Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Africa instead of Sierra Leone, you would:
Health
live 4.4 years longer
In Sierra Leone, the average life expectancy is 62 years (60 years for men, 64 years for women) as of 2024. In South Africa, that number is 66 years (63 years for men, 70 years for women) as of 2024.
see 8.5 times more spent on your healthcare
Sierra Leone spends $159 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). South Africa spends $1,354 as of 2023.
have 5.9 times more doctors per person
Sierra Leone has 1.3 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. South Africa has 7.9 as of 2022.
have 73.2% more access to essential health services
Sierra Leone scores 41 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. South Africa scores 71 as of 2021.
be 12.3 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 South Africa, that number is 17.2% of people as of 2024.
be 3.9 times more likely to be obese
In Sierra Leone, 8.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In South Africa, that number is 31.8% of people as of 2024.
be 3.6 times more likely to die by suicide
Sierra Leone has a suicide rate of 6.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In South Africa, it is 22.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
make 7.8 times more money
Sierra Leone has a GDP per capita of $846 as of 2025, while in South Africa, the GDP per capita is $6,598 as of 2025.
be 10.3 times more likely to be unemployed
In Sierra Leone, 3.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In South Africa, that number is 32.4% as of 2025.
Life
be 66.7% 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 South Africa, 118.0 women do as of 2023.
be 87.6% more likely to be literate
In Sierra Leone, the literacy rate is 48.6% as of 2022. In South Africa, it is 91.2% as of 2024.
be 55.7% 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 South Africa, on the other hand, 24.2 children do as of 2024.
have 38.6% fewer children
In Sierra Leone, there are approximately 30.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In South Africa, there are 18.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 2.5 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 South Africa, that number is 88% of people on average (91% in urban areas, and 94% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 3.1 times more likely to have internet access
In Sierra Leone, approximately 25.1% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In South Africa, about 78.4% do as of 2024.
be 32.5% 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 South Africa, that number is 90% of people on average (98% in urban areas, and 73% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 2.3 times more on education
Sierra Leone spends 2.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. South Africa spends 6.0% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
spend 88.8% more on healthcare
Sierra Leone spends 4.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In South Africa, that number is 8.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 7.0 times more coastline
Sierra Leone has a total of 402 km of coastline. In South Africa, that number is 2,798 km.
Safety
be 19.7 times more likely to be murdered
Sierra Leone has a homicide rate of 2.2 per 100,000 people as of 2020. In South Africa, that number is 43.7 per 100,000 as of 2022.
be 77.5% more likely to die in a road accident
In Sierra Leone, road accidents kill 13.8 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In South Africa, they kill 24.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 135.2 times more strain on fresh water
Sierra Leone withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. South Africa withdraws 68% as of 2022.
Environment
be 51.5% less likely to die from air pollution
In Sierra Leone, air pollution causes 97.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In South Africa, it causes 47.0 as of 2019.
emit 40.5 times more CO2
Sierra Leone emits 0.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. South Africa emits 6.9 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2022), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Sierra Leone vs. South Africa
South Africa: At a glance
How big is South Africa compared to Sierra Leone? See an in-depth size comparison.