Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Sierra Leone instead of Puerto Rico, you would:
Health
be 80.7% less likely to be obese
In Puerto Rico, 42.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Sierra Leone, that number is 8.2% of people as of 2024.
live 19.9 years less
In Puerto Rico, the average life expectancy is 82 years (78 years for men, 85 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 13.3% more likely to die by suicide
Puerto Rico has a suicide rate of 5.4 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Sierra Leone, it is 6.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 47.4% less likely to be unemployed
In Puerto Rico, 6.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Sierra Leone, that number is 3.1% as of 2025.
make 97.9% less money
Puerto Rico has a GDP per capita of $40,620 as of 2025, while in Sierra Leone, the GDP per capita is $846 as of 2025.
Life
have 5.3 times more children
In Puerto Rico, 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 32.2 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Puerto Rico, approximately 11.0 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 47.4% less likely to be literate
In Puerto Rico, the literacy rate is 92.4% as of 2021. In Sierra Leone, it is 48.6% as of 2022.
be 9.0 times more likely to die during infancy
In Puerto Rico, approximately 6.0 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. 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 Puerto Rico, 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 71.2% less likely to have internet access
In Puerto Rico, approximately 87.3% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In Sierra Leone, about 25.1% do as of 2024.
be 31.9% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Puerto Rico, approximately 100% of people have access to drinking water as of 2024. In Sierra Leone, 68% of people do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 38.6% less on education
Puerto Rico spends 4.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Sierra Leone spends 2.6% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Geography
see 19.8% less coastline
Puerto Rico has a total of 501 km of coastline. In Sierra Leone, that number is 402 km.
Safety
be 84.8% less likely to be murdered
Puerto Rico has a homicide rate of 14.6 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Sierra Leone, that number is 2.2 per 100,000 as of 2020.
be 10.4% more likely to die in a road accident
In Puerto Rico, road accidents kill 12.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Sierra Leone, they kill 13.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 97.4% less strain on fresh water
Puerto Rico withdraws 20% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Sierra Leone withdraws 0% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 96.5% less CO2
Puerto Rico emits 4.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Sierra Leone emits 0.2 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), The World Factbook (2021–2022), World Health Organization (2024), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Puerto Rico vs. Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: At a glance
How big is Sierra Leone compared to Puerto Rico? See an in-depth size comparison.