Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Sierra Leone instead of Guinea-Bissau, you would:
Health
be 36.4% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Guinea-Bissau, 2.2% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Sierra Leone, that number is 1.4% of people as of 2024.
be 35.6% less likely to be obese
In Guinea-Bissau, 12.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Sierra Leone, that number is 8.2% of people as of 2024.
have 10.8% more access to essential health services
Guinea-Bissau scores 37 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Sierra Leone scores 41 as of 2021.
be 19.9% less likely to die by suicide
Guinea-Bissau 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.
live 2.3 years less
In Guinea-Bissau, the average life expectancy is 64 years (62 years for men, 67 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 35.7% less spent on your healthcare
Guinea-Bissau spends $247 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Sierra Leone spends $159 as of 2023.
have 46.8% fewer doctors per person
Guinea-Bissau has 2.5 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Sierra Leone has 1.3 as of 2022.
Economy
be 18.0% more likely to be unemployed
In Guinea-Bissau, 2.7% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Sierra Leone, that number is 3.1% as of 2025.
be 12.5% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Guinea-Bissau, 50.5% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Sierra Leone, however, that number is 56.8% as of 2018.
make 24.7% less money
Guinea-Bissau has a GDP per capita of $1,124 as of 2025, while in Sierra Leone, the GDP per capita is $846 as of 2025.
Life
be 29.9% less likely to die during childbirth
In Guinea-Bissau, approximately 505.0 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 24.0% less likely to be literate
In Guinea-Bissau, the literacy rate is 63.9% as of 2022. In Sierra Leone, it is 48.6% as of 2022.
be 29.7% more likely to die during infancy
In Guinea-Bissau, approximately 42.1 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 10.1% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Guinea-Bissau, approximately 62% of people have access to drinking water (73% in urban areas, and 53% 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.
be 12.3% less likely to have access to electricity
In Guinea-Bissau, approximately 40% of people have electricity access (64% in urban areas, and 21% 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 15.7% less likely to have internet access
In Guinea-Bissau, approximately 29.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Sierra Leone, about 25.1% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 46.5% less on healthcare
Guinea-Bissau spends 8.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Sierra Leone, that number is 4.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 14.9% more coastline
Guinea-Bissau has a total of 350 km of coastline. In Sierra Leone, that number is 402 km.
Safety
be 54.8% less likely to die in a road accident
In Guinea-Bissau, road accidents kill 30.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Sierra Leone, they kill 13.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 98.2% more likely to be murdered
Guinea-Bissau has a homicide rate of 1.1 per 100,000 people as of 2017. In Sierra Leone, that number is 2.2 per 100,000 as of 2020.
Infrastructure
live with 66.7% less strain on fresh water
Guinea-Bissau withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Sierra Leone withdraws 0% as of 2022.
Sources: World Bank (2017–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021), The World Factbook (2022), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Guinea-Bissau vs. Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: At a glance
How big is Sierra Leone compared to Guinea-Bissau? See an in-depth size comparison.