Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Gambia instead of Sierra Leone, you would:
Health
live 4.1 years longer
In Sierra Leone, the average life expectancy is 62 years (60 years for men, 64 years for women) as of 2024. In Gambia, that number is 66 years (64 years for men, 68 years for women) as of 2024.
have 12.2% more access to essential health services
Sierra Leone scores 41 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Gambia scores 46 as of 2021.
be 21.7% less likely to die by suicide
Sierra Leone has a suicide rate of 6.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Gambia, it is 4.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 51.3% more likely to be obese
In Sierra Leone, 8.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Gambia, that number is 12.4% of people as of 2024.
see 40.8% less spent on your healthcare
Sierra Leone spends $159 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Gambia spends $94 as of 2023.
have 32.8% fewer doctors per person
Sierra Leone has 1.3 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Gambia has 0.9 as of 2023.
Economy
be 2.1 times more likely to be unemployed
In Sierra Leone, 3.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Gambia, that number is 6.5% as of 2025.
Life
be 40.1% 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 Gambia, on the other hand, 32.7 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 88.5% 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 Gambia, that number is 67% of people on average (85% in urban areas, and 35% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 97.2% more likely to have internet access
In Sierra Leone, approximately 25.1% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Gambia, about 49.5% do as of 2024.
be 27.9% 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 Gambia, that number is 87% of people on average (92% in urban areas, and 78% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 38.8% less on healthcare
Sierra Leone spends 4.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Gambia, that number is 2.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 80.1% less coastline
Sierra Leone has a total of 402 km of coastline. In Gambia, that number is 80 km.
Safety
be 59.4% more likely to die in a road accident
In Sierra Leone, road accidents kill 13.8 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Gambia, they kill 22.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 4.4 times more strain on fresh water
Sierra Leone withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Gambia withdraws 2% as of 2022.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Sierra Leone vs. Gambia
Gambia: At a glance
How big is Gambia compared to Sierra Leone? See an in-depth size comparison.