Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Zimbabwe instead of Sierra Leone, you would:
Health
live 1.1 years longer
In Sierra Leone, the average life expectancy is 62 years (60 years for men, 64 years for women) as of 2024. In Zimbabwe, that number is 63 years (60 years for men, 65 years for women) as of 2024.
have 34.1% more access to essential health services
Sierra Leone scores 41 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Zimbabwe scores 55 as of 2021.
be 7.0 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 Zimbabwe, that number is 9.8% of people as of 2024.
be 79.6% more likely to be obese
In Sierra Leone, 8.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Zimbabwe, that number is 14.7% of people as of 2024.
see 35.1% less spent on your healthcare
Sierra Leone spends $159 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Zimbabwe spends $103 as of 2023.
be 2.8 times more likely to die by suicide
Sierra Leone has a suicide rate of 6.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Zimbabwe, it is 17.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 32.6% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Sierra Leone, 56.8% live below the poverty line as of 2018. In Zimbabwe, however, that number is 38.3% as of 2019.
make 3.6 times more money
Sierra Leone has a GDP per capita of $846 as of 2025, while in Zimbabwe, the GDP per capita is $3,021 as of 2025.
be 2.9 times more likely to be unemployed
In Sierra Leone, 3.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Zimbabwe, that number is 9.3% as of 2025.
Life
be 84.6% more likely to be literate
In Sierra Leone, the literacy rate is 48.6% as of 2022. In Zimbabwe, it is 89.7% as of 2021.
be 14.3% more 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 Zimbabwe, on the other hand, 62.4 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 74.6% 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 Zimbabwe, that number is 62% of people on average (84% in urban areas, and 51% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 65.9% more likely to have internet access
In Sierra Leone, approximately 25.1% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Zimbabwe, about 41.6% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 85.5% less on education
Sierra Leone spends 2.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Zimbabwe spends 0.4% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 37.9% less on healthcare
Sierra Leone spends 4.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Zimbabwe, that number is 2.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 3.0 times more likely to be murdered
Sierra Leone has a homicide rate of 2.2 per 100,000 people as of 2020. In Zimbabwe, that number is 6.8 per 100,000 as of 2022.
be 2.2 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Sierra Leone, road accidents kill 13.8 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Zimbabwe, they kill 29.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 92.2 times more strain on fresh water
Sierra Leone withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Zimbabwe withdraws 46% as of 2022.
Environment
be 42.3% less likely to die from air pollution
In Sierra Leone, air pollution causes 97.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Zimbabwe, it causes 56.0 as of 2019.
emit 4.5 times more CO2
Sierra Leone emits 0.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Zimbabwe emits 0.8 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2018–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2021–2022). How we calculate this
Compare further: Sierra Leone vs. Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe: At a glance
How big is Zimbabwe compared to Sierra Leone? See an in-depth size comparison.