Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Sierra Leone instead of Madagascar, you would:
Health
see 2.5 times more spent on your healthcare
Madagascar spends $63 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Sierra Leone spends $159 as of 2023.
have 17.1% more access to essential health services
Madagascar scores 35 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Sierra Leone scores 41 as of 2021.
be 2.8 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Madagascar, 0.5% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Sierra Leone, that number is 1.4% of people as of 2024.
live 1.9 years less
In Madagascar, the average life expectancy is 64 years (62 years for men, 66 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 81.6% more likely to be obese
In Madagascar, 4.5% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Sierra Leone, that number is 8.2% of people as of 2024.
have 22.1% fewer doctors per person
Madagascar has 1.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Sierra Leone has 1.3 as of 2022.
Economy
be 24.5% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Madagascar, 75.2% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Sierra Leone, however, that number is 56.8% as of 2018.
make 41.2% more money
Madagascar has a GDP per capita of $599 as of 2025, while in Sierra Leone, the GDP per capita is $846 as of 2025.
Life
be 20.4% less likely to die during childbirth
In Madagascar, approximately 445.0 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 34.9% less likely to be literate
In Madagascar, the literacy rate is 74.7% as of 2021. In Sierra Leone, it is 48.6% as of 2022.
be 27.0% more likely to die during infancy
In Madagascar, approximately 43.0 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 34.4% more likely to have internet access
In Madagascar, approximately 18.7% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Sierra Leone, about 25.1% do as of 2024.
be 23.0% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Madagascar, approximately 55% of people have access to drinking water (78% in urban areas, and 39% 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 14.1% less on education
Madagascar spends 3.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Sierra Leone spends 2.6% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 37.6% more on healthcare
Madagascar spends 3.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Sierra Leone, that number is 4.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 91.7% less coastline
Madagascar has a total of 4,828 km of coastline. In Sierra Leone, that number is 402 km.
Safety
be 38.7% less likely to die in a road accident
In Madagascar, road accidents kill 22.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Sierra Leone, they kill 13.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 95.6% less strain on fresh water
Madagascar withdraws 11% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Sierra Leone withdraws 0% as of 2022.
Environment
be 67.2% more likely to die from air pollution
In Madagascar, air pollution causes 58.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Sierra Leone, it causes 97.0 as of 2019.
emit 13.3% more CO2
Madagascar emits 0.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Sierra Leone emits 0.2 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2018–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2022), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Madagascar vs. Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: At a glance
How big is Sierra Leone compared to Madagascar? See an in-depth size comparison.