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

Health

be 92.9% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Sierra Leone, 1.4% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Albania, that number is 0.1% of people as of 2024.

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live 17.8 years longer

In Sierra Leone, the average life expectancy is 62 years (60 years for men, 64 years for women) as of 2024. In Albania, that number is 80 years (78 years for men, 82 years for women) as of 2024.

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see 9.2 times more spent on your healthcare

Sierra Leone spends $159 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Albania spends $1,465 as of 2023.

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have 14.0 times more doctors per person

Sierra Leone has 1.3 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Albania has 18.8 as of 2020.

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have 56.1% more access to essential health services

Sierra Leone scores 41 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Albania scores 64 as of 2021.

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be 55.2% less likely to die by suicide

Sierra Leone has a suicide rate of 6.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Albania, it is 2.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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be 2.9 times more likely to be obese

In Sierra Leone, 8.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Albania, that number is 24.1% of people as of 2024.

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Economy

make 15.4 times more money

Sierra Leone has a GDP per capita of $846 as of 2025, while in Albania, the GDP per capita is $12,998 as of 2025.

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be 3.5 times more likely to be unemployed

In Sierra Leone, 3.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Albania, that number is 10.9% as of 2025.

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Life

be 98.0% less likely to die during childbirth

In Sierra Leone, approximately 354.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Albania, 7.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 2.0 times more likely to be literate

In Sierra Leone, the literacy rate is 48.6% as of 2022. In Albania, it is 97.7% as of 2023.

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be 84.8% less likely to die during infancy

In Sierra Leone, approximately 54.6 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Albania, on the other hand, 8.3 children do as of 2024.

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have 66.4% fewer children

In Sierra Leone, there are approximately 30.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Albania, there are 10.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 2.8 times more likely to have access to electricity

In Sierra Leone, approximately 36% of people have electricity access (56% in urban areas, and 19% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Albania, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.

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be 3.4 times more likely to have internet access

In Sierra Leone, approximately 25.1% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Albania, about 85.9% do as of 2024.

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be 39.7% more likely to have access to drinking water

In Sierra Leone, approximately 68% of people have access to drinking water (82% in urban areas, and 57% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Albania, that number is 95% of people on average (96% in urban areas, and 94% in rural areas) as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 17.9% more on education

Sierra Leone spends 2.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Albania spends 3.1% of total GDP on education as of 2023.

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spend 49.4% more on healthcare

Sierra Leone spends 4.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Albania, that number is 7.0% of GDP as of 2023.

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Safety

be 37.4% less likely to be murdered

Sierra Leone has a homicide rate of 2.2 per 100,000 people as of 2020. In Albania, that number is 1.4 per 100,000 as of 2023.

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be 21.7% less likely to die in a road accident

In Sierra Leone, road accidents kill 13.8 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Albania, they kill 10.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

live with 9.6 times more strain on fresh water

Sierra Leone withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Albania withdraws 5% as of 2022.

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Environment

be 39.2% less likely to die from air pollution

In Sierra Leone, air pollution causes 97.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Albania, it causes 59.0 as of 2019.

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emit 10.5 times more CO2

Sierra Leone emits 0.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Albania emits 1.8 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2022). How we calculate this

Albania: At a glance

Albania is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 27,398 sq km. Albania declared its independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1912, but was conquered by Italy in 1939, and occupied by Germany in 1943. Communist partisans took over the country in 1944. Albania allied itself first with the USSR (until 1960), and then with China (to 1978). In the early 1990s, Albania ended 46 years of xenophobic communist rule and established a multiparty democracy. The transition has proven challenging as successive governments have tried to deal with high unemployment, widespread corruption, dilapidated infrastructure, powerful organized crime networks, and combative political opponents. Albania has made progress in its democratic development since first holding multiparty elections in 1991, but deficiencies remain. International observers judged elections to be largely free and fair since the restoration of political stability following the collapse of pyramid schemes in 1997; however, each of Albania's post-communist elections have been marred by claims of electoral fraud. The 2009 general elections resulted in a coalition government, the first such in the country's history. In 2013, general elections achieved a peaceful transition of power and a second successive coalition government. Albania joined NATO in April 2009 and is a potential candidate for EU accession. Although Albania's economy continues to grow, it has slowed, and the country is still one of the poorest in Europe. A large informal economy and an inadequate energy and transportation infrastructure remain obstacles.
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