Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Sierra Leone instead of Malaysia, you would:
Health
be 44.2% less likely to be obese
In Malaysia, 15.6% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Sierra Leone, that number is 8.7% of people as of 2016.
be 3.8 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Malaysia, 0.4% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2020. In Sierra Leone, that number is 1.5% of people as of 2020.
live 17.4 years less
In Malaysia, 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
make 94.4% less money
Malaysia has a GDP per capita of $28,400 as of 2022, while in Sierra Leone, the GDP per capita is $1,600 as of 2022.
be 9.2 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Malaysia, 6.2% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Sierra Leone, however, that number is 56.8% as of 2018.
Life
have 2.2 times more children
In Malaysia, there are approximately 14.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Sierra Leone, there are 30.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 21.1 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Malaysia, approximately 21.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Sierra Leone, 443.0 women do as of 2020.
be 48.8% less likely to be literate
In Malaysia, the literacy rate is 95.0% as of 2019. In Sierra Leone, it is 48.6% as of 2022.
be 11.1 times more likely to die during infancy
In Malaysia, approximately 6.6 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 72.6% less likely to have access to electricity
In Malaysia, approximately 100% of the population has electricity access as of 2021. In Sierra Leone, 27% of the population do as of 2021.
be 86.9% less likely to have internet access
In Malaysia, approximately 97.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Sierra Leone, about 12.7% do as of 2022.
be 25.3% less likely to have access to improved drinking water
In Malaysia, approximately 98% of people have improved drinking water access (99% in urban areas, and 91% 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
Malaysia spends 3.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Sierra Leone spends 9.1% of total GDP on education as of 2021.
spend 2.1 times more on healthcare
Malaysia spends 4.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Sierra Leone, that number is 8.8% of GDP as of 2020.
Geography
see 91.4% less coastline
Malaysia has a total of 4,675 km of coastline. In Sierra Leone, that number is 402 km.
The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook.
Sierra Leone: At a glance
How big is Sierra Leone compared to Malaysia? See an in-depth size comparison.