Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Sierra Leone instead of Ghana, you would:
Health
be 11.8% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Ghana, 1.7% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2020. In Sierra Leone, that number is 1.5% of people as of 2020.
be 20.2% less likely to be obese
In Ghana, 10.9% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Sierra Leone, that number is 8.7% of people as of 2016.
live 10.6 years less
In Ghana, the average life expectancy is 69 years (68 years for men, 71 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
make 70.9% less money
Ghana has a GDP per capita of $5,500 as of 2022, while in Sierra Leone, the GDP per capita is $1,600 as of 2022.
be 2.4 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Ghana, 23.4% live below the poverty line as of 2016. In Sierra Leone, however, that number is 56.8% as of 2018.
pay a 20.0% higher top tax rate
Ghana has a top tax rate of 25.0% as of 2016. In Sierra Leone, the top tax rate is 30.0% as of 2014.
Life
have 11.6% more children
In Ghana, there are approximately 27.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Sierra Leone, there are 30.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 68.4% more likely to die during childbirth
In Ghana, approximately 263.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Sierra Leone, 443.0 women do as of 2020.
be 38.5% less likely to be literate
In Ghana, the literacy rate is 79.0% as of 2018. In Sierra Leone, it is 48.6% as of 2022.
be 2.3 times more likely to die during infancy
In Ghana, approximately 32.6 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 68.3% less likely to have access to electricity
In Ghana, approximately 86% of people have electricity access (95% in urban areas, and 74% in rural areas) as of 2021. In Sierra Leone, that number is 27% of people on average (57% in urban areas, and 5% in rural areas) as of 2021.
be 81.3% less likely to have internet access
In Ghana, approximately 68.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Sierra Leone, about 12.7% do as of 2022.
be 21.2% less likely to have access to improved drinking water
In Ghana, approximately 92% of people have improved drinking water access (99% in urban areas, and 84% 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 2.3 times more on education
Ghana spends 3.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2018. Sierra Leone spends 9.1% of total GDP on education as of 2021.
spend 2.2 times more on healthcare
Ghana spends 4.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Sierra Leone, that number is 8.8% of GDP as of 2020.
Geography
see 25.4% less coastline
Ghana has a total of 539 km of coastline. In Sierra Leone, that number is 402 km.
The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Ghana Revenue Authority, National Revenue Authority.
Sierra Leone: At a glance
How big is Sierra Leone compared to Ghana? See an in-depth size comparison.