Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Palau instead of Sierra Leone, you would:
Health
live 7.4 years longer
In Sierra Leone, the average life expectancy is 62 years (60 years for men, 64 years for women) as of 2024. In Palau, that number is 69 years (67 years for men, 72 years for women) as of 2024.
see 11.7 times more spent on your healthcare
Sierra Leone spends $159 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Palau spends $1,857 as of 2023.
have 13.5 times more doctors per person
Sierra Leone has 1.3 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Palau has 18.1 as of 2023.
have 58.5% more access to essential health services
Sierra Leone scores 41 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Palau scores 65 as of 2021.
be 4.9 times more likely to be obese
In Sierra Leone, 8.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Palau, that number is 40.5% of people as of 2024.
Economy
make 23.1 times more money
Sierra Leone has a GDP per capita of $846 as of 2025, while in Palau, the GDP per capita is $19,532 as of 2025.
Life
be 74.9% 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 Palau, 89.0 women do as of 2023.
be 2.1 times more likely to be literate
In Sierra Leone, the literacy rate is 48.6% as of 2022. In Palau, it is 99.8% as of 2020.
be 65.9% 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 Palau, on the other hand, 18.6 children do as of 2024.
have 64.5% fewer children
In Sierra Leone, there are approximately 30.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Palau, there are 10.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
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 Palau, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
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 Palau, about 83.9% do as of 2024.
be 46.2% 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 Palau, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 99% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 31.3% more on education
Sierra Leone spends 2.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Palau spends 3.4% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 2.3 times more on healthcare
Sierra Leone spends 4.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Palau, that number is 10.8% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 3.8 times more coastline
Sierra Leone has a total of 402 km of coastline. In Palau, that number is 1,519 km.
Safety
be 5.1 times more likely to be murdered
Sierra Leone has a homicide rate of 2.2 per 100,000 people as of 2020. In Palau, that number is 11.2 per 100,000 as of 2018.
be 60.9% more likely to die in a road accident
In Sierra Leone, road accidents kill 13.8 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Palau, they kill 22.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Environment
emit 487.3 times more CO2
Sierra Leone emits 0.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Palau emits 82.8 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2018–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021), The World Factbook (2022), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Sierra Leone vs. Palau
Palau: At a glance
How big is Palau compared to Sierra Leone? See an in-depth size comparison.