Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Sierra Leone instead of Senegal, you would:

Health

be 5.0 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Senegal, 0.3% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2020. In Sierra Leone, that number is 1.5% of people as of 2020.

live 11.2 years less

In Senegal, the average life expectancy is 70 years (68 years for men, 72 years for women) as of 2022. In Sierra Leone, that number is 59 years (57 years for men, 60 years for women) as of 2022.

Economy

be 68.8% less likely to be unemployed

In Senegal, 48.0% of adults are unemployed as of 2007. In Sierra Leone, that number is 15.0% as of 2017.

pay a 25.0% lower top tax rate

Senegal has a top tax rate of 40.0% as of 2016. In Sierra Leone, the top tax rate is 30.0% as of 2014.

make 51.5% less money

Senegal has a GDP per capita of $3,300 as of 2020, while in Sierra Leone, the GDP per capita is $1,600 as of 2020.

be 21.6% more likely to live below the poverty line

In Senegal, 46.7% live below the poverty line as of 2011. In Sierra Leone, however, that number is 56.8% as of 2018.

Life

be 3.6 times more likely to die during childbirth

In Senegal, approximately 315.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2017. In Sierra Leone, 1120.0 women do as of 2017.

be 16.8% less likely to be literate

In Senegal, the literacy rate is 51.9% as of 2017. In Sierra Leone, it is 43.2% as of 2018.

be 2.3 times more likely to die during infancy

In Senegal, approximately 32.4 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Sierra Leone, on the other hand, 73.4 children do as of 2022.

Basic Needs

be 63.4% less likely to have access to electricity

In Senegal, approximately 71% of people have electricity access (94% in urban areas, and 50% in rural areas) as of 2019. In Sierra Leone, that number is 26% of people on average (52% in urban areas, and 6% in rural areas) as of 2019.

be 58.1% less likely to have internet access

In Senegal, approximately 43.0% of the population has internet access as of 2020. In Sierra Leone, about 18.0% do as of 2020.

be 16.6% less likely to have access to improved drinking water

In Senegal, approximately 87% of people have improved drinking water access (96% in urban areas, and 79% in rural areas) as of 2020. In Sierra Leone, that number is 73% of people on average (92% in urban areas, and 58% in rural areas) as of 2020.

Expenditures

spend 75.5% more on education

Senegal spends 5.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2019. Sierra Leone spends 9.3% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 2.1 times more on healthcare

Senegal spends 4.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2019. In Sierra Leone, that number is 8.8% of GDP as of 2019.

Geography

see 24.3% less coastline

Senegal has a total of 531 km of coastline. In Sierra Leone, that number is 402 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Direction Generale des Impots et des Domaines, National Revenue Authority.

Sierra Leone: At a glance

Sierra Leone is a sovereign country in Africa, with a total land area of approximately 71,620 sq km. Democracy is slowly being reestablished after the civil war from 1991 to 2002 that resulted in tens of thousands of deaths and the displacement of more than 2 million people (about a third of the population). The military, which took over full responsibility for security following the departure of UN peacekeepers at the end of 2005, is increasingly developing as a guarantor of the country's stability. The armed forces remained on the sideline during the 2007 and 2012 national elections, and over the past year have deployed over 850 peacekeepers in the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM). As of January 2014, Sierra Leone also fielded 122 staff for five UN peacekeeping missions. In March 2014, the closure of the UN Integrated Peacebuilding Office in Sierra Leone (UNIPSIL) marked the end of more than 15 years of peacekeeping and political operations in Sierra Leone. The government's priorities include furthering development, creating jobs, and stamping out endemic corruption.
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How big is Sierra Leone compared to Senegal? See an in-depth size comparison.

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