If you lived in Sudan 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 Sudan, that number is 0.2% of people as of 2024.

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live 4.6 years longer

In Sierra Leone, the average life expectancy is 62 years (60 years for men, 64 years for women) as of 2024. In Sudan, that number is 67 years (63 years for men, 70 years for women) as of 2024.

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be 48.5% less likely to die by suicide

Sierra Leone has a suicide rate of 6.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Sudan, it is 3.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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be 2.2 times more likely to be obese

In Sierra Leone, 8.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Sudan, that number is 17.8% of people as of 2024.

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see 82.2% less spent on your healthcare

Sierra Leone spends $159 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Sudan spends $28 as of 2023.

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Economy

make 37.6% more money

Sierra Leone has a GDP per capita of $846 as of 2025, while in Sudan, the GDP per capita is $1,165 as of 2025.

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be 3.6 times more likely to be unemployed

In Sierra Leone, 3.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Sudan, that number is 11.4% as of 2023.

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Life

be 27.7% 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 Sudan, 256.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 21.4% 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 Sudan, on the other hand, 42.9 children do as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 85.9% 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 Sudan, that number is 66% of people on average (87% in urban areas, and 54% in rural areas) as of 2023.

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be 14.3% more likely to have internet access

In Sierra Leone, approximately 25.1% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Sudan, about 28.7% do as of 2022.

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Expenditures

spend 39.6% less on healthcare

Sierra Leone spends 4.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Sudan, that number is 2.9% of GDP as of 2023.

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Geography

see 2.1 times more coastline

Sierra Leone has a total of 402 km of coastline. In Sudan, that number is 853 km.

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Safety

be 42.0% more likely to die in a road accident

In Sierra Leone, road accidents kill 13.8 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Sudan, they kill 19.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

live with 237.3 times more strain on fresh water

Sierra Leone withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Sudan withdraws 119% as of 2022.

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Environment

be 27.8% less likely to die from air pollution

In Sierra Leone, air pollution causes 97.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Sudan, it causes 70.0 as of 2019.

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emit 2.5 times more CO2

Sierra Leone emits 0.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Sudan emits 0.4 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2022), The World Factbook (2023), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this

Sudan: At a glance

Sudan is a sovereign country in Africa, with a total land area of approximately 1,731,671 sq km. Military regimes favoring Islamic-oriented governments have dominated national politics since independence from Anglo-Egyptian co rule in 1956. Sudan was embroiled in two prolonged civil wars during most of the remainder of the 20th century. These conflicts were rooted in northern economic, political, and social domination of largely non-Muslim, non-Arab southern Sudanese. The first civil war ended in 1972 but another broke out in 1983. Peace talks gained momentum in 2002-04 with the signing of several accords. The final North/South Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), signed in January 2005, granted the southern rebels autonomy for six years followed by a referendum on independence for Southern Sudan. The referendum was held in January 2011 and indicated overwhelming support for independence. South Sudan became independent on 9 July 2011. Sudan and South Sudan have yet to fully implement security and economic agreements signed on September 27, 2012 relating to the normalization of relations between the two countries. The final disposition of the contested Abyei region has also to be decided. Since South Sudan's independence, conflict has broken out between the government and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) in Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile states, which has resulted in 1.2 million internally displaced persons or severely affected persons in need of humanitarian assistance. A separate conflict, which broke out in the western region of Darfur in 2003, has displaced nearly two million people and caused an estimated 200,000 to 400,000 deaths. Violence in Darfur in 2013 resulted in an additional estimated 6,000 civilians killed and 500,000 displaced. The UN and the African Union have jointly commanded a Darfur peacekeeping operation known as the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) since 2007. Peacekeeping troops have struggled to stabilize the situation and have increasingly become targets for attacks by armed groups. In 2013, 16 peacekeepers were killed, UNAMID's deadliest year so far. Sudan also has faced refugee influxes from neighboring countries, primarily Ethiopia, Eritrea, Chad, Central African Republic, and South Sudan. Armed conflict, poor transport infrastructure, and government denial of access have impeded the provision of humanitarian assistance to affected populations.
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