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

Health

be 13.3% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Sierra Leone, 1.5% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2020. In Guyana, that number is 1.3% of people as of 2020.

live 13.1 years longer

In Sierra Leone, the average life expectancy is 59 years (57 years for men, 60 years for women) as of 2022. In Guyana, that number is 72 years (70 years for men, 74 years for women) as of 2022.

be 2.3 times more likely to be obese

In Sierra Leone, 8.7% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Guyana, that number is 20.2% of people as of 2016.

Economy

make 22.2 times more money

Sierra Leone has a GDP per capita of $1,600 as of 2022, while in Guyana, the GDP per capita is $35,600 as of 2022.

be 38.4% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Sierra Leone, 56.8% live below the poverty line as of 2018. In Guyana, however, that number is 35.0% as of 2006.

be 3.8 times more likely to be unemployed

In Sierra Leone, 3.3% of adults are unemployed as of 2022. In Guyana, that number is 12.3% as of 2022.

Life

be 74.7% less likely to die during childbirth

In Sierra Leone, approximately 443.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Guyana, 112.0 women do as of 2020.

be 82.7% more likely to be literate

In Sierra Leone, the literacy rate is 48.6% as of 2022. In Guyana, it is 88.8% as of 2021.

be 69.8% 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 Guyana, on the other hand, 22.1 children do as of 2022.

have 45.8% fewer children

In Sierra Leone, there are approximately 30.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Guyana, there are 16.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

Basic Needs

be 3.4 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 Guyana, that number is 93% of people on average (98% in urban areas, and 91% in rural areas) as of 2021.

be 6.7 times more likely to have internet access

In Sierra Leone, approximately 12.7% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In Guyana, about 85.0% do as of 2021.

be 33.0% 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 Guyana, that number is 97% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 96% in rural areas) as of 2020.

Expenditures

spend 50.5% less on education

Sierra Leone spends 9.1% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Guyana spends 4.5% of total GDP on education as of 2018.

spend 37.5% less on healthcare

Sierra Leone spends 8.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Guyana, that number is 5.5% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 14.2% more coastline

Sierra Leone has a total of 402 km of coastline. In Guyana, that number is 459 km.


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

Guyana: At a glance

Guyana is a sovereign country in South America, with a total land area of approximately 196,849 sq km. Originally a Dutch colony in the 17th century, by 1815 Guyana had become a British possession. The abolition of slavery led to settlement of urban areas by former slaves and the importation of indentured servants from India to work the sugar plantations. The resulting ethnocultural divide has persisted and has led to turbulent politics. Guyana achieved independence from the UK in 1966, and since then it has been ruled mostly by socialist-oriented governments. In 1992, Cheddi JAGAN was elected president in what is considered the country's first free and fair election since independence. After his death five years later, his wife, Janet JAGAN, became president but resigned in 1999 due to poor health. Her successor, Bharrat JAGDEO, was reelected in 2001 and again in 2006. Donald RAMOTAR was elected president in 2011.
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How big is Guyana compared to Sierra Leone? See an in-depth size comparison.

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