Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Malawi instead of Sierra Leone, you would:
Health
live 5.6 years longer
In Sierra Leone, the average life expectancy is 62 years (60 years for men, 64 years for women) as of 2024. In Malawi, that number is 68 years (64 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024.
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. Malawi scores 48 as of 2021.
be 4.4 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Sierra Leone, 1.4% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Malawi, that number is 6.2% of people as of 2024.
see 21.1% less spent on your healthcare
Sierra Leone spends $159 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Malawi spends $125 as of 2023.
have 59.7% fewer doctors per person
Sierra Leone has 1.3 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Malawi has 0.5 as of 2022.
be 23.3% more likely to die by suicide
Sierra Leone has a suicide rate of 6.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Malawi, it is 7.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 61.0% more likely to be unemployed
In Sierra Leone, 3.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Malawi, that number is 5.1% as of 2025.
make 20.7% less money
Sierra Leone has a GDP per capita of $846 as of 2025, while in Malawi, the GDP per capita is $672 as of 2025.
Life
be 36.4% 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 Malawi, 225.0 women do as of 2023.
be 38.5% more likely to be literate
In Sierra Leone, the literacy rate is 48.6% as of 2022. In Malawi, it is 67.3% as of 2021.
be 30.4% 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 Malawi, on the other hand, 38.0 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 56.1% less 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 Malawi, that number is 16% of people on average (58% in urban areas, and 6% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 24.5% less likely to have internet access
In Sierra Leone, approximately 25.1% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Malawi, about 19.0% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 38.3% more on healthcare
Sierra Leone spends 4.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Malawi, that number is 6.5% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 46.4% more likely to die in a road accident
In Sierra Leone, road accidents kill 13.8 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Malawi, they kill 20.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 35.0 times more strain on fresh water
Sierra Leone withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Malawi withdraws 18% as of 2022.
Environment
be 55.7% less likely to die from air pollution
In Sierra Leone, air pollution causes 97.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Malawi, it causes 43.0 as of 2019.
emit 29.4% more CO2
Sierra Leone emits 0.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Malawi emits 0.2 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2021–2022). How we calculate this
Compare further: Sierra Leone vs. Malawi
Malawi: At a glance
How big is Malawi compared to Sierra Leone? See an in-depth size comparison.