Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Sierra Leone fits inside Guinea 3.4 times.
Guinea: 245,860 km² (2023) · Sierra Leone: 72,300 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Sierra Leone’s coastline is 26% longer than Guinea’s.
Guinea: 320 km (2026 edition) · Sierra Leone: 402 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Sierra Leone’s highest peak towers 196 m above Guinea’s.
Guinea: 1,752 m (2026 edition) · Sierra Leone: 1,948 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Guinea has 71% more people than Sierra Leone.
Guinea: 15.1 million (2025) · Sierra Leone: 8.82 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Sierra Leone is 2 times as densely populated as Guinea.
Guinea: 61 per km² (2025) · Sierra Leone: 122 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Guinea are 4.3 cm taller than in Sierra Leone.
Guinea: 170.7 cm (2019) · Sierra Leone: 166.4 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Guinea are 1.4 cm taller than in Sierra Leone.
Guinea: 158.8 cm (2019) · Sierra Leone: 157.3 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Sierra Leone is 1.3 years older than in Guinea.
Guinea: 18 years (2023) · Sierra Leone: 19.3 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Guinea have 0.4 more children on average than in Sierra Leone.
Guinea: 4.13 children per woman (2024) · Sierra Leone: 3.7 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
Guinea and Sierra Leone are practically level.
Guinea: 3.5% (2025) · Sierra Leone: 3.3% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Guinea and Sierra Leone are practically level.
Guinea: 0 (2025) · Sierra Leone: 0 (2025)
How many official languages?
Guinea and Sierra Leone are practically level.
Guinea: 1 (2026) · Sierra Leone: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Guinea’s economy is 3.8 times the size of Sierra Leone’s.
Guinea: $28.3 billion (2025) · Sierra Leone: $7.46 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Guinea produces 33% more per person than Sierra Leone.
Guinea: Int$4,935 (2025) · Sierra Leone: Int$3,717 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Sierra Leone than in Guinea (Gini 6.1 points higher).
Guinea: 29.6 (2018) · Sierra Leone: 35.7 (2018)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 5.2% in Guinea, versus 3.1% in Sierra Leone.
Guinea: 5.2% (2025) · Sierra Leone: 3.2% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Guinea spends 2.1% of its GDP on the military, Sierra Leone 0.5%.
Guinea: 2.1% (2024) · Sierra Leone: 0.5% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Guinea’s price level (US = 100) is 1.7× Sierra Leone’s.
Guinea: 38% (2025) · Sierra Leone: 23% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Guinea spends 66% more on health per person than Sierra Leone.
Guinea: $59 (2023) · Sierra Leone: $36 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Sierra Leone live 1.1 years longer than in Guinea.
Guinea: 60.9 years (2024) · Sierra Leone: 62 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Guinea is 10% more likely to die before turning one than in Sierra Leone.
Guinea: 59.8 per 1,000 (2024) · Sierra Leone: 54.6 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Guinea has 57% more doctors per person than Sierra Leone.
Guinea: 0.2 per 1,000 (2022) · Sierra Leone: 0.1 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
9.4% of adults in Guinea are obese, versus 7.3% in Sierra Leone.
Guinea: 9.4% (2024) · Sierra Leone: 7.3% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
Guinea: no data · Sierra Leone: 11.3% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Guinea rate their lives 1.36 points higher than in Sierra Leone.
Guinea: 4.61 (2025) · Sierra Leone: 3.25 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Guinea drink 95% more alcohol than in Sierra Leone.
Guinea: 0.5 litres (2023) · Sierra Leone: 0.2 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Guinea has 40% more meat per person than Sierra Leone.
Guinea: 15.2 kg (2023) · Sierra Leone: 10.8 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Guinea has 510 kcal more food per person per day than Sierra Leone.
Guinea: 2,948 kcal (2023) · Sierra Leone: 2,437 kcal (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Sierra Leone went to school 1 year longer than in Guinea.
Guinea: 2.5 years (2023) · Sierra Leone: 3.5 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Sierra Leone welcomed 2% more tourists per resident than Guinea (2019).
Guinea: 0.01 (2017) · Sierra Leone: 0.01 (2019)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
33% of people in Guinea are online, versus 25% in Sierra Leone.
Guinea: 33% (2024) · Sierra Leone: 25% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
54% of people in Guinea have electricity, versus 39% in Sierra Leone.
Guinea: 53.8% (2024) · Sierra Leone: 39.2% (2024)
How many live in cities?
46% of people in Sierra Leone live in cities, versus 39% in Guinea.
Guinea: 39% (2025) · Sierra Leone: 46% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Sierra Leone has 108 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Guinea 98.
Guinea: 98 (2023) · Sierra Leone: 108 (2022)
How much railway is there?
Guinea: 1,086 km (2017) · Sierra Leone: no data
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 34% of Sierra Leone, but only 25% of Guinea.
Guinea: 24.7% (2023) · Sierra Leone: 34.3% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Guinea emits 64% more CO₂ than someone in Sierra Leone.
Guinea: 0.3 t (2024) · Sierra Leone: 0.2 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
95% of Sierra Leone’s electricity is renewable, versus 75% in Guinea.
Guinea: 75.2% (2024) · Sierra Leone: 95.2% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in Guinea carries 18% more fine dust than in Sierra Leone.
Guinea: 23.9 µg/m³ (2024) · Sierra Leone: 20.2 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
Guinea: no data · Sierra Leone: 2.2 per 100k (2020)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Guinea are 2.7 times as deadly as in Sierra Leone.
Guinea: 37.4 per 100k (2021) · Sierra Leone: 13.8 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Guinea and Sierra Leone are practically level.
Guinea: 26.5°C (2016–2025 avg) · Sierra Leone: 26.3°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Sierra Leone gets 58% more rain than Guinea.
Guinea: 1,724 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Sierra Leone: 2,721 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Guinea bigger than Sierra Leone?
Guinea is larger. Sierra Leone fits inside Guinea 3.4 times.
Which has more people, Guinea or Sierra Leone?
Guinea has 71% more people than Sierra Leone (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Guinea or Sierra Leone?
People in Sierra Leone live 1.1 years longer than in Guinea. Life expectancy at birth is 60.9 years in Guinea and 62.0 in Sierra Leone.
Are people taller in Guinea or Sierra Leone?
Men in Guinea are 4.3 cm taller than in Sierra Leone (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
