Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Liberia is 54% bigger than Sierra Leone
Liberia: 111,370 km² (2024) · Sierra Leone: 72,300 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Liberia’s coastline is 44% longer than Sierra Leone’s
Liberia: 579 km (2026 edition) · Sierra Leone: 402 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Sierra Leone’s highest peak towers 501 m above Liberia’s
Liberia: 1,447 m (2026 edition) · Sierra Leone: 1,948 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 55% of Sierra Leone, versus 20% of Liberia
Liberia: 20.1% (2024) · Sierra Leone: 55.2% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Sierra Leone has 54% more people than Liberia
Liberia: 5.73 million (2025) · Sierra Leone: 8.82 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Sierra Leone is 2.1 times as densely populated as Liberia
Liberia: 60 per km² (2025) · Sierra Leone: 122 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Sierra Leone are 1.0 cm taller than in Liberia
Liberia: 165.5 cm (2019) · Sierra Leone: 166.4 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Sierra Leone are 0.8 cm taller than in Liberia
Liberia: 156.5 cm (2019) · Sierra Leone: 157.3 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Sierra Leone is 0.91 years older than in Liberia
Liberia: 18.4 years (2023) · Sierra Leone: 19.3 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Liberia have 0.2 more children on average than in Sierra Leone
Liberia: 3.86 children per woman (2024) · Sierra Leone: 3.7 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
Liberia and Sierra Leone are practically level
Liberia: 3.3% (2025) · Sierra Leone: 3.3% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Liberia: 0.2 per 1,000 (2025) · Sierra Leone: 0 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Liberia has produced 3.5 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Sierra Leone none
Liberia: 3.5 (2026) · Sierra Leone: 0 (2026)
How many official languages?
Liberia and Sierra Leone are practically level
Liberia: 1 (2026) · Sierra Leone: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Sierra Leone’s economy is 42% larger than Liberia’s
Liberia: $5.25 billion (2025) · Sierra Leone: $7.46 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Sierra Leone produces 88% more per person than Liberia
Liberia: Int$1,981 (2025) · Sierra Leone: Int$3,717 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Sierra Leone than in Liberia (Gini 0.4 points higher)
Liberia: 35.3 (2016) · Sierra Leone: 35.7 (2018)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
Liberia: no data · Sierra Leone: 41.5% (2018)
How many people are looking for work?
Sierra Leone and Liberia are practically level
Liberia: 2.9% (2025) · Sierra Leone: 3.2% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Liberia and Sierra Leone are practically level
Liberia: 0.9% (2025) · Sierra Leone: 0.4% (2025)
How expensive is it?
Liberia’s price level (US = 100) is 2× Sierra Leone’s
Liberia: 46% (2025) · Sierra Leone: 23% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Liberia spends 2.9 times as much on health per person as Sierra Leone
Liberia: $104 (2023) · Sierra Leone: $36 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Liberia live 0.36 years longer than in Sierra Leone
Liberia: 62.3 years (2024) · Sierra Leone: 62 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Liberia is 16% more likely to die before turning one than in Sierra Leone
Liberia: 63.2 per 1,000 (2024) · Sierra Leone: 54.6 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Liberia has 33% more doctors per person than Sierra Leone
Liberia: 0.2 per 1,000 (2022) · Sierra Leone: 0.1 per 1,000 (2022)
How many hospital beds are there?
Liberia: 1.6 per 1,000 (2021) · Sierra Leone: no data
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Sierra Leone is 16% higher than in Liberia
Liberia: 12.9 per 100k (2023) · Sierra Leone: 14.9 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
17% of adults in Liberia are obese, versus 7.3% in Sierra Leone
Liberia: 16.7% (2024) · Sierra Leone: 7.3% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
11% of adults in Sierra Leone smoke, versus 5.2% in Liberia
Liberia: 5.2% (2024) · Sierra Leone: 11.3% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Liberia rate their lives 1.03 points higher than in Sierra Leone
Liberia: 4.28 (2025) · Sierra Leone: 3.25 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Liberia drink 6.9 times as much alcohol as in Sierra Leone
Liberia: 1.7 litres (2023) · Sierra Leone: 0.2 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Liberia has 14% more meat per person than Sierra Leone
Liberia: 12.3 kg (2023) · Sierra Leone: 10.8 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Sierra Leone has 302 kcal more food per person per day than Liberia
Liberia: 2,135 kcal (2023) · Sierra Leone: 2,437 kcal (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Liberia went to school 2.6 years longer than in Sierra Leone
Liberia: 6.2 years (2023) · Sierra Leone: 3.5 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Liberia: no data · Sierra Leone: 0.01 (2019)
How many World Heritage sites?
Sierra Leone has 1 more World Heritage site than Liberia (1 against 0)
Liberia: 0 (2026) · Sierra Leone: 1 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Liberia and Sierra Leone are practically level
Liberia: 0 (2026 edition) · Sierra Leone: 0 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
32% of people in Liberia are online, versus 25% in Sierra Leone
Liberia: 32% (2024) · Sierra Leone: 25% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in Liberia is 23% faster than in Sierra Leone
Liberia: 65 Mbps (2026) · Sierra Leone: 53 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
39% of people in Sierra Leone have electricity, versus 35% in Liberia
Liberia: 34.9% (2024) · Sierra Leone: 39.2% (2024)
How many live in cities?
56% of people in Liberia live in cities, versus 46% in Sierra Leone
Liberia: 56% (2025) · Sierra Leone: 46% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Sierra Leone has 108 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Liberia 32
Liberia: 32 (2022) · Sierra Leone: 108 (2022)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 66% of Liberia, but only 34% of Sierra Leone
Liberia: 66.1% (2024) · Sierra Leone: 34% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Sierra Leone emits 8% more CO₂ than someone in Liberia
Liberia: 0.2 t (2024) · Sierra Leone: 0.2 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
95% of Sierra Leone’s electricity is renewable, versus 54% in Liberia
Liberia: 54.4% (2024) · Sierra Leone: 95.2% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in Sierra Leone carries 17% more fine dust than in Liberia
Liberia: 17.2 µg/m³ (2024) · Sierra Leone: 20.2 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
Liberia: no data · Sierra Leone: 2.2 per 100k (2020)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Sierra Leone are 21% deadlier than in Liberia
Liberia: 21.8 per 100k (2023) · Sierra Leone: 26.4 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Sierra Leone is on average 0.6 °C warmer than Liberia
Liberia: 25.7°C (2016–2025 avg) · Sierra Leone: 26.3°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Sierra Leone gets 13% more rain than Liberia
Liberia: 2,410 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Sierra Leone: 2,721 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
Quick answers
Is Liberia bigger than Sierra Leone?
Liberia is larger. Liberia is 54% bigger than Sierra Leone.
Which has more people, Liberia or Sierra Leone?
Sierra Leone has 54% more people than Liberia (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Liberia or Sierra Leone?
People in Liberia live 0.36 years longer than in Sierra Leone. Life expectancy at birth is 62.3 years in Liberia and 62.0 in Sierra Leone.
Are people taller in Liberia or Sierra Leone?
Men in Sierra Leone are 1.0 cm taller than in Liberia (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
