Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Sierra Leone instead of Ghana, you would:
Health
be 43.7% less likely to be obese
In Ghana, 14.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Sierra Leone, that number is 8.2% of people as of 2024.
live 3.7 years less
In Ghana, the average life expectancy is 66 years (63 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.
see 32.2% less spent on your healthcare
Ghana spends $234 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Sierra Leone spends $159 as of 2023.
have 49.6% fewer doctors per person
Ghana has 2.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Sierra Leone has 1.3 as of 2022.
have 14.6% less access to essential health services
Ghana scores 48 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Sierra Leone scores 41 as of 2021.
be 15.4% more likely to die by suicide
Ghana has a suicide rate of 5.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Sierra Leone, it is 6.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 2.4 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Ghana, 23.4% live below the poverty line as of 2016. In Sierra Leone, however, that number is 56.8% as of 2018.
make 74.0% less money
Ghana has a GDP per capita of $3,257 as of 2025, while in Sierra Leone, the GDP per capita is $846 as of 2025.
Life
have 16.2% more children
In Ghana, there are approximately 25.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Sierra Leone, there are 30.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 51.3% more likely to die during childbirth
In Ghana, approximately 234.0 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 36.5% less likely to be literate
In Ghana, the literacy rate is 76.5% as of 2021. In Sierra Leone, it is 48.6% as of 2022.
be 98.5% more likely to die during infancy
In Ghana, approximately 27.5 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 60.3% less likely to have access to electricity
In Ghana, approximately 90% of people have electricity access (98% in urban areas, and 78% 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 65.2% less likely to have internet access
In Ghana, approximately 72.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Sierra Leone, about 25.1% do as of 2024.
be 24.3% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Ghana, approximately 90% of people have access to drinking water (99% in urban areas, and 76% 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 60.0% more on healthcare
Ghana spends 3.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Sierra Leone, that number is 4.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 25.4% less coastline
Ghana has a total of 539 km of coastline. In Sierra Leone, that number is 402 km.
Safety
be 46.7% less likely to die in a road accident
In Ghana, road accidents kill 25.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Sierra Leone, they kill 13.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 21.3% more likely to be murdered
Ghana has a homicide rate of 1.8 per 100,000 people as of 2022. In Sierra Leone, that number is 2.2 per 100,000 as of 2020.
Infrastructure
live with 92.1% less strain on fresh water
Ghana withdraws 6% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Sierra Leone withdraws 0% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 75.7% less CO2
Ghana emits 0.7 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Sierra Leone emits 0.2 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2016–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021), The World Factbook (2022), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Ghana vs. Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: At a glance
How big is Sierra Leone compared to Ghana? See an in-depth size comparison.