Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Sierra Leone instead of Mali, you would:
Health
be 66.7% more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Mali, 0.9% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2020. In Sierra Leone, that number is 1.5% of people as of 2020.
live 3.6 years less
In Mali, the average life expectancy is 62 years (60 years for men, 65 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 32.0% less money
Mali has a GDP per capita of $2,500 as of 2023, while in Sierra Leone, the GDP per capita is $1,700 as of 2023.
be 27.4% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Mali, 44.6% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Sierra Leone, however, that number is 56.8% as of 2018.
Life
be 36.9% more likely to be literate
In Mali, the literacy rate is 35.5% as of 2018. In Sierra Leone, it is 48.6% as of 2022.
be 21.1% more likely to die during infancy
In Mali, approximately 60.6 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.
have 25.0% fewer children
In Mali, there are approximately 41.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022. In Sierra Leone, there are 30.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 44.5% less likely to have access to electricity
In Mali, approximately 53% of people have electricity access (97% in urban areas, and 18% in rural areas) as of 2022. In Sierra Leone, that number is 29% of people on average (57% in urban areas, and 5% in rural areas) as of 2022.
be 62.6% less likely to have internet access
In Mali, approximately 34.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Sierra Leone, about 12.7% do as of 2022.
be 15.7% less likely to have access to improved drinking water
In Mali, approximately 86% of people have improved drinking water access (100% in urban areas, and 76% 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 2.1 times more on education
Mali spends 4.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Sierra Leone spends 9.1% of total GDP on education as of 2021.
spend 2.0 times more on healthcare
Mali spends 4.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Sierra Leone, that number is 8.8% of GDP as of 2020.
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 Mali? See an in-depth size comparison.