If you lived in Egypt 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 Egypt, that number is 0.1% of people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

live 9.9 years longer

In Sierra Leone, the average life expectancy is 62 years (60 years for men, 64 years for women) as of 2024. In Egypt, that number is 72 years (70 years for men, 74 years for women) as of 2024.

View global rankings →

see 5.7 times more spent on your healthcare

Sierra Leone spends $159 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Egypt spends $905 as of 2023.

View global rankings →

have 5.0 times more doctors per person

Sierra Leone has 1.3 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Egypt has 6.7 as of 2020.

View global rankings →

have 70.7% more access to essential health services

Sierra Leone scores 41 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Egypt scores 70 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

be 89.7% less likely to die by suicide

Sierra Leone has a suicide rate of 6.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Egypt, it is 0.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

be 5.4 times more likely to be obese

In Sierra Leone, 8.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Egypt, that number is 43.9% of people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Economy

be 41.0% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Sierra Leone, 56.8% live below the poverty line as of 2018. In Egypt, however, that number is 33.5% as of 2021.

View global rankings →

make 3.6 times more money

Sierra Leone has a GDP per capita of $846 as of 2025, while in Egypt, the GDP per capita is $3,086 as of 2025.

View global rankings →

be 2.2 times more likely to be unemployed

In Sierra Leone, 3.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Egypt, that number is 6.8% as of 2025.

View global rankings →

Life

be 95.2% 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 Egypt, 17.0 women do as of 2023.

View global rankings →

be 63.5% more likely to be literate

In Sierra Leone, the literacy rate is 48.6% as of 2022. In Egypt, it is 79.5% as of 2022.

View global rankings →

be 61.9% 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 Egypt, on the other hand, 20.8 children do as of 2024.

View global rankings →

have 30.6% fewer children

In Sierra Leone, there are approximately 30.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Egypt, there are 20.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

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 Egypt, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.

View global rankings →

be 3.0 times more likely to have internet access

In Sierra Leone, approximately 25.1% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Egypt, about 74.7% do as of 2024.

View global rankings →

be 42.9% 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 Egypt, that number is 97% of people on average (99% in urban areas, and 96% in rural areas) as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Geography

see 6.1 times more coastline

Sierra Leone has a total of 402 km of coastline. In Egypt, that number is 2,450 km.

View global rankings →

Safety

be 41.0% less likely to be murdered

Sierra Leone has a homicide rate of 2.2 per 100,000 people as of 2020. In Egypt, that number is 1.3 per 100,000 as of 2017.

View global rankings →

be 31.9% less likely to die in a road accident

In Sierra Leone, road accidents kill 13.8 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Egypt, they kill 9.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

Infrastructure

live with 282.3 times more strain on fresh water

Sierra Leone withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Egypt withdraws 141% as of 2022.

View global rankings →

Environment

emit 14.7 times more CO2

Sierra Leone emits 0.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Egypt emits 2.5 tonnes as of 2024.

View global rankings →


Sources: World Bank (2017–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021), The World Factbook (2022), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this

Egypt: At a glance

Egypt is a sovereign country in Africa, with a total land area of approximately 995,450 sq km. The regularity and richness of the annual Nile River flood, coupled with semi-isolation provided by deserts to the east and west, allowed for the development of one of the world's great civilizations. A unified kingdom arose circa 3200 B.C., and a series of dynasties ruled in Egypt for the next three millennia. The last native dynasty fell to the Persians in 341 B.C., who in turn were replaced by the Greeks, Romans, and Byzantines. It was the Arabs who introduced Islam and the Arabic language in the 7th century and who ruled for the next six centuries. A local military caste, the Mamluks took control about 1250 and continued to govern after the conquest of Egypt by the Ottoman Turks in 1517. Completion of the Suez Canal in 1869 elevated Egypt as an important world transportation hub. Ostensibly to protect its investments, Britain seized control of Egypt's government in 1882, but nominal allegiance to the Ottoman Empire continued until 1914. Partially independent from the UK in 1922, Egypt acquired full sovereignty from Britain in 1952. The completion of the Aswan High Dam in 1971 and the resultant Lake Nasser have altered the time-honored place of the Nile River in the agriculture and ecology of Egypt. A rapidly growing population (the largest in the Arab world), limited arable land, and dependence on the Nile all continue to overtax resources and stress society. The government has struggled to meet the demands of Egypt's population through economic reform and massive investment in communications and physical infrastructure. Inspired by the 2010 Tunisian revolution, Egyptian opposition groups led demonstrations and labor strikes countrywide, culminating in President Hosni MUBARAK's ouster. Egypt's military assumed national leadership until a new parliament was in place in early 2012; later that same year, Mohammed MORSI won the presidential election. Following often violent protests throughout the spring of 2013 against MORSI's government and the Muslim Brotherhood (MB), and massive anti-government demonstrations, the Egyptian Armed Forces (EAF) intervened and removed MORSI from power in mid-July 2013 and replaced him with interim president Adly MANSOUR. In mid-January 2014, voters approved a new constitution by referendum. Presidential elections to replace MANSOUR are scheduled for late May 2014. According to the constitution and the government's transitional road map, preparations for parliamentary elections will begin by mid-July 2014.
Read more

How big is Egypt compared to Sierra Leone? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

Ask the Elsewhere Community

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Egypt or Sierra Leone. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.