Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Gabon instead of Sierra Leone, you would:
Health
live 6.6 years longer
In Sierra Leone, the average life expectancy is 62 years (60 years for men, 64 years for women) as of 2024. In Gabon, that number is 69 years (66 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024.
see 4.2 times more spent on your healthcare
Sierra Leone spends $159 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Gabon spends $673 as of 2023.
have 3.9 times more doctors per person
Sierra Leone has 1.3 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Gabon has 5.2 as of 2022.
have 19.5% more access to essential health services
Sierra Leone scores 41 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Gabon scores 49 as of 2021.
be 100.0% more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Sierra Leone, 1.4% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Gabon, that number is 2.8% of people as of 2024.
be 2.8 times more likely to be obese
In Sierra Leone, 8.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Gabon, that number is 22.7% of people as of 2024.
be 18.9% more likely to die by suicide
Sierra Leone has a suicide rate of 6.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Gabon, it is 7.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 41.2% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Sierra Leone, 56.8% live below the poverty line as of 2018. In Gabon, however, that number is 33.4% as of 2017.
make 9.8 times more money
Sierra Leone has a GDP per capita of $846 as of 2025, while in Gabon, the GDP per capita is $8,263 as of 2025.
be 6.4 times more likely to be unemployed
In Sierra Leone, 3.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Gabon, that number is 20.1% as of 2025.
Life
be 34.2% 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 Gabon, 233.0 women do as of 2023.
be 82.8% more likely to be literate
In Sierra Leone, the literacy rate is 48.6% as of 2022. In Gabon, it is 88.9% as of 2021.
be 52.6% 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 Gabon, on the other hand, 25.9 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 2.7 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 Gabon, that number is 94% of people on average (99% in urban areas, and 29% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 2.7 times more likely to have internet access
In Sierra Leone, approximately 25.1% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Gabon, about 68.7% do as of 2024.
be 30.1% 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 Gabon, that number is 89% of people on average (92% in urban areas, and 49% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 11.5% less on education
Sierra Leone spends 2.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Gabon spends 2.3% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 33.7% less on healthcare
Sierra Leone spends 4.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Gabon, that number is 3.1% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 2.2 times more coastline
Sierra Leone has a total of 402 km of coastline. In Gabon, that number is 885 km.
Environment
be 45.4% less likely to die from air pollution
In Sierra Leone, air pollution causes 97.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Gabon, it causes 53.0 as of 2019.
emit 12.1 times more CO2
Sierra Leone emits 0.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Gabon emits 2.0 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2017–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2022), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Sierra Leone vs. Gabon
Gabon: At a glance
How big is Gabon compared to Sierra Leone? See an in-depth size comparison.