Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Sierra Leone instead of Gambia, you would:
Health
be 33.9% less likely to be obese
In Gambia, 12.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Sierra Leone, that number is 8.2% of people as of 2024.
see 68.8% more spent on your healthcare
Gambia spends $94 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Sierra Leone spends $159 as of 2023.
have 48.9% more doctors per person
Gambia has 0.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Sierra Leone has 1.3 as of 2022.
live 4.1 years less
In Gambia, the average life expectancy is 66 years (64 years for men, 68 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.
have 10.9% less access to essential health services
Gambia scores 46 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Sierra Leone scores 41 as of 2021.
be 27.7% more likely to die by suicide
Gambia has a suicide rate of 4.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Sierra Leone, it is 6.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 51.7% less likely to be unemployed
In Gambia, 6.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Sierra Leone, that number is 3.1% as of 2025.
Life
be 67.0% more likely to die during infancy
In Gambia, approximately 32.7 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 46.9% less likely to have access to electricity
In Gambia, approximately 67% of people have electricity access (85% in urban areas, and 35% 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 49.3% less likely to have internet access
In Gambia, approximately 49.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Sierra Leone, about 25.1% do as of 2024.
be 21.8% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Gambia, approximately 87% of people have access to drinking water (92% in urban areas, and 78% 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 63.3% more on healthcare
Gambia spends 2.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Sierra Leone, that number is 4.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 5.0 times more coastline
Gambia has a total of 80 km of coastline. In Sierra Leone, that number is 402 km.
Safety
be 37.3% less likely to die in a road accident
In Gambia, road accidents kill 22.0 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Sierra Leone, they kill 13.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 77.4% less strain on fresh water
Gambia withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Sierra Leone withdraws 0% as of 2022.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Gambia vs. Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: At a glance
How big is Sierra Leone compared to Gambia? See an in-depth size comparison.