Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Liberia instead of Sierra Leone, you would:

Health

be 26.7% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Sierra Leone, 1.5% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2020. In Liberia, that number is 1.1% of people as of 2020.

live 6.7 years longer

In Sierra Leone, the average life expectancy is 59 years (57 years for men, 60 years for women) as of 2022. In Liberia, that number is 65 years (63 years for men, 68 years for women) as of 2022.

be 13.8% more likely to be obese

In Sierra Leone, 8.7% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Liberia, that number is 9.9% of people as of 2016.

Economy

be 81.3% less likely to be unemployed

In Sierra Leone, 15.0% of adults are unemployed as of 2017. In Liberia, that number is 2.8% as of 2014.

be 10.4% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Sierra Leone, 56.8% live below the poverty line as of 2018. In Liberia, however, that number is 50.9% as of 2016.

make 12.5% less money

Sierra Leone has a GDP per capita of $1,600 as of 2020, while in Liberia, the GDP per capita is $1,400 as of 2020.

Life

be 41.0% less likely to die during childbirth

In Sierra Leone, approximately 1120.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2017. In Liberia, 661.0 women do as of 2017.

be 11.8% more likely to be literate

In Sierra Leone, the literacy rate is 43.2% as of 2018. In Liberia, it is 48.3% as of 2017.

be 39.3% less likely to die during infancy

In Sierra Leone, approximately 73.4 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Liberia, on the other hand, 44.6 children do as of 2022.

have 13.8% more children

In Sierra Leone, there are approximately 32.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022. In Liberia, there are 36.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022.

Basic Needs

be 44.4% more likely to have internet access

In Sierra Leone, approximately 18.0% of the population has internet access as of 2020. In Liberia, about 26.0% do as of 2020.

be 15.4% more likely to have access to improved drinking water

In Sierra Leone, approximately 73% of people have improved drinking water access (92% in urban areas, and 58% in rural areas) as of 2020. In Liberia, that number is 84% of people on average (96% in urban areas, and 71% in rural areas) as of 2020.

be 53.8% less likely to have access to electricity

In Sierra Leone, approximately 26% of people have electricity access (52% in urban areas, and 6% in rural areas) as of 2019. In Liberia, that number is 12% of people on average (18% in urban areas, and 6% in rural areas) as of 2019.

Expenditures

spend 75.3% less on education

Sierra Leone spends 9.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Liberia spends 2.3% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

Geography

see 44.0% more coastline

Sierra Leone has a total of 402 km of coastline. In Liberia, that number is 579 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook.

Liberia: At a glance

Liberia is a sovereign country in Africa, with a total land area of approximately 96,320 sq km. Settlement of freed slaves from the US in what is today Liberia began in 1822; by 1847, the Americo-Liberians were able to establish a republic. William TUBMAN, president from 1944-71, did much to promote foreign investment and to bridge the economic, social, and political gaps between the descendants of the original settlers and the inhabitants of the interior. In 1980, a military coup led by Samuel DOE ushered in a decade of authoritarian rule. In December 1989, Charles TAYLOR launched a rebellion against DOE's regime that led to a prolonged civil war in which DOE was killed. A period of relative peace in 1997 allowed for elections that brought TAYLOR to power, but major fighting resumed in 2000. An August 2003 peace agreement ended the war and prompted the resignation of former president Charles TAYLOR, who faces war crimes charges in The Hague related to his involvement in Sierra Leone's civil war. After two years of rule by a transitional government, democratic elections in late 2005 brought President Ellen JOHNSON SIRLEAF to power. She subsequently won reelection in 2011 in a second round vote that was boycotted by the opposition and remains challenged to build Liberia's economy and reconcile a nation still recovering from 14 years of fighting. The United Nations Security Council in September 2012 passed Resolution 2066 which calls for a reduction of UN troops in Liberia by half by 2015, bringing the troop total down to fewer than 4000, and challenging Liberia's security sector to fill the gaps.
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