Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Sierra Leone instead of Rwanda, you would:
Health
be 40.0% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Rwanda, 2.5% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2020. In Sierra Leone, that number is 1.5% of people as of 2020.
live 7.1 years less
In Rwanda, the average life expectancy is 66 years (64 years for men, 68 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 50.0% more likely to be obese
In Rwanda, 5.8% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Sierra Leone, that number is 8.7% of people as of 2016.
Economy
be 78.8% less likely to be unemployed
In Rwanda, 14.9% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Sierra Leone, that number is 3.2% as of 2023.
make 43.3% less money
Rwanda has a GDP per capita of $3,000 as of 2023, while in Sierra Leone, the GDP per capita is $1,700 as of 2023.
be 48.7% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Rwanda, 38.2% live below the poverty line as of 2016. In Sierra Leone, however, that number is 56.8% as of 2018.
Life
have 16.5% more children
In Rwanda, there are approximately 26.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022. In Sierra Leone, there are 30.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 71.0% more likely to die during childbirth
In Rwanda, approximately 259.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Sierra Leone, 443.0 women do as of 2020.
be 36.0% less likely to be literate
In Rwanda, the literacy rate is 75.9% as of 2021. In Sierra Leone, it is 48.6% as of 2022.
be 2.8 times more likely to die during infancy
In Rwanda, approximately 26.4 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 41.9% less likely to have access to electricity
In Rwanda, approximately 51% of people have electricity access (98% in urban areas, and 38% 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 57.7% less likely to have internet access
In Rwanda, approximately 30.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Sierra Leone, about 12.7% do as of 2022.
be 12.0% less likely to have access to improved drinking water
In Rwanda, approximately 83% of people have improved drinking water access (92% in urban areas, and 81% 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 2.4 times more on education
Rwanda spends 3.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Sierra Leone spends 9.1% of total GDP on education as of 2021.
spend 20.5% more on healthcare
Rwanda spends 7.3% 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 Rwanda? See an in-depth size comparison.