Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Ghana instead of Sierra Leone, you would:
Health
live 3.7 years longer
In Sierra Leone, the average life expectancy is 62 years (60 years for men, 64 years for women) as of 2024. In Ghana, that number is 66 years (63 years for men, 68 years for women) as of 2024.
see 47.5% more spent on your healthcare
Sierra Leone spends $159 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Ghana spends $234 as of 2023.
have 98.5% more doctors per person
Sierra Leone has 1.3 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Ghana has 2.7 as of 2023.
have 17.1% more access to essential health services
Sierra Leone scores 41 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Ghana scores 48 as of 2021.
be 13.4% less likely to die by suicide
Sierra Leone has a suicide rate of 6.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Ghana, it is 5.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 77.7% more likely to be obese
In Sierra Leone, 8.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Ghana, that number is 14.6% of people as of 2024.
Economy
be 58.8% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Sierra Leone, 56.8% live below the poverty line as of 2018. In Ghana, however, that number is 23.4% as of 2016.
make 3.8 times more money
Sierra Leone has a GDP per capita of $846 as of 2025, while in Ghana, the GDP per capita is $3,257 as of 2025.
Life
be 33.9% 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 Ghana, 234.0 women do as of 2023.
be 57.4% more likely to be literate
In Sierra Leone, the literacy rate is 48.6% as of 2022. In Ghana, it is 76.5% as of 2021.
be 49.6% 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 Ghana, on the other hand, 27.5 children do as of 2024.
have 13.9% fewer children
In Sierra Leone, there are approximately 30.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Ghana, there are 25.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 2.5 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 Ghana, that number is 90% of people on average (98% in urban areas, and 78% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 2.9 times more likely to have internet access
In Sierra Leone, approximately 25.1% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Ghana, about 72.2% do as of 2024.
be 32.1% 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 Ghana, that number is 90% of people on average (99% in urban areas, and 76% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 37.5% less on healthcare
Sierra Leone spends 4.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Ghana, that number is 3.0% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 11.1% more on education
Sierra Leone spends 2.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Ghana spends 2.9% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
Geography
see 34.1% more coastline
Sierra Leone has a total of 402 km of coastline. In Ghana, that number is 539 km.
Safety
be 17.6% less likely to be murdered
Sierra Leone has a homicide rate of 2.2 per 100,000 people as of 2020. In Ghana, that number is 1.8 per 100,000 as of 2022.
be 87.7% more likely to die in a road accident
In Sierra Leone, road accidents kill 13.8 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Ghana, they kill 25.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 12.6 times more strain on fresh water
Sierra Leone withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Ghana withdraws 6% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 4.1 times more CO2
Sierra Leone emits 0.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Ghana emits 0.7 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2016–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021), The World Factbook (2022), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Sierra Leone vs. Ghana
Ghana: At a glance
How big is Ghana compared to Sierra Leone? See an in-depth size comparison.