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

Health

be 85.7% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Sierra Leone, 1.4% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Pakistan, that number is 0.2% of people as of 2024.

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live 5.8 years longer

In Sierra Leone, the average life expectancy is 62 years (60 years for men, 64 years for women) as of 2024. In Pakistan, that number is 68 years (65 years for men, 70 years for women) as of 2024.

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have 8.7 times more doctors per person

Sierra Leone has 1.3 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Pakistan has 11.6 as of 2021.

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be 3.0 times more likely to be obese

In Sierra Leone, 8.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Pakistan, that number is 24.5% of people as of 2024.

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Economy

make 88.6% more money

Sierra Leone has a GDP per capita of $846 as of 2025, while in Pakistan, the GDP per capita is $1,596 as of 2025.

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be 72.1% more likely to be unemployed

In Sierra Leone, 3.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Pakistan, that number is 5.4% as of 2025.

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Life

be 56.2% 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 Pakistan, 155.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 21.1% more likely to be literate

In Sierra Leone, the literacy rate is 48.6% as of 2022. In Pakistan, it is 58.9% as of 2021.

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be 11.7% 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 Pakistan, on the other hand, 48.2 children do as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 2.7 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 Pakistan, that number is 96% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 93% in rural areas) as of 2023.

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be 2.3 times more likely to have internet access

In Sierra Leone, approximately 25.1% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Pakistan, about 57.2% do as of 2024.

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be 33.2% 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 Pakistan, that number is 91% of people on average (93% in urban areas, and 89% in rural areas) as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 25.6% less on education

Sierra Leone spends 2.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Pakistan spends 1.9% of total GDP on education as of 2023.

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spend 46.6% less on healthcare

Sierra Leone spends 4.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Pakistan, that number is 2.5% of GDP as of 2023.

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Geography

see 2.6 times more coastline

Sierra Leone has a total of 402 km of coastline. In Pakistan, that number is 1,046 km.

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Safety

be 13.8% less likely to die in a road accident

In Sierra Leone, road accidents kill 13.8 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Pakistan, they kill 11.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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be 95.0% more likely to be murdered

Sierra Leone has a homicide rate of 2.2 per 100,000 people as of 2020. In Pakistan, that number is 4.3 per 100,000 as of 2023.

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Infrastructure

live with 220.0 times more strain on fresh water

Sierra Leone withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Pakistan withdraws 110% as of 2022.

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Environment

emit 4.8 times more CO2

Sierra Leone emits 0.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Pakistan emits 0.8 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), The World Factbook (2022), World Health Organization (2024), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021). How we calculate this

Pakistan: At a glance

Pakistan is a sovereign country in South Asia, with a total land area of approximately 770,875 sq km. The Indus Valley civilization, one of the oldest in the world and dating back at least 5,000 years, spread over much of what is presently Pakistan. During the second millennium B.C., remnants of this culture fused with the migrating Indo-Aryan peoples. The area underwent successive invasions in subsequent centuries from the Persians, Greeks, Scythians, Arabs (who brought Islam), Afghans, and Turks. The Mughal Empire flourished in the 16th and 17th centuries; the British came to dominate the region in the 18th century. The separation in 1947 of British India into the Muslim state of Pakistan (with West and East sections) and largely Hindu India was never satisfactorily resolved, and India and Pakistan fought two wars - in 1947-48 and 1965 - over the disputed Kashmir territory. A third war between these countries in 1971 - in which India capitalized on Islamabad's marginalization of Bengalis in Pakistani politics - resulted in East Pakistan becoming the separate nation of Bangladesh. In response to Indian nuclear weapons testing, Pakistan conducted its own tests in 1998. India-Pakistan relations have been rocky since the November 2008 Mumbai attacks, but both countries are taking small steps to put relations back on track. In February 2008, Pakistan held parliamentary elections and in September 2008, after the resignation of former President MUSHARRAF, elected Asif Ali ZARDARI to the presidency. Pakistani government and military leaders are struggling to control domestic insurgents, many of whom are located in the tribal areas adjacent to the border with Afghanistan.
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