Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Sierra Leone instead of United States, you would:
Health
be 76.0% less likely to be obese
In United States, 36.2% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Sierra Leone, that number is 8.7% of people as of 2016.
live 20.5 years less
In United States, the average life expectancy is 80 years (78 years for men, 82 years for women) as of 2020. In Sierra Leone, that number is 60 years (57 years for men, 63 years for women) as of 2020.
Economy
pay a 24.2% lower top tax rate
United States has a top tax rate of 39.6% as of 2016. In Sierra Leone, the top tax rate is 30.0% as of 2014.
make 97.3% less money
United States has a GDP per capita of $59,800 as of 2017, while in Sierra Leone, the GDP per capita is $1,600 as of 2017.
be 3.4 times more likely to be unemployed
In United States, 4.4% of adults are unemployed as of 2017. In Sierra Leone, that number is 15.0% as of 2017.
be 4.6 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In United States, 15.1% live below the poverty line as of 2010. In Sierra Leone, however, that number is 70.2% as of 2004.
Life
have 2.9 times more children
In United States, there are approximately 12.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2020. In Sierra Leone, there are 35.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2020.
be 58.9 times more likely to die during childbirth
In United States, approximately 19.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2017. In Sierra Leone, 1120.0 women do as of 2017.
be 12.0 times more likely to die during infancy
In United States, approximately 5.3 children die before they reach the age of one as of 2020. In Sierra Leone, on the other hand, 63.6 children do as of 2020.
Basic Needs
be 80.0% less likely to have access to electricity
In United States, approximately 100% of the population has electricity access as of 2016. In Sierra Leone, 20% of the population do as of 2017.
be 89.7% less likely to have internet access
In United States, approximately 87.3% of the population has internet access as of 2018. In Sierra Leone, about 9.0% do as of 2018.
be 29.5% less likely to have access to improved drinking water
In United States, approximately 99% of people have improved drinking water access (100% in urban areas, and 97% in rural areas) as of 2017. In Sierra Leone, that number is 70% of people on average (90% in urban areas, and 56% in rural areas) as of 2017.
Geography
see 98.0% less coastline
United States has a total of 19,924 km of coastline. In Sierra Leone, that number is 402 km.
The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Internal Revenue Service, National Revenue Authority.
Sierra Leone: At a glance
How big is Sierra Leone compared to United States? See an in-depth size comparison.