Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Sierra Leone instead of Jamaica, you would:
Health
be 64.8% less likely to be obese
In Jamaica, 24.7% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Sierra Leone, that number is 8.7% of people as of 2016.
live 17.0 years less
In Jamaica, the average life expectancy is 76 years (74 years for men, 78 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
be 40.5% less likely to be unemployed
In Jamaica, 5.5% of adults are unemployed as of 2022. In Sierra Leone, that number is 3.3% as of 2022.
make 84.2% less money
Jamaica has a GDP per capita of $10,100 as of 2022, while in Sierra Leone, the GDP per capita is $1,600 as of 2022.
be 3.3 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Jamaica, 17.1% 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
Jamaica 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 97.4% more children
In Jamaica, there are approximately 15.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Sierra Leone, there are 30.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 4.5 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Jamaica, approximately 99.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Sierra Leone, 443.0 women do as of 2020.
be 45.2% less likely to be literate
In Jamaica, the literacy rate is 88.7% as of 2015. In Sierra Leone, it is 48.6% as of 2022.
be 6.6 times more likely to die during infancy
In Jamaica, approximately 11.2 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 72.6% less likely to have access to electricity
In Jamaica, approximately 100% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 97% 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 84.5% less likely to have internet access
In Jamaica, approximately 82.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Sierra Leone, about 12.7% do as of 2022.
be 24.5% less likely to have access to improved drinking water
In Jamaica, approximately 96% of people have improved drinking water access (98% in urban areas, and 94% 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 51.7% more on education
Jamaica spends 6.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Sierra Leone spends 9.1% of total GDP on education as of 2021.
spend 33.3% more on healthcare
Jamaica spends 6.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Sierra Leone, that number is 8.8% of GDP as of 2020.
Geography
see 60.7% less coastline
Jamaica has a total of 1,022 km of coastline. In Sierra Leone, that number is 402 km.
The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, National Revenue Authority, Tax Admministration of Jamaica.
Sierra Leone: At a glance
How big is Sierra Leone compared to Jamaica? See an in-depth size comparison.