Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Sierra Leone instead of Jamaica, you would:
Health
be 76.7% less likely to be obese
In Jamaica, 35.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Sierra Leone, that number is 8.2% of people as of 2024.
be 27.3% more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Jamaica, 1.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Sierra Leone, that number is 1.4% of people as of 2024.
live 9.6 years less
In Jamaica, the average life expectancy is 72 years (69 years for men, 74 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 81.7% less spent on your healthcare
Jamaica spends $869 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Sierra Leone spends $159 as of 2023.
have 70.9% fewer doctors per person
Jamaica has 4.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Sierra Leone has 1.3 as of 2022.
have 44.6% less access to essential health services
Jamaica scores 74 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Sierra Leone scores 41 as of 2021.
be 3.6 times more likely to die by suicide
Jamaica has a suicide rate of 1.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Sierra Leone, it is 6.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
make 89.4% less money
Jamaica has a GDP per capita of $8,003 as of 2025, while in Sierra Leone, the GDP per capita is $846 as of 2025.
Life
have 2.6 times more children
In Jamaica, there are approximately 11.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Sierra Leone, there are 30.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 2.7 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Jamaica, approximately 130.0 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 3.3 times more likely to die during infancy
In Jamaica, 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 63.7% less likely to have access to electricity
In Jamaica, approximately 98% of people have electricity access (99% in urban areas, and 96% 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 72.1% less likely to have internet access
In Jamaica, approximately 90.1% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Sierra Leone, about 25.1% do as of 2024.
be 22.2% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Jamaica, approximately 88% of people have access to drinking water (90% in urban areas, and 84% 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 52.5% less on education
Jamaica spends 5.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Sierra Leone spends 2.6% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 37.9% less on healthcare
Jamaica spends 7.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Sierra Leone, that number is 4.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 60.7% less coastline
Jamaica has a total of 1,022 km of coastline. In Sierra Leone, that number is 402 km.
Safety
be 95.5% less likely to be murdered
Jamaica has a homicide rate of 49.4 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Sierra Leone, that number is 2.2 per 100,000 as of 2020.
be 22.5% less likely to die in a road accident
In Jamaica, road accidents kill 17.8 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Sierra Leone, they kill 13.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 96.0% less strain on fresh water
Jamaica withdraws 12% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Sierra Leone withdraws 0% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 94.0% less CO2
Jamaica emits 2.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Sierra Leone emits 0.2 tonnes as of 2024.
be 4.4 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Jamaica, air pollution causes 22.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Sierra Leone, it causes 97.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Jamaica vs. Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: At a glance
How big is Sierra Leone compared to Jamaica? See an in-depth size comparison.