Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Sierra Leone instead of Palau, you would:
Health
be 79.8% less likely to be obese
In Palau, 40.5% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Sierra Leone, that number is 8.2% of people as of 2024.
live 7.4 years less
In Palau, 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.
see 91.4% less spent on your healthcare
Palau spends $1,857 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Sierra Leone spends $159 as of 2023.
have 92.6% fewer doctors per person
Palau has 18.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Sierra Leone has 1.3 as of 2022.
have 36.9% less access to essential health services
Palau scores 65 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Sierra Leone scores 41 as of 2021.
Economy
make 95.7% less money
Palau has a GDP per capita of $19,532 as of 2025, while in Sierra Leone, the GDP per capita is $846 as of 2025.
Life
have 2.8 times more children
In Palau, there are approximately 10.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Sierra Leone, there are 30.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 4.0 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Palau, approximately 89.0 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 51.3% less likely to be literate
In Palau, the literacy rate is 99.8% as of 2020. In Sierra Leone, it is 48.6% as of 2022.
be 2.9 times more likely to die during infancy
In Palau, approximately 18.6 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 Palau, 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 70.1% less likely to have internet access
In Palau, approximately 83.9% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Sierra Leone, about 25.1% do as of 2024.
be 31.6% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Palau, approximately 100% of people have access to drinking water (100% in urban areas, and 99% 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 23.8% less on education
Palau spends 3.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Sierra Leone spends 2.6% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 56.5% less on healthcare
Palau spends 10.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Sierra Leone, that number is 4.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 73.5% less coastline
Palau has a total of 1,519 km of coastline. In Sierra Leone, that number is 402 km.
Safety
be 80.2% less likely to be murdered
Palau has a homicide rate of 11.2 per 100,000 people as of 2018. In Sierra Leone, that number is 2.2 per 100,000 as of 2020.
be 37.8% less likely to die in a road accident
In Palau, road accidents kill 22.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Sierra Leone, they kill 13.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Environment
emit 99.8% less CO2
Palau emits 82.8 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 (2021), The World Factbook (2022), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Palau vs. Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: At a glance
How big is Sierra Leone compared to Palau? See an in-depth size comparison.