Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Zambia instead of Sierra Leone, you would:
Health
live 7.5 years longer
In Sierra Leone, the average life expectancy is 59 years (57 years for men, 60 years for women) as of 2022. In Zambia, that number is 66 years (65 years for men, 68 years for women) as of 2022.
be 7.4 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Sierra Leone, 1.5% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2020. In Zambia, that number is 11.1% of people as of 2020.
Economy
make 2.1 times more money
Sierra Leone has a GDP per capita of $1,600 as of 2020, while in Zambia, the GDP per capita is $3,300 as of 2020.
pay a 16.7% higher top tax rate
Sierra Leone has a top tax rate of 30.0% as of 2014. In Zambia, the top tax rate is 35.0% as of 2016.
Life
be 81.0% less likely to die during childbirth
In Sierra Leone, approximately 1120.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2017. In Zambia, 213.0 women do as of 2017.
be 2.0 times more likely to be literate
In Sierra Leone, the literacy rate is 43.2% as of 2018. In Zambia, it is 86.7% as of 2018.
be 49.5% less likely to die during infancy
In Sierra Leone, approximately 73.4 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Zambia, on the other hand, 37.1 children do as of 2022.
Basic Needs
be 42.3% more likely to have access to electricity
In Sierra Leone, approximately 26% of people have electricity access (52% in urban areas, and 6% in rural areas) as of 2019. In Zambia, that number is 37% of people on average (76% in urban areas, and 6% in rural areas) as of 2019.
be 11.1% more likely to have internet access
In Sierra Leone, approximately 18.0% of the population has internet access as of 2020. In Zambia, about 20.0% do as of 2020.
Expenditures
spend 51.6% less on education
Sierra Leone spends 9.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Zambia spends 4.5% of total GDP on education as of 2019.
spend 39.8% less on healthcare
Sierra Leone spends 8.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2019. In Zambia, that number is 5.3% of GDP as of 2019.
The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Zambia Revenue Authority, National Revenue Authority.
Zambia: At a glance
How big is Zambia compared to Sierra Leone? See an in-depth size comparison.