Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Burkina Faso instead of Sierra Leone, you would:
Health
be 64.3% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Sierra Leone, 1.4% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, that number is 0.5% of people as of 2024.
see 40.9% more spent on your healthcare
Sierra Leone spends $159 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Burkina Faso spends $224 as of 2023.
have 10.4% more doctors per person
Sierra Leone has 1.3 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Burkina Faso has 1.5 as of 2022.
live 0.7 years less
In Sierra Leone, the average life expectancy is 62 years (60 years for men, 64 years for women) as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, that number is 61 years (59 years for men, 63 years for women) as of 2024.
be 38.4% more likely to die by suicide
Sierra Leone has a suicide rate of 6.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Burkina Faso, it is 8.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 23.9% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Sierra Leone, 56.8% live below the poverty line as of 2018. In Burkina Faso, however, that number is 43.2% as of 2021.
make 35.6% more money
Sierra Leone has a GDP per capita of $846 as of 2025, while in Burkina Faso, the GDP per capita is $1,148 as of 2025.
be 10.5% more likely to be unemployed
In Sierra Leone, 3.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Burkina Faso, that number is 3.5% as of 2025.
Life
be 31.6% 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 Burkina Faso, 242.0 women do as of 2023.
be 20.1% 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 Burkina Faso, on the other hand, 43.6 children do as of 2024.
be 14.5% less likely to be literate
In Sierra Leone, the literacy rate is 48.6% as of 2022. In Burkina Faso, it is 41.6% as of 2023.
Basic Needs
be 12.5% more likely to have internet access
In Sierra Leone, approximately 25.1% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, about 28.2% do as of 2024.
be 38.9% less 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 Burkina Faso, that number is 22% of people on average (63% in urban areas, and 2% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 26.6% less 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 Burkina Faso, that number is 50% of people on average (81% in urban areas, and 34% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 2.0 times more on education
Sierra Leone spends 2.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Burkina Faso spends 5.3% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 65.3% more on healthcare
Sierra Leone spends 4.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Burkina Faso, that number is 7.8% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 43.7% less likely to be murdered
Sierra Leone has a homicide rate of 2.2 per 100,000 people as of 2020. In Burkina Faso, that number is 1.2 per 100,000 as of 2017.
be 2.0 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Sierra Leone, road accidents kill 13.8 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Burkina Faso, they kill 27.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 15.6 times more strain on fresh water
Sierra Leone withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Burkina Faso withdraws 8% as of 2022.
Environment
be 13.4% less likely to die from air pollution
In Sierra Leone, air pollution causes 97.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Burkina Faso, it causes 84.0 as of 2019.
emit 58.8% more CO2
Sierra Leone emits 0.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Burkina Faso emits 0.3 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2017–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2022). How we calculate this
Compare further: Sierra Leone vs. Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso: At a glance
How big is Burkina Faso compared to Sierra Leone? See an in-depth size comparison.