Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Sierra Leone instead of Vietnam, you would:
Health
be 15.9% less likely to die by suicide
Vietnam has a suicide rate of 7.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Sierra Leone, it is 6.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 3.5 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Vietnam, 0.4% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Sierra Leone, that number is 1.4% of people as of 2024.
live 12.8 years less
In Vietnam, the average life expectancy is 75 years (70 years for men, 79 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.
be 3.4 times more likely to be obese
In Vietnam, 2.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Sierra Leone, that number is 8.2% of people as of 2024.
see 77.0% less spent on your healthcare
Vietnam spends $690 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Sierra Leone spends $159 as of 2023.
have 87.9% fewer doctors per person
Vietnam has 11.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. Sierra Leone has 1.3 as of 2022.
have 39.7% less access to essential health services
Vietnam scores 68 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Sierra Leone scores 41 as of 2021.
Economy
be 2.1 times more likely to be unemployed
In Vietnam, 1.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Sierra Leone, that number is 3.1% as of 2025.
make 83.3% less money
Vietnam has a GDP per capita of $5,066 as of 2025, while in Sierra Leone, the GDP per capita is $846 as of 2025.
Life
have 2.2 times more children
In Vietnam, there are approximately 13.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Sierra Leone, there are 30.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 7.4 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Vietnam, approximately 48.0 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 49.4% less likely to be literate
In Vietnam, the literacy rate is 96.1% as of 2022. In Sierra Leone, it is 48.6% as of 2022.
be 4.5 times more likely to die during infancy
In Vietnam, approximately 12.0 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 64.4% less likely to have access to electricity
In Vietnam, approximately 100% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 100% 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 70.2% less likely to have internet access
In Vietnam, approximately 84.2% 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 drinking water
In Vietnam, approximately 99% of people have access to drinking water (99% in urban areas, and 98% 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.
Geography
see 88.3% less coastline
Vietnam has a total of 3,444 km of coastline. In Sierra Leone, that number is 402 km.
Safety
be 22.0% less likely to die in a road accident
In Vietnam, road accidents kill 17.7 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Sierra Leone, they kill 13.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 97.2% less strain on fresh water
Vietnam withdraws 18% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Sierra Leone withdraws 0% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 96.0% less CO2
Vietnam emits 4.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Sierra Leone emits 0.2 tonnes as of 2024.
be 86.5% more likely to die from air pollution
In Vietnam, air pollution causes 52.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Sierra Leone, it causes 97.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2022), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Vietnam vs. Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: At a glance
How big is Sierra Leone compared to Vietnam? See an in-depth size comparison.