Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Cote d'Ivoire instead of Sierra Leone, you would:

Health

live 3.5 years longer

In Sierra Leone, the average life expectancy is 59 years (57 years for men, 60 years for women) as of 2022. In Cote d'Ivoire, that number is 62 years (60 years for men, 65 years for women) as of 2022.

be 40.0% more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Sierra Leone, 1.5% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2020. In Cote d'Ivoire, that number is 2.1% of people as of 2020.

be 18.4% more likely to be obese

In Sierra Leone, 8.7% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Cote d'Ivoire, that number is 10.3% of people as of 2016.

Economy

make 3.4 times more money

Sierra Leone has a GDP per capita of $1,600 as of 2022, while in Cote d'Ivoire, the GDP per capita is $5,500 as of 2022.

be 23.9% less likely to be unemployed

In Sierra Leone, 3.3% of adults are unemployed as of 2022. In Cote d'Ivoire, that number is 2.5% as of 2022.

be 30.5% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Sierra Leone, 56.8% live below the poverty line as of 2018. In Cote d'Ivoire, however, that number is 39.5% as of 2018.

Life

be 85.0% more likely to be literate

In Sierra Leone, the literacy rate is 48.6% as of 2022. In Cote d'Ivoire, it is 89.9% as of 2019.

be 24.2% 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 Cote d'Ivoire, on the other hand, 55.7 children do as of 2022.

have 10.7% fewer children

In Sierra Leone, there are approximately 30.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Cote d'Ivoire, there are 27.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

Basic Needs

be 2.6 times more likely to have access to electricity

In Sierra Leone, approximately 27% of people have electricity access (57% in urban areas, and 5% in rural areas) as of 2021. In Cote d'Ivoire, that number is 71% of people on average (95% in urban areas, and 45% in rural areas) as of 2021.

be 3.5 times more likely to have internet access

In Sierra Leone, approximately 12.7% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In Cote d'Ivoire, about 45.0% do as of 2021.

Expenditures

spend 62.6% less on education

Sierra Leone spends 9.1% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Cote d'Ivoire spends 3.4% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 62.5% less on healthcare

Sierra Leone spends 8.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Cote d'Ivoire, that number is 3.3% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 28.1% more coastline

Sierra Leone has a total of 402 km of coastline. In Cote d'Ivoire, that number is 515 km.

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

Cote d'Ivoire: At a glance

Cote d'Ivoire is a sovereign country in Africa, with a total land area of approximately 318,003 sq km. Close ties to France following independence in 1960, the development of cocoa production for export, and foreign investment all made Cote d'Ivoire one of the most prosperous of the West African states but did not protect it from political turmoil. In December 1999, a military coup - the first ever in Cote d'Ivoire's history - overthrew the government. Junta leader Robert GUEI blatantly rigged elections held in late 2000 and declared himself the winner. Popular protest forced him to step aside and brought Laurent GBAGBO into power. Ivorian dissidents and disaffected members of the military launched a failed coup attempt in September 2002 that developed into a rebellion and then a civil war. The war ended in 2003 with a cease fire that left the country divided with the rebels holding the north, the government the south, and peacekeeping forces a buffer zone between the two. In March 2007, President GBAGBO and former New Forces rebel leader Guillaume SORO signed an agreement in which SORO joined GBAGBO's government as prime minister and the two agreed to reunite the country by dismantling the buffer zone, integrating rebel forces into the national armed forces, and holding elections. Difficulties in preparing electoral registers delayed balloting until 2010. In November 2010, Alassane Dramane OUATTARA won the presidential election over GBAGBO, but GBAGBO refused to hand over power, resulting in a five-month stand-off. In April 2011, after widespread fighting, GBAGBO was formally forced from office by armed OUATTARA supporters with the help of UN and French forces. Several thousand UN peacekeepers and several hundred French troops remain in Cote d'Ivoire to support the transition process. OUATTARA is focused on rebuilding the country's infrastructure and military after the five months of post-electoral fighting and faces ongoing threats from GBAGBO supporters, many of whom have sought shelter in Ghana. GBAGBO is in The Hague awaiting trial for crimes against humanity.
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How big is Cote d'Ivoire compared to Sierra Leone? See an in-depth size comparison.

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