Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

be 80.0% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Sierra Leone, 1.5% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2020. In Senegal, that number is 0.3% of people as of 2020.

live 11.2 years longer

In Sierra Leone, the average life expectancy is 59 years (57 years for men, 60 years for women) as of 2022. In Senegal, that number is 70 years (68 years for men, 72 years for women) as of 2022.

Economy

make 2.6 times more money

Sierra Leone has a GDP per capita of $1,700 as of 2023, while in Senegal, the GDP per capita is $4,400 as of 2023.

be 17.8% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Sierra Leone, 56.8% live below the poverty line as of 2018. In Senegal, however, that number is 46.7% as of 2011.

pay a 33.3% higher top tax rate

Sierra Leone has a top tax rate of 30.0% as of 2014. In Senegal, the top tax rate is 40.0% as of 2016.

Life

be 41.1% less likely to die during childbirth

In Sierra Leone, approximately 443.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Senegal, 261.0 women do as of 2020.

be 15.8% more likely to be literate

In Sierra Leone, the literacy rate is 48.6% as of 2022. In Senegal, it is 56.3% as of 2021.

be 55.8% 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 Senegal, on the other hand, 32.4 children do as of 2022.

Basic Needs

be 2.3 times 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 Senegal, that number is 68% of people on average (94% in urban areas, and 43% in rural areas) as of 2022.

be 4.6 times more likely to have internet access

In Sierra Leone, approximately 12.7% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In Senegal, about 58.0% do as of 2021.

be 19.9% 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 Senegal, that number is 87% of people on average (96% in urban areas, and 79% in rural areas) as of 2020.

Expenditures

spend 39.6% less on education

Sierra Leone spends 9.1% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Senegal spends 5.5% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 40.9% less on healthcare

Sierra Leone spends 8.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Senegal, that number is 5.2% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 32.1% more coastline

Sierra Leone has a total of 402 km of coastline. In Senegal, that number is 531 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Direction Generale des Impots et des Domaines, National Revenue Authority.

Senegal: At a glance

Senegal is a sovereign country in Africa, with a total land area of approximately 192,530 sq km. The French colonies of Senegal and the French Sudan were merged in 1959 and granted their independence as the Mali Federation in 1960. The union broke up after only a few months. Senegal joined with The Gambia to form the nominal confederation of Senegambia in 1982. The envisaged integration of the two countries was never carried out, and the union was dissolved in 1989. The Movement of Democratic Forces in the Casamance (MFDC) has led a low-level separatist insurgency in southern Senegal since the 1980s, and several peace deals have failed to resolve the conflict. Nevertheless, Senegal remains one of the most stable democracies in Africa and has a long history of participating in international peacekeeping and regional mediation. Senegal was ruled by a Socialist Party for 40 years until Abdoulaye WADE was elected president in 2000. He was reelected in 2007 and during his two terms amended Senegal's constitution over a dozen times to increase executive power and to weaken the opposition. His decision to run for a third presidential term sparked a large public backlash that led to his defeat in a March 2012 runoff election with Macky SALL.
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How big is Senegal compared to Sierra Leone? See an in-depth size comparison.

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