Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Sierra Leone instead of Laos, you would:
Health
be 10.8% less likely to be obese
In Laos, 9.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Sierra Leone, that number is 8.2% of people as of 2024.
see 28.9% more spent on your healthcare
Laos spends $123 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Sierra Leone spends $159 as of 2023.
be 3.5 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Laos, 0.4% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Sierra Leone, that number is 1.4% of people as of 2024.
live 7.3 years less
In Laos, the average life expectancy is 69 years (67 years for men, 72 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 59.5% fewer doctors per person
Laos has 3.3 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Sierra Leone has 1.3 as of 2022.
have 21.2% less access to essential health services
Laos scores 52 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Sierra Leone scores 41 as of 2021.
be 34.1% more likely to die by suicide
Laos has a suicide rate of 4.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Sierra Leone, it is 6.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 2.6 times more likely to be unemployed
In Laos, 1.2% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Sierra Leone, that number is 3.1% as of 2025.
make 63.6% less money
Laos has a GDP per capita of $2,325 as of 2025, while in Sierra Leone, the GDP per capita is $846 as of 2025.
Life
have 43.9% more children
In Laos, there are approximately 20.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Sierra Leone, there are 30.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 3.2 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Laos, approximately 112.0 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 35.7% less likely to be literate
In Laos, the literacy rate is 75.6% as of 2023. In Sierra Leone, it is 48.6% as of 2022.
be 2.0 times more likely to die during infancy
In Laos, approximately 27.2 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 63.2% less likely to have access to electricity
In Laos, approximately 96% of people have electricity access (99% in urban areas, and 95% 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 61.7% less likely to have internet access
In Laos, approximately 65.6% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Sierra Leone, about 25.1% do as of 2024.
be 29.0% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Laos, approximately 96% of people have access to drinking water (100% in urban areas, and 93% 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 2.1 times more on education
Laos spends 1.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Sierra Leone spends 2.6% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 3.5 times more on healthcare
Laos spends 1.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Sierra Leone, that number is 4.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 15.9% less likely to die in a road accident
In Laos, road accidents kill 16.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Sierra Leone, they kill 13.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 89.6% less strain on fresh water
Laos withdraws 5% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Sierra Leone withdraws 0% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 94.9% less CO2
Laos emits 3.4 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Sierra Leone emits 0.2 tonnes as of 2024.
be 40.6% more likely to die from air pollution
In Laos, air pollution causes 69.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Sierra Leone, it causes 97.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2022). How we calculate this
Compare further: Laos vs. Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: At a glance
How big is Sierra Leone compared to Laos? See an in-depth size comparison.