Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

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

In Sierra Leone, 1.5% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2020. In Ethiopia, that number is 0.9% of people as of 2020.

live 9.5 years longer

In Sierra Leone, the average life expectancy is 59 years (57 years for men, 60 years for women) as of 2022. In Ethiopia, that number is 68 years (66 years for men, 70 years for women) as of 2022.

be 48.3% less likely to be obese

In Sierra Leone, 8.7% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Ethiopia, that number is 4.5% of people as of 2016.

Economy

make 50.0% more money

Sierra Leone has a GDP per capita of $1,600 as of 2022, while in Ethiopia, the GDP per capita is $2,400 as of 2022.

be 58.6% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Sierra Leone, 56.8% live below the poverty line as of 2018. In Ethiopia, however, that number is 23.5% as of 2015.

pay a 16.7% higher top tax rate

Sierra Leone has a top tax rate of 30.0% as of 2014. In Ethiopia, the top tax rate is 35.0% as of 2016.

Life

be 39.7% less likely to die during childbirth

In Sierra Leone, approximately 443.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Ethiopia, 267.0 women do as of 2020.

be 54.4% 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 Ethiopia, on the other hand, 33.5 children do as of 2022.

Basic Needs

be 97.4% 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 Ethiopia, that number is 54% of people on average (96% in urban areas, and 43% in rural areas) as of 2021.

be 33.9% more likely to have internet access

In Sierra Leone, approximately 12.7% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In Ethiopia, about 17.0% do as of 2021.

Expenditures

spend 50.5% less on education

Sierra Leone spends 9.1% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Ethiopia spends 4.5% of total GDP on education as of 2019.

spend 60.2% less on healthcare

Sierra Leone spends 8.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Ethiopia, that number is 3.5% of GDP as of 2020.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, National Revenue Authority, Ethiopian Revenues and Customs Authority.

Ethiopia: At a glance

Ethiopia is a sovereign country in Africa, with a total land area of approximately 1,096,570 sq km. Unique among African countries, the ancient Ethiopian monarchy maintained its freedom from colonial rule with the exception of a short-lived Italian occupation from 1936-41. In 1974, a military junta, the Derg, deposed Emperor Haile SELASSIE (who had ruled since 1930) and established a socialist state. Torn by bloody coups, uprisings, wide-scale drought, and massive refugee problems, the regime was finally toppled in 1991 by a coalition of rebel forces, the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF). A constitution was adopted in 1994, and Ethiopia's first multiparty elections were held in 1995. A border war with Eritrea late in the 1990s ended with a peace treaty in December 2000. In November 2007, the Eritrea-Ethiopia Border Commission (EEBC) issued specific coordinates as virtually demarcating the border and pronounced its work finished. Alleging that the EEBC acted beyond its mandate in issuing the coordinates, Ethiopia has not accepted them and has not withdrawn troops from previously contested areas pronounced by the EEBC as belonging to Eritrea. In August 2012, longtime leader Prime Minister MELES Zenawi died in office and was replaced by his Deputy Prime Minister HAILEMARIAM Desalegn, marking the first peaceful transition of power in decades.
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How big is Ethiopia compared to Sierra Leone? See an in-depth size comparison.

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