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

Health

live 10.2 years longer

In Sierra Leone, the average life expectancy is 59 years (57 years for men, 60 years for women) as of 2022. In Uganda, that number is 69 years (67 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2022.

be 39.1% less likely to be obese

In Sierra Leone, 8.7% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Uganda, that number is 5.3% of people as of 2016.

be 3.6 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Sierra Leone, 1.5% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2020. In Uganda, that number is 5.4% of people as of 2020.

Economy

make 43.8% more money

Sierra Leone has a GDP per capita of $1,600 as of 2022, while in Uganda, the GDP per capita is $2,300 as of 2022.

be 10.1% less likely to be unemployed

In Sierra Leone, 3.3% of adults are unemployed as of 2022. In Uganda, that number is 2.9% as of 2022.

be 64.3% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Sierra Leone, 56.8% live below the poverty line as of 2018. In Uganda, however, that number is 20.3% as of 2019.

pay a 33.3% higher top tax rate

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

Life

be 35.9% less likely to die during childbirth

In Sierra Leone, approximately 443.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Uganda, 284.0 women do as of 2020.

be 62.6% more likely to be literate

In Sierra Leone, the literacy rate is 48.6% as of 2022. In Uganda, it is 79.0% as of 2021.

be 58.5% 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 Uganda, on the other hand, 30.4 children do as of 2022.

have 28.6% more children

In Sierra Leone, there are approximately 30.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Uganda, there are 39.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

Basic Needs

be 65.0% 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 Uganda, that number is 45% of people on average (72% in urban areas, and 36% in rural areas) as of 2021.

be 14.1% 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 Uganda, that number is 83% of people on average (92% in urban areas, and 80% in rural areas) as of 2020.

be 21.3% less likely to have internet access

In Sierra Leone, approximately 12.7% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In Uganda, about 10.0% do as of 2021.

Expenditures

spend 70.3% less on education

Sierra Leone spends 9.1% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Uganda spends 2.7% of total GDP on education as of 2021.

spend 54.5% less on healthcare

Sierra Leone spends 8.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Uganda, that number is 4.0% of GDP as of 2020.


The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, National Revenue Authority, Uganda Revenue Authority.

Uganda: At a glance

Uganda is a sovereign country in Africa, with a total land area of approximately 197,100 sq km. The colonial boundaries created by Britain to delimit Uganda grouped together a wide range of ethnic groups with different political systems and cultures. These differences prevented the establishment of a working political community after independence was achieved in 1962. The dictatorial regime of Idi AMIN (1971-79) was responsible for the deaths of some 300,000 opponents; guerrilla war and human rights abuses under Milton OBOTE (1980-85) claimed at least another 100,000 lives. The rule of Yoweri MUSEVENI since 1986 has brought relative stability and economic growth to Uganda. A constitutional referendum in 2005 cancelled a 19-year ban on multi-party politics.
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How big is Uganda compared to Sierra Leone? See an in-depth size comparison.

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