Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Sierra Leone instead of Madagascar, you would:

Health

be 5.0 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Madagascar, 0.3% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2020. In Sierra Leone, that number is 1.5% of people as of 2020.

live 9.4 years less

In Madagascar, the average life expectancy is 68 years (67 years for men, 70 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.

be 64.2% more likely to be obese

In Madagascar, 5.3% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Sierra Leone, that number is 8.7% of people as of 2016.

Economy

be 19.7% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Madagascar, 70.7% live below the poverty line as of 2012. In Sierra Leone, however, that number is 56.8% as of 2018.

be 72.1% more likely to be unemployed

In Madagascar, 1.9% of adults are unemployed as of 2022. In Sierra Leone, that number is 3.3% as of 2022.

pay a 50.0% higher top tax rate

Madagascar has a top tax rate of 20.0% as of 2016. In Sierra Leone, the top tax rate is 30.0% as of 2014.

Life

have 11.6% more children

In Madagascar, 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 37.1% less likely to be literate

In Madagascar, the literacy rate is 77.3% as of 2021. In Sierra Leone, it is 48.6% as of 2022.

be 88.1% more likely to die during infancy

In Madagascar, approximately 39.0 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 29.8% more likely to have access to improved drinking water

In Madagascar, approximately 56% of people have improved drinking water access (85% in urban areas, and 38% 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.

be 21.9% less likely to have access to electricity

In Madagascar, approximately 35% of people have electricity access (73% in urban areas, and 11% 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 36.5% less likely to have internet access

In Madagascar, approximately 20.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Sierra Leone, about 12.7% do as of 2022.

Expenditures

spend 2.9 times more on education

Madagascar spends 3.1% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Sierra Leone spends 9.1% of total GDP on education as of 2021.

spend 2.3 times more on healthcare

Madagascar spends 3.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Sierra Leone, that number is 8.8% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 91.7% less coastline

Madagascar has a total of 4,828 km of coastline. In Sierra Leone, that number is 402 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, General Direction of Taxes, National Revenue Authority.

Sierra Leone: At a glance

Sierra Leone is a sovereign country in Africa, with a total land area of approximately 71,620 sq km. Democracy is slowly being reestablished after the civil war from 1991 to 2002 that resulted in tens of thousands of deaths and the displacement of more than 2 million people (about a third of the population). The military, which took over full responsibility for security following the departure of UN peacekeepers at the end of 2005, is increasingly developing as a guarantor of the country's stability. The armed forces remained on the sideline during the 2007 and 2012 national elections, and over the past year have deployed over 850 peacekeepers in the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM). As of January 2014, Sierra Leone also fielded 122 staff for five UN peacekeeping missions. In March 2014, the closure of the UN Integrated Peacebuilding Office in Sierra Leone (UNIPSIL) marked the end of more than 15 years of peacekeeping and political operations in Sierra Leone. The government's priorities include furthering development, creating jobs, and stamping out endemic corruption.
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How big is Sierra Leone compared to Madagascar? See an in-depth size comparison.

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