Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Sierra Leone instead of South Africa, you would:
Health
be 91.9% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In South Africa, 17.2% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Sierra Leone, that number is 1.4% of people as of 2024.
be 74.2% less likely to be obese
In South Africa, 31.8% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Sierra Leone, that number is 8.2% of people as of 2024.
be 72.5% less likely to die by suicide
South Africa has a suicide rate of 22.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Sierra Leone, it is 6.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 4.4 years less
In South Africa, the average life expectancy is 66 years (63 years for men, 70 years for women) as of 2024. In Sierra Leone, that number is 62 years (60 years for men, 64 years for women) as of 2024.
see 88.3% less spent on your healthcare
South Africa spends $1,354 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Sierra Leone spends $159 as of 2023.
have 83.1% fewer doctors per person
South Africa has 7.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Sierra Leone has 1.3 as of 2022.
have 42.3% less access to essential health services
South Africa scores 71 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Sierra Leone scores 41 as of 2021.
Economy
be 90.3% less likely to be unemployed
In South Africa, 32.4% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Sierra Leone, that number is 3.1% as of 2025.
make 87.2% less money
South Africa has a GDP per capita of $6,598 as of 2025, while in Sierra Leone, the GDP per capita is $846 as of 2025.
Life
have 62.9% more children
In South Africa, there are approximately 18.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Sierra Leone, there are 30.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 3.0 times more likely to die during childbirth
In South Africa, approximately 118.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Sierra Leone, 354.0 women do as of 2023.
be 46.7% less likely to be literate
In South Africa, the literacy rate is 91.2% as of 2024. In Sierra Leone, it is 48.6% as of 2022.
be 2.3 times more likely to die during infancy
In South Africa, approximately 24.2 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Sierra Leone, on the other hand, 54.6 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 59.5% less likely to have access to electricity
In South Africa, approximately 88% of people have electricity access (91% in urban areas, and 94% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Sierra Leone, that number is 36% of people on average (56% in urban areas, and 19% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 68.0% less likely to have internet access
In South Africa, approximately 78.4% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Sierra Leone, about 25.1% do as of 2024.
be 24.5% less likely to have access to drinking water
In South Africa, approximately 90% of people have access to drinking water (98% in urban areas, and 73% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Sierra Leone, that number is 68% of people on average (82% in urban areas, and 57% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 56.5% less on education
South Africa spends 6.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Sierra Leone spends 2.6% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 47.0% less on healthcare
South Africa spends 8.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Sierra Leone, that number is 4.7% of GDP as of 2023.
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.
Safety
be 94.9% less likely to be murdered
South Africa has a homicide rate of 43.7 per 100,000 people as of 2022. In Sierra Leone, that number is 2.2 per 100,000 as of 2020.
be 43.7% less likely to die in a road accident
In South Africa, road accidents kill 24.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Sierra Leone, they kill 13.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 99.3% less strain on fresh water
South Africa withdraws 68% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Sierra Leone withdraws 0% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 97.5% less CO2
South Africa emits 6.9 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Sierra Leone emits 0.2 tonnes as of 2024.
be 2.1 times more likely to die from air pollution
In South Africa, air pollution causes 47.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Sierra Leone, it causes 97.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2022), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: South Africa vs. Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: At a glance
How big is Sierra Leone compared to South Africa? See an in-depth size comparison.