Quality of life comparison
If you lived in United States instead of Sierra Leone, you would:
Health
live 16.9 years longer
In Sierra Leone, the average life expectancy is 62 years (60 years for men, 64 years for women) as of 2024. In United States, that number is 79 years (76 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024.
see 84.8 times more spent on your healthcare
Sierra Leone spends $159 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). United States spends $13,473 as of 2023.
have 27.5 times more doctors per person
Sierra Leone has 1.3 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. United States has 36.8 as of 2022.
have 2.1 times more access to essential health services
Sierra Leone scores 41 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. United States scores 86 as of 2021.
be 5.0 times more likely to be obese
In Sierra Leone, 8.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In United States, that number is 41.0% of people as of 2024.
be 2.5 times more likely to die by suicide
Sierra Leone has a suicide rate of 6.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In United States, it is 15.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
make 106.4 times more money
Sierra Leone has a GDP per capita of $846 as of 2025, while in United States, the GDP per capita is $90,027 as of 2025.
be 33.3% more likely to be unemployed
In Sierra Leone, 3.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In United States, that number is 4.2% as of 2025.
Life
be 95.2% 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 United States, 17.0 women do as of 2023.
be 89.9% 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 United States, on the other hand, 5.5 children do as of 2024.
have 64.8% fewer children
In Sierra Leone, there are approximately 30.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In United States, there are 10.6 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 United States, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 3.8 times more likely to have internet access
In Sierra Leone, approximately 25.1% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In United States, about 94.7% do as of 2024.
be 46.9% 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 United States, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 2.1 times more on education
Sierra Leone spends 2.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. United States spends 5.4% of total GDP on education as of 2021.
spend 3.5 times more on healthcare
Sierra Leone spends 4.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In United States, that number is 16.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 49.6 times more coastline
Sierra Leone has a total of 402 km of coastline. In United States, that number is 19,924 km.
Safety
be 2.6 times more likely to be murdered
Sierra Leone has a homicide rate of 2.2 per 100,000 people as of 2020. In United States, that number is 5.8 per 100,000 as of 2023.
Infrastructure
live with 56.3 times more strain on fresh water
Sierra Leone withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. United States withdraws 28% as of 2022.
Environment
be 85.6% less likely to die from air pollution
In Sierra Leone, air pollution causes 97.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In United States, it causes 14.0 as of 2019.
emit 80.1 times more CO2
Sierra Leone emits 0.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. United States emits 13.6 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Sierra Leone vs. United States
United States: At a glance
How big is United States compared to Sierra Leone? See an in-depth size comparison.