Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Sierra Leone instead of South Africa, you would:
Health
be 92.1% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In South Africa, 19.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2020. In Sierra Leone, that number is 1.5% of people as of 2020.
be 69.3% less likely to be obese
In South Africa, 28.3% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Sierra Leone, that number is 8.7% of people as of 2016.
live 6.6 years less
In South Africa, the average life expectancy is 65 years (64 years for men, 67 years for women) as of 2022. In Sierra Leone, that number is 59 years (57 years for men, 60 years for women) as of 2022.
Economy
be 47.4% less likely to be unemployed
In South Africa, 28.5% of adults are unemployed as of 2019. In Sierra Leone, that number is 15.0% as of 2017.
pay a 33.3% lower top tax rate
South Africa has a top tax rate of 45.0% as of 2017. In Sierra Leone, the top tax rate is 30.0% as of 2014.
make 86.1% less money
South Africa has a GDP per capita of $11,500 as of 2020, while in Sierra Leone, the GDP per capita is $1,600 as of 2020.
be 3.4 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In South Africa, 16.6% live below the poverty line as of 2016. In Sierra Leone, however, that number is 56.8% as of 2018.
Life
have 73.5% more children
In South Africa, there are approximately 18.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022. In Sierra Leone, there are 32.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022.
be 9.4 times more likely to die during childbirth
In South Africa, approximately 119.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2017. In Sierra Leone, 1120.0 women do as of 2017.
be 54.5% less likely to be literate
In South Africa, the literacy rate is 95.0% as of 2019. In Sierra Leone, it is 43.2% as of 2018.
be 2.8 times more likely to die during infancy
In South Africa, approximately 25.9 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Sierra Leone, on the other hand, 73.4 children do as of 2022.
Basic Needs
be 72.3% less likely to have access to electricity
In South Africa, approximately 94% of people have electricity access (95% in urban areas, and 92% in rural areas) as of 2019. In Sierra Leone, that number is 26% of people on average (52% in urban areas, and 6% in rural areas) as of 2019.
be 74.3% less likely to have internet access
In South Africa, approximately 70.0% of the population has internet access as of 2020. In Sierra Leone, about 18.0% do as of 2020.
be 24.7% less likely to have access to improved drinking water
In South Africa, approximately 97% of people have improved drinking water access (100% in urban areas, and 90% in rural areas) as of 2020. In Sierra Leone, that number is 73% of people on average (92% in urban areas, and 58% in rural areas) as of 2020.
Expenditures
spend 36.8% more on education
South Africa spends 6.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Sierra Leone spends 9.3% of total GDP on education as of 2020.
Geography
see 85.6% less coastline
South Africa has a total of 2,798 km of coastline. In Sierra Leone, that number is 402 km.
The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, National Revenue Authority, South African Revenue Service.
Sierra Leone: At a glance
How big is Sierra Leone compared to South Africa? See an in-depth size comparison.