Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Sierra Leone instead of Rwanda, you would:
Health
be 30.0% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Rwanda, 2.0% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Sierra Leone, that number is 1.4% of people as of 2024.
have 48.9% more doctors per person
Rwanda has 0.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Sierra Leone has 1.3 as of 2022.
be 29.3% less likely to die by suicide
Rwanda has a suicide rate of 8.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Sierra Leone, it is 6.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 6.1 years less
In Rwanda, the average life expectancy is 68 years (66 years for men, 70 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 46.8% more likely to be obese
In Rwanda, 5.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Sierra Leone, that number is 8.2% of people as of 2024.
see 10.2% less spent on your healthcare
Rwanda spends $177 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Sierra Leone spends $159 as of 2023.
have 16.3% less access to essential health services
Rwanda scores 49 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Sierra Leone scores 41 as of 2021.
Economy
be 72.3% less likely to be unemployed
In Rwanda, 11.4% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Sierra Leone, that number is 3.1% as of 2025.
make 24.7% less money
Rwanda has a GDP per capita of $1,124 as of 2025, while in Sierra Leone, the GDP per capita is $846 as of 2025.
Life
be 54.6% more likely to die during childbirth
In Rwanda, approximately 229.0 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 38.3% less likely to be literate
In Rwanda, the literacy rate is 78.8% as of 2022. In Sierra Leone, it is 48.6% as of 2022.
be 85.7% more likely to die during infancy
In Rwanda, approximately 29.4 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 10.9% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Rwanda, approximately 61% of people have access to drinking water (88% in urban areas, and 56% 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.
be 44.4% less likely to have access to electricity
In Rwanda, approximately 64% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 58% 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 20.8% less likely to have internet access
In Rwanda, approximately 31.7% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Sierra Leone, about 25.1% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 43.2% less on education
Rwanda spends 4.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Sierra Leone spends 2.6% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Safety
be 38.5% less likely to be murdered
Rwanda has a homicide rate of 3.6 per 100,000 people as of 2020. In Sierra Leone, that number is 2.2 per 100,000 as of 2020.
be 19.0% more likely to die in a road accident
In Rwanda, road accidents kill 11.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Sierra Leone, they kill 13.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 97.5% less strain on fresh water
Rwanda withdraws 20% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Sierra Leone withdraws 0% as of 2022.
Environment
be 56.5% more likely to die from air pollution
In Rwanda, air pollution causes 62.0 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 (2022). How we calculate this
Compare further: Rwanda vs. Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: At a glance
How big is Sierra Leone compared to Rwanda? See an in-depth size comparison.