Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 7.5 years longer

In Sierra Leone, the average life expectancy is 59 years (57 years for men, 60 years for women) as of 2022. In Zambia, that number is 66 years (65 years for men, 68 years for women) as of 2022.

be 7.4 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 Zambia, that number is 11.1% of people as of 2020.

Economy

make 2.2 times more money

Sierra Leone has a GDP per capita of $1,700 as of 2023, while in Zambia, the GDP per capita is $3,700 as of 2023.

be 86.4% more likely to be unemployed

In Sierra Leone, 3.2% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Zambia, that number is 5.9% as of 2023.

pay a 16.7% higher top tax rate

Sierra Leone has a top tax rate of 30.0% as of 2014. In Zambia, the top tax rate is 35.0% as of 2016.

Life

be 69.5% less likely to die during childbirth

In Sierra Leone, approximately 443.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Zambia, 135.0 women do as of 2020.

be 78.4% more likely to be literate

In Sierra Leone, the literacy rate is 48.6% as of 2022. In Zambia, it is 86.7% as of 2018.

be 49.5% 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 Zambia, on the other hand, 37.1 children do as of 2022.

have 10.7% more children

In Sierra Leone, there are approximately 30.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Zambia, there are 34.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

Basic Needs

be 62.6% 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 Zambia, that number is 48% of people on average (86% in urban areas, and 14% in rural areas) as of 2022.

be 65.4% more likely to have internet access

In Sierra Leone, approximately 12.7% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In Zambia, about 21.0% do as of 2021.

Expenditures

spend 59.3% less on education

Sierra Leone spends 9.1% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Zambia spends 3.7% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 36.4% less on healthcare

Sierra Leone spends 8.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Zambia, that number is 5.6% of GDP as of 2020.

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

Zambia: At a glance

Zambia is a sovereign country in Africa, with a total land area of approximately 743,398 sq km. The territory of Northern Rhodesia was administered by the [British] South Africa Company from 1891 until it was taken over by the UK in 1923. During the 1920s and 1930s, advances in mining spurred development and immigration. The name was changed to Zambia upon independence in 1964. In the 1980s and 1990s, declining copper prices, economic mismanagement and a prolonged drought hurt the economy. Elections in 1991 brought an end to one-party rule, but the subsequent vote in 1996 saw blatant harassment of opposition parties. The election in 2001 was marked by administrative problems with three parties filing a legal petition challenging the election of ruling party candidate Levy MWANAWASA. MWANAWASA was reelected in 2006 in an election that was deemed free and fair. Upon his abrupt death in August 2008, he was succeeded by his vice president, Rupiah BANDA, who subsequently won a special presidential by-election in October 2008. Michael SATA was elected president in September 2011.
Read more

How big is Zambia 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 Zambia.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.