Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Sierra Leone instead of Japan, you would:
Health
be 64.8% less likely to die by suicide
Japan has a suicide rate of 17.4 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Sierra Leone, it is 6.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 22.1 years less
In Japan, the average life expectancy is 84 years (81 years for men, 87 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.
be 38.8% more likely to be obese
In Japan, 5.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Sierra Leone, that number is 8.2% of people as of 2024.
see 97.0% less spent on your healthcare
Japan spends $5,365 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Sierra Leone spends $159 as of 2023.
have 94.9% fewer doctors per person
Japan has 26.5 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Sierra Leone has 1.3 as of 2022.
have 50.6% less access to essential health services
Japan scores 83 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Sierra Leone scores 41 as of 2021.
Economy
be 28.6% more likely to be unemployed
In Japan, 2.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Sierra Leone, that number is 3.1% as of 2025.
make 97.6% less money
Japan has a GDP per capita of $35,951 as of 2025, while in Sierra Leone, the GDP per capita is $846 as of 2025.
Life
have 5.3 times more children
In Japan, there are approximately 5.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Sierra Leone, there are 30.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 118.0 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Japan, approximately 3.0 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 30.3 times more likely to die during infancy
In Japan, approximately 1.8 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 64.5% less likely to have access to electricity
In Japan, approximately 100% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 100% 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 70.7% less likely to have internet access
In Japan, approximately 85.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Sierra Leone, about 25.1% do as of 2024.
be 31.4% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Japan, approximately 99% of people have access to drinking water as of 2024. In Sierra Leone, 68% of people do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 21.6% less on education
Japan spends 3.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Sierra Leone spends 2.6% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 56.1% less on healthcare
Japan spends 10.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Sierra Leone, that number is 4.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 98.6% less coastline
Japan has a total of 29,751 km of coastline. In Sierra Leone, that number is 402 km.
Safety
be 9.7 times more likely to be murdered
Japan has a homicide rate of 0.2 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Sierra Leone, that number is 2.2 per 100,000 as of 2020.
be 5.1 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Japan, road accidents kill 2.7 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Sierra Leone, they kill 13.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 98.6% less strain on fresh water
Japan withdraws 37% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Sierra Leone withdraws 0% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 97.8% less CO2
Japan emits 7.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Sierra Leone emits 0.2 tonnes as of 2024.
be 8.1 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Japan, air pollution causes 12.0 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: Japan vs. Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: At a glance
How big is Sierra Leone compared to Japan? See an in-depth size comparison.