
be 15.3% less likely to die in a road accident
In Democratic Republic of the Congo, road accidents kill 16.3 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Sierra Leone, they kill 13.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 2.2 times more strain on fresh water
Democratic Republic of the Congo withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Sierra Leone withdraws 0% as of 2022.
Environment
be 34.7% more likely to die from air pollution
In Democratic Republic of the Congo, air pollution causes 72.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Sierra Leone, it causes 97.0 as of 2019.
emit 2.8 times more CO2
Democratic Republic of the Congo 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 (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2022), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Democratic Republic of the Congo vs. Sierra Leone
MORE COMPARISONS
Sierra Leone: At a glance
How big is Sierra Leone compared to Democratic Republic of the Congo? See an in-depth size comparison.