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

Health

be 78.6% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Sierra Leone, 1.4% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Malta, that number is 0.3% of people as of 2024.

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live 21.0 years longer

In Sierra Leone, the average life expectancy is 62 years (60 years for men, 64 years for women) as of 2024. In Malta, that number is 83 years (81 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2024.

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see 35.9 times more spent on your healthcare

Sierra Leone spends $159 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Malta spends $5,706 as of 2023.

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have 33.7 times more doctors per person

Sierra Leone has 1.3 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Malta has 45.1 as of 2022.

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have 2.1 times more access to essential health services

Sierra Leone scores 41 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Malta scores 85 as of 2021.

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be 3.7 times more likely to be obese

In Sierra Leone, 8.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Malta, that number is 30.6% of people as of 2024.

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Economy

be 70.6% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Sierra Leone, 56.8% live below the poverty line as of 2018. In Malta, however, that number is 16.7% as of 2021.

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make 56.6 times more money

Sierra Leone has a GDP per capita of $846 as of 2025, while in Malta, the GDP per capita is $47,907 as of 2025.

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Life

be 97.7% 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 Malta, 8.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 95.3% more likely to be literate

In Sierra Leone, the literacy rate is 48.6% as of 2022. In Malta, it is 94.9% as of 2021.

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be 91.4% 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 Malta, on the other hand, 4.7 children do as of 2024.

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have 74.4% fewer children

In Sierra Leone, there are approximately 30.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Malta, there are 7.7 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 Malta, 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 3.7 times more likely to have internet access

In Sierra Leone, approximately 25.1% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Malta, about 93.9% do as of 2024.

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be 46.9% 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 Malta, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 79.8% more on education

Sierra Leone spends 2.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Malta spends 4.7% of total GDP on education as of 2022.

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spend 87.3% more on healthcare

Sierra Leone spends 4.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Malta, that number is 8.8% of GDP as of 2023.

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Geography

see 51.0% less coastline

Sierra Leone has a total of 402 km of coastline. In Malta, that number is 197 km.

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Safety

be 74.8% less likely to be murdered

Sierra Leone has a homicide rate of 2.2 per 100,000 people as of 2020. In Malta, that number is 0.6 per 100,000 as of 2023.

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be 86.2% less likely to die in a road accident

In Sierra Leone, road accidents kill 13.8 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Malta, they kill 1.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

live with 145.2 times more strain on fresh water

Sierra Leone withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Malta withdraws 73% as of 2022.

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Environment

be 78.4% less likely to die from air pollution

In Sierra Leone, air pollution causes 97.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Malta, it causes 21.0 as of 2019.

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emit 18.7 times more CO2

Sierra Leone emits 0.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Malta emits 3.2 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2018–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2021–2022), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this

Malta: At a glance

Malta is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 316 sq km. Great Britain formally acquired possession of Malta in 1814. The island staunchly supported the UK through both world wars and remained in the Commonwealth when it became independent in 1964; a decade later it declared itself a republic. Since about the mid-1980s, the island has transformed itself into a freight transshipment point, a financial center, and a tourist destination. Malta became an EU member in May 2004 and began using the euro as currency in 2008.
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How big is Malta compared to Sierra Leone? See an in-depth size comparison.

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