Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Mali 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 Mali, that number is 0.9% of people as of 2020.

live 3.6 years longer

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

Economy

make 47.1% more money

Sierra Leone has a GDP per capita of $1,700 as of 2023, while in Mali, the GDP per capita is $2,500 as of 2023.

be 21.5% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Sierra Leone, 56.8% live below the poverty line as of 2018. In Mali, however, that number is 44.6% as of 2021.

Life

be 17.4% 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 Mali, on the other hand, 60.6 children do as of 2022.

have 33.3% more children

In Sierra Leone, there are approximately 30.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Mali, there are 41.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022.

be 27.0% less likely to be literate

In Sierra Leone, the literacy rate is 48.6% as of 2022. In Mali, it is 35.5% as of 2018.

Basic Needs

be 80.3% more 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 Mali, that number is 53% of people on average (97% in urban areas, and 18% in rural areas) as of 2022.

be 2.7 times more likely to have internet access

In Sierra Leone, approximately 12.7% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In Mali, about 34.0% do as of 2021.

be 18.7% 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 Mali, that number is 86% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 76% in rural areas) as of 2020.

Expenditures

spend 51.6% less on education

Sierra Leone spends 9.1% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Mali spends 4.4% of total GDP on education as of 2021.

spend 51.1% less on healthcare

Sierra Leone spends 8.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Mali, that number is 4.3% of GDP as of 2020.

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

Mali: At a glance

Mali is a sovereign country in Africa, with a total land area of approximately 1,220,190 sq km. The Sudanese Republic and Senegal became independent of France in 1960 as the Mali Federation. When Senegal withdrew after only a few months, what formerly made up the Sudanese Republic was renamed Mali. Rule by dictatorship was brought to a close in 1991 by a military coup that ushered in a period of democratic rule. President Alpha KONARE won Mali's first two democratic presidential elections in 1992 and 1997. In keeping with Mali's two-term constitutional limit, he stepped down in 2002 and was succeeded by Amadou Toumani TOURE, who was elected to a second term in 2007 elections that were widely judged to be free and fair. Malian returnees from Libya in 2011 exacerbated tensions in northern Mali, and Tuareg ethnic militias started a rebellion in January 2012. Low- and mid-level soldiers, frustrated with the poor handling of the rebellion overthrew TOURE on 22 March. Intensive mediation efforts led by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) returned power to a civilian administration in April with the appointment of interim President Dioncounda TRAORE. The post-coup chaos led to rebels expelling the Malian military from the three northern regions of the country and allowed Islamic militants to set up strongholds. Hundreds of thousands of northern Malians fled the violence to southern Mali and neighboring countries, exacerbating regional food insecurity in host communities. An international military intervention to retake the three northern regions began in January 2013 and within a month most of the north had been retaken. In a democratic presidential election conducted in July and August of 2013, Ibrahim Boubacar KEITA was elected president in the second round.
Read more

How big is Mali compared to Sierra Leone? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Mali.or Sierra Leone It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.