Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Democratic Republic of the Congo instead of Sierra Leone, you would:
Health
be 53.3% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Sierra Leone, 1.5% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2020. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 0.7% of people as of 2020.
live 3.1 years longer
In Sierra Leone, the average life expectancy is 59 years (57 years for men, 60 years for women) as of 2022. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 62 years (60 years for men, 64 years for women) as of 2022.
be 23.0% less likely to be obese
In Sierra Leone, 8.7% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 6.7% of people as of 2016.
Economy
make 11.8% less money
Sierra Leone has a GDP per capita of $1,700 as of 2023, while in Democratic Republic of the Congo, the GDP per capita is $1,500 as of 2023.
be 43.2% more likely to be unemployed
In Sierra Leone, 3.2% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 4.5% as of 2023.
be 10.9% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Sierra Leone, 56.8% live below the poverty line as of 2018. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, however, that number is 63.0% as of 2014.
Life
be 64.6% more likely to be literate
In Sierra Leone, the literacy rate is 48.6% as of 2022. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, it is 80.0% as of 2021.
be 17.1% 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 Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the other hand, 60.9 children do as of 2022.
have 27.3% more children
In Sierra Leone, there are approximately 30.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, there are 39.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 23.5% more likely to die during childbirth
In Sierra Leone, approximately 443.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, 547.0 women do as of 2020.
Basic Needs
be 82.7% more likely to have internet access
In Sierra Leone, approximately 12.7% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, about 23.2% do as of 2021.
be 26.9% 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 Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 22% of people on average (44% in urban areas, and 1% in rural areas) as of 2022.
be 18.4% less 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 Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 59% of people on average (89% in urban areas, and 35% in rural areas) as of 2020.
Expenditures
spend 70.3% less on education
Sierra Leone spends 9.1% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Democratic Republic of the Congo spends 2.7% of total GDP on education as of 2021.
spend 53.4% less on healthcare
Sierra Leone spends 8.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 4.1% of GDP as of 2020.
Geography
see 90.8% less coastline
Sierra Leone has a total of 402 km of coastline. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 37 km.
The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook.
Democratic Republic of the Congo: At a glance
How big is Democratic Republic of the Congo compared to Sierra Leone? See an in-depth size comparison.