Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Hong Kong instead of Sierra Leone, you would:

Health

live 24.9 years longer

In Sierra Leone, the average life expectancy is 59 years (57 years for men, 60 years for women) as of 2022. In Hong Kong, that number is 84 years (81 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2022.

Economy

make 37.9 times more money

Sierra Leone has a GDP per capita of $1,700 as of 2023, while in Hong Kong, the GDP per capita is $64,400 as of 2023.

be 65.0% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Sierra Leone, 56.8% live below the poverty line as of 2018. In Hong Kong, however, that number is 19.9% as of 2016.

pay a 50.0% lower top tax rate

Sierra Leone has a top tax rate of 30.0% as of 2014. In Hong Kong, the top tax rate is 15.0% as of 2016.

be 24.0% more likely to be unemployed

In Sierra Leone, 3.2% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Hong Kong, that number is 3.9% as of 2023.

Life

be 96.5% 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 Hong Kong, on the other hand, 2.5 children do as of 2022.

have 75.3% fewer children

In Sierra Leone, there are approximately 30.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Hong Kong, there are 7.6 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 29% of the population has electricity access as of 2022. In Hong Kong, 100% of the population do as of 2022.

be 7.3 times more likely to have internet access

In Sierra Leone, approximately 12.7% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In Hong Kong, about 93.0% do as of 2021.

be 37.4% more likely to have access to improved drinking water

In Sierra Leone, approximately 73% of people have improved drinking water access as of 2020. In Hong Kong, 100% of people do as of 2020.

Expenditures

spend 56.0% less on education

Sierra Leone spends 9.1% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Hong Kong spends 4.0% of total GDP on education as of 2021.

Geography

see 82.3% more coastline

Sierra Leone has a total of 402 km of coastline. In Hong Kong, that number is 733 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, National Revenue Authority, Inland Revenue Department, Hong Kong.

Hong Kong: At a glance

Hong Kong (sometimes abbreviated HK) is a sovereign country in East/Southeast Asia, with a total land area of approximately 1,073 sq km. Occupied by the UK in 1841, Hong Kong was formally ceded by China the following year; various adjacent lands were added later in the 19th century. Pursuant to an agreement signed by China and the UK on 19 December 1984, Hong Kong became the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) of the People's Republic of China on 1 July 1997. In this agreement, China promised that, under its "one country, two systems" formula, China's socialist economic system would not be imposed on Hong Kong and that Hong Kong would enjoy a "high degree of autonomy" in all matters except foreign and defense affairs for the subsequent 50 years.
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How big is Hong Kong compared to Sierra Leone? See an in-depth size comparison.

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