Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Democratic Republic of the Congo instead of Sierra Leone, you would:

Health

be 50.0% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Sierra Leone, 1.4% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 0.7% of people as of 2024.

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be 18.3% less likely to be obese

In Sierra Leone, 8.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 6.7% of people as of 2024.

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have 55.2% more doctors per person

Sierra Leone has 1.3 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Democratic Republic of the Congo has 2.1 as of 2022.

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see 63.7% less spent on your healthcare

Sierra Leone spends $159 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Democratic Republic of the Congo spends $58 as of 2023.

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be 42.8% more likely to die by suicide

Sierra Leone has a suicide rate of 6.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, it is 8.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 40.6% more likely to be unemployed

In Sierra Leone, 3.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 4.4% as of 2025.

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Life

be 40.9% more likely to be literate

In Sierra Leone, the literacy rate is 48.6% as of 2022. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, it is 68.5% as of 2023.

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have 35.8% more children

In Sierra Leone, there are approximately 30.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, there are 40.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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be 20.6% more 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 Democratic Republic of the Congo, 427.0 women do as of 2023.

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Basic Needs

be 37.7% 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 Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 22% of people on average (56% in urban areas, and 1% in rural areas) as of 2023.

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be 21.6% less likely to have internet access

In Sierra Leone, approximately 25.1% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, about 19.7% do as of 2024.

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be 47.6% 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 Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 36% of people on average (59% in urban areas, and 14% in rural areas) as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 22.0% less on healthcare

Sierra Leone spends 4.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 3.7% of GDP as of 2023.

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Geography

see 90.8% less coastline

Sierra Leone has a total of 402 km of coastline. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 37 km.

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Safety

be 18.1% more likely to die in a road accident

In Sierra Leone, road accidents kill 13.8 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, they kill 16.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

live with 54.0% less strain on fresh water

Sierra Leone withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Democratic Republic of the Congo withdraws 0% as of 2022.

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Environment

be 25.8% less likely to die from air pollution

In Sierra Leone, air pollution causes 97.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, it causes 72.0 as of 2019.

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emit 64.7% less CO2

Sierra Leone emits 0.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Democratic Republic of the Congo emits 0.1 tonnes as of 2024.

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

Compare further: Sierra Leone vs. Democratic Republic of the Congo

Size Comparison · See true size
Sierra Leone is about 33 times smaller than Democratic Republic of the Congo.
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Moving from Sierra Leone to Democratic Republic of the Congo · Cost, visas & climate
Compare cost of living, salary and climate.
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Democratic Republic of the Congo: At a glance

Democratic Republic of the Congo is a sovereign country in Africa, with a total land area of approximately 2,267,048 sq km. Established as a Belgian colony in 1908, the then-Republic of the Congo gained its independence in 1960, but its early years were marred by political and social instability. Col. Joseph MOBUTU seized power and declared himself president in a November 1965 coup. He subsequently changed his name - to MOBUTU Sese Seko - as well as that of the country - to Zaire. MOBUTU retained his position for 32 years through several sham elections, as well as through brutal force. Ethnic strife and civil war, touched off by a massive inflow of refugees in 1994 from fighting in Rwanda and Burundi, led in May 1997 to the toppling of the MOBUTU regime by a rebellion backed by Rwanda and Uganda and fronted by Laurent KABILA. He renamed the country the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), but in August 1998 his regime was itself challenged by a second insurrection again backed by Rwanda and Uganda. Troops from Angola, Chad, Namibia, Sudan, and Zimbabwe intervened to support KABILA's regime. In January 2001, KABILA was assassinated and his son, Joseph KABILA, was named head of state. In October 2002, the new president was successful in negotiating the withdrawal of Rwandan forces occupying the eastern DRC; two months later, the Pretoria Accord was signed by all remaining warring parties to end the fighting and establish a government of national unity. A transitional government was set up in July 2003; it held a successful constitutional referendum in December 2005 and elections for the presidency, National Assembly, and provincial legislatures took place in 2006. In 2009, following a resurgence of conflict in the eastern DRC, the government signed a peace agreement with the National Congress for the Defense of the People (CNDP), a primarily Tutsi rebel group. An attempt to integrate CNDP members into the Congolese military failed, prompting their defection in 2012 and the formation of the M23 armed group - named after the 23 March 2009 peace agreements. Renewed conflict has lead to the displacement of large numbers of people and significant human rights abuses. As of February 2013, peace talks between the Congolese government and the M23 were on-going. In addition, the DRC continues to experience violence committed by other armed groups including the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda and Mai Mai groups. In the most recent national elections, held in November 2011, disputed results allowed Joseph KABILA to be reelected to the presidency.
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How big is Democratic Republic of the Congo compared to Sierra Leone? See an in-depth size comparison.

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