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

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live 16.0 years longer

In Sierra Leone, the average life expectancy is 62 years (60 years for men, 64 years for women) as of 2024. In Lebanon, that number is 78 years (76 years for men, 80 years for women) as of 2024.

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see 4.1 times more spent on your healthcare

Sierra Leone spends $159 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Lebanon spends $644 as of 2023.

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have 20.0 times more doctors per person

Sierra Leone has 1.3 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Lebanon has 26.8 as of 2020.

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have 78.0% more access to essential health services

Sierra Leone scores 41 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Lebanon scores 73 as of 2021.

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be 88.6% less likely to die by suicide

Sierra Leone has a suicide rate of 6.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Lebanon, it is 0.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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be 3.8 times more likely to be obese

In Sierra Leone, 8.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Lebanon, that number is 30.7% of people as of 2024.

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Economy

make 5.3 times more money

Sierra Leone has a GDP per capita of $846 as of 2025, while in Lebanon, the GDP per capita is $4,473 as of 2024.

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be 3.5 times more likely to be unemployed

In Sierra Leone, 3.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Lebanon, that number is 11.0% as of 2023.

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Life

be 95.8% 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 Lebanon, 15.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 89.3% more likely to be literate

In Sierra Leone, the literacy rate is 48.6% as of 2022. In Lebanon, it is 92.0% as of 2019.

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be 72.0% 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 Lebanon, on the other hand, 15.3 children do as of 2024.

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have 47.0% fewer children

In Sierra Leone, there are approximately 30.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Lebanon, there are 16.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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

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be 3.2 times more likely to have internet access

In Sierra Leone, approximately 25.1% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Lebanon, about 80.6% do as of 2024.

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be 36.0% more likely to have access to drinking water

In Sierra Leone, approximately 68% of people have access to drinking water as of 2024. In Lebanon, 93% of people do as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 53.4% less on education

Sierra Leone spends 2.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Lebanon spends 1.2% of total GDP on education as of 2024.

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spend 18.0% more on healthcare

Sierra Leone spends 4.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Lebanon, that number is 5.6% of GDP as of 2023.

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Geography

see 44.0% less coastline

Sierra Leone has a total of 402 km of coastline. In Lebanon, that number is 225 km.

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Safety

be 29.7% less likely to die in a road accident

In Sierra Leone, road accidents kill 13.8 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Lebanon, they kill 9.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

live with 117.6 times more strain on fresh water

Sierra Leone withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Lebanon withdraws 59% as of 2022.

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Environment

be 39.2% less likely to die from air pollution

In Sierra Leone, air pollution causes 97.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Lebanon, it causes 59.0 as of 2019.

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emit 11.2 times more CO2

Sierra Leone emits 0.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Lebanon emits 1.9 tonnes as of 2024.

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

Lebanon: At a glance

Lebanon is a sovereign country in Middle East, with a total land area of approximately 10,230 sq km. Following World War I, France acquired a mandate over the northern portion of the former Ottoman Empire province of Syria. The French demarcated the region of Lebanon in 1920 and granted this area independence in 1943. Since independence the country has been marked by periods of political turmoil interspersed with prosperity built on its position as a regional center for finance and trade. The country's 1975-90 civil war that resulted in an estimated 120,000 fatalities, was followed by years of social and political instability. Sectarianism is a key element of Lebanese political life. Neighboring Syria has long influenced Lebanon's foreign policy and internal policies, and its military occupied Lebanon from 1976 until 2005. The Lebanon-based Hizballah militia and Israel continued attacks and counterattacks against each other after Syria's withdrawal, and fought a brief war in 2006. Lebanon's borders with Syria and Israel remain unresolved.
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How big is Lebanon compared to Sierra Leone? See an in-depth size comparison.

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