Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

be 33.3% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Sierra Leone, 1.5% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2020. In Burundi, that number is 1.0% of people as of 2020.

live 8.7 years longer

In Sierra Leone, the average life expectancy is 59 years (57 years for men, 60 years for women) as of 2022. In Burundi, that number is 67 years (65 years for men, 70 years for women) as of 2022.

be 37.9% less likely to be obese

In Sierra Leone, 8.7% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Burundi, that number is 5.4% of people as of 2016.

Economy

be 70.7% less likely to be unemployed

In Sierra Leone, 3.2% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Burundi, that number is 0.9% as of 2023.

make 47.1% less money

Sierra Leone has a GDP per capita of $1,700 as of 2023, while in Burundi, the GDP per capita is $900 as of 2023.

be 13.7% more likely to live below the poverty line

In Sierra Leone, 56.8% live below the poverty line as of 2018. In Burundi, however, that number is 64.6% as of 2014.

Life

be 53.7% more likely to be literate

In Sierra Leone, the literacy rate is 48.6% as of 2022. In Burundi, it is 74.7% as of 2021.

be 48.5% less likely to die during infancy

In Sierra Leone, approximately 73.4 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Burundi, on the other hand, 37.8 children do as of 2022.

have 12.3% more children

In Sierra Leone, there are approximately 30.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Burundi, there are 34.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

Basic Needs

be 12.1% more likely to have access to improved drinking water

In Sierra Leone, approximately 73% of people have improved drinking water access (92% in urban areas, and 58% in rural areas) as of 2020. In Burundi, that number is 82% of people on average (99% in urban areas, and 79% in rural areas) as of 2020.

be 65.0% less likely to have access to electricity

In Sierra Leone, approximately 29% of people have electricity access (57% in urban areas, and 5% in rural areas) as of 2022. In Burundi, that number is 10% of people on average (63% in urban areas, and 2% in rural areas) as of 2022.

be 54.3% less likely to have internet access

In Sierra Leone, approximately 12.7% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In Burundi, about 5.8% do as of 2021.

Expenditures

spend 45.1% less on education

Sierra Leone spends 9.1% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Burundi spends 5.0% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 26.1% less on healthcare

Sierra Leone spends 8.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Burundi, that number is 6.5% of GDP as of 2020.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook.

Burundi: At a glance

Burundi is a sovereign country in Africa, with a total land area of approximately 25,680 sq km. Burundi's first democratically elected president was assassinated in October 1993 after only 100 days in office, triggering widespread ethnic violence between Hutu and Tutsi factions. More than 200,000 Burundians perished during the conflict that spanned almost a dozen years. Hundreds of thousands of Burundians were internally displaced or became refugees in neighboring countries. An internationally brokered power-sharing agreement between the Tutsi-dominated government and the Hutu rebels in 2003 paved the way for a transition process that led to an integrated defense force, established a new constitution in 2005, and elected a majority Hutu government in 2005. The government of President Pierre NKURUNZIZA, who was reelected in 2010, continues to face many political and economic challenges.
Read more

How big is Burundi compared to Sierra Leone? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Burundi.or Sierra Leone It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.