Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Republic of the Congo instead of Sierra Leone, you would:
Health
live 4.0 years longer
In Sierra Leone, the average life expectancy is 62 years (60 years for men, 64 years for women) as of 2024. In Republic of the Congo, that number is 66 years (64 years for men, 68 years for women) as of 2024.
see 31.4% more spent on your healthcare
Sierra Leone spends $159 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Republic of the Congo spends $209 as of 2023.
have 29.1% more doctors per person
Sierra Leone has 1.3 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Republic of the Congo has 1.7 as of 2022.
be 2.3 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 Republic of the Congo, that number is 3.2% of people as of 2024.
be 49.0% more likely to be obese
In Sierra Leone, 8.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Republic of the Congo, that number is 12.2% of people as of 2024.
Economy
make 3.0 times more money
Sierra Leone has a GDP per capita of $846 as of 2025, while in Republic of the Congo, the GDP per capita is $2,515 as of 2025.
be 6.3 times more likely to be unemployed
In Sierra Leone, 3.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Republic of the Congo, that number is 19.9% as of 2025.
Life
be 31.9% 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 Republic of the Congo, 241.0 women do as of 2023.
be 65.8% more likely to be literate
In Sierra Leone, the literacy rate is 48.6% as of 2022. In Republic of the Congo, it is 80.6% as of 2021.
be 50.5% 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 Republic of the Congo, on the other hand, 27.0 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 44.5% 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 Republic of the Congo, that number is 51% of people on average (69% in urban areas, and 11% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 88.2% more likely to have internet access
In Sierra Leone, approximately 25.1% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Republic of the Congo, about 47.2% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 30.1% less on healthcare
Sierra Leone spends 4.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Republic of the Congo, that number is 3.3% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 27.5% more on education
Sierra Leone spends 2.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Republic of the Congo spends 3.3% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Geography
see 58.0% less coastline
Sierra Leone has a total of 402 km of coastline. In Republic of the Congo, that number is 169 km.
Safety
be 39.1% less likely to die in a road accident
In Sierra Leone, road accidents kill 13.8 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Republic of the Congo, they kill 8.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 94.0% less strain on fresh water
Sierra Leone withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Republic of the Congo withdraws 0% as of 2022.
Environment
be 32.0% less likely to die from air pollution
In Sierra Leone, air pollution causes 97.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Republic of the Congo, it causes 66.0 as of 2019.
emit 7.9 times more CO2
Sierra Leone emits 0.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Republic of the Congo emits 1.3 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2022–2025), The World Factbook (2021–2022), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Sierra Leone vs. Republic of the Congo
Republic of the Congo: At a glance
How big is Republic of the Congo compared to Sierra Leone? See an in-depth size comparison.