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

Health

see 15.6 times more spent on your healthcare

Sierra Leone spends $159 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Nauru spends $2,474 as of 2023.

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have 46.3% more access to essential health services

Sierra Leone scores 41 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Nauru scores 60 as of 2021.

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be 8.7 times more likely to be obese

In Sierra Leone, 8.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Nauru, that number is 71.4% of people as of 2024.

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Economy

make 17.3 times more money

Sierra Leone has a GDP per capita of $846 as of 2025, while in Nauru, the GDP per capita is $14,640 as of 2025.

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Life

be 22.9% 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 Nauru, 273.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 98.7% more likely to be literate

In Sierra Leone, the literacy rate is 48.6% as of 2022. In Nauru, it is 96.6% as of 2023.

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be 85.9% 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 Nauru, on the other hand, 7.7 children do as of 2024.

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have 18.4% fewer children

In Sierra Leone, there are approximately 30.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Nauru, there are 24.6 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 Nauru, 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 3.3 times more likely to have internet access

In Sierra Leone, approximately 25.1% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Nauru, about 83.0% do as of 2024.

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be 43.7% more likely to have access to drinking water

In Sierra Leone, approximately 68% of people have access to drinking water as of 2024. In Nauru, 98% of people do as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 2.2 times more on education

Sierra Leone spends 2.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Nauru spends 5.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.

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spend 3.9 times more on healthcare

Sierra Leone spends 4.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Nauru, that number is 18.2% of GDP as of 2023.

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Geography

see 92.5% less coastline

Sierra Leone has a total of 402 km of coastline. In Nauru, that number is 30 km.

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Safety

be 42.0% less likely to die in a road accident

In Sierra Leone, road accidents kill 13.8 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Nauru, they kill 8.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Sources: World Bank (2023–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021), The World Factbook (2022), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this

Nauru: At a glance

Nauru is a sovereign country in Australia-Oceania, with a total land area of approximately 21 sq km. The exact origins of the Nauruans are unclear since their language does not resemble any other in the Pacific region. Germany annexed the island in 1888. A German-British consortium began mining the island's phosphate deposits early in the 20th century. Australian forces occupied Nauru in World War I; it subsequently became a League of Nations mandate. After the Second World War - and a brutal occupation by Japan - Nauru became a UN trust territory. It achieved independence in 1968 and joined the UN in 1999 as the world's smallest independent republic.
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How big is Nauru compared to Sierra Leone? See an in-depth size comparison.

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