Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Sierra Leone instead of Uganda, you would:
Health
be 71.4% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Uganda, 4.9% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Sierra Leone, that number is 1.4% of people as of 2024.
be 13.5% less likely to be obese
In Uganda, 9.5% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Sierra Leone, that number is 8.2% of people as of 2024.
see 14.5% more spent on your healthcare
Uganda spends $139 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Sierra Leone spends $159 as of 2023.
live 6.5 years less
In Uganda, the average life expectancy is 68 years (65 years for men, 71 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.
have 29.8% fewer doctors per person
Uganda has 1.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Sierra Leone has 1.3 as of 2022.
have 16.3% less access to essential health services
Uganda scores 49 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Sierra Leone scores 41 as of 2021.
be 11.6% more likely to die by suicide
Uganda has a suicide rate of 5.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Sierra Leone, it is 6.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 14.5% more likely to be unemployed
In Uganda, 2.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Sierra Leone, that number is 3.1% as of 2025.
make 29.8% less money
Uganda has a GDP per capita of $1,206 as of 2025, while in Sierra Leone, the GDP per capita is $846 as of 2025.
Life
be 2.1 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Uganda, approximately 170.0 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 36.9% less likely to be literate
In Uganda, the literacy rate is 77.0% as of 2024. In Sierra Leone, it is 48.6% as of 2022.
be 52.1% more likely to die during infancy
In Uganda, approximately 35.9 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.
have 12.6% fewer children
In Uganda, there are approximately 34.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Sierra Leone, there are 30.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 2.8 times more likely to have internet access
In Uganda, approximately 8.9% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Sierra Leone, about 25.1% do as of 2024.
be 31.1% less likely to have access to electricity
In Uganda, approximately 52% of people have electricity access (76% in urban areas, and 42% 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.
Expenditures
spend 11.3% more on healthcare
Uganda spends 4.2% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Sierra Leone, that number is 4.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 75.3% less likely to be murdered
Uganda has a homicide rate of 9.0 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Sierra Leone, that number is 2.2 per 100,000 as of 2020.
be 13.7% less likely to die in a road accident
In Uganda, road accidents kill 16.0 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Sierra Leone, they kill 13.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 91.4% less strain on fresh water
Uganda withdraws 6% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Sierra Leone withdraws 0% as of 2022.
Environment
be 61.7% more likely to die from air pollution
In Uganda, air pollution causes 60.0 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), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2022). How we calculate this
Compare further: Uganda vs. Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: At a glance
How big is Sierra Leone compared to Uganda? See an in-depth size comparison.