World median is the middle country on each statistic: half of all countries with data are above it, half below. It is not an average, so it is never pulled up or down by giants or microstates.
Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
The median country is 54% bigger than Sierra Leone.
Sierra Leone: 72,300 km² (2023) · World median: 111,370 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
The median country’s coastline is 9% longer than Sierra Leone’s.
Sierra Leone: 402 km (2026 edition) · World median: 440 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
The median country’s highest peak towers 387 m above Sierra Leone’s.
Sierra Leone: 1,948 m (2026 edition) · World median: 2,335 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Sierra Leone has 19% more people than the median country.
Sierra Leone: 8.82 million (2025) · World median: 7.4 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Sierra Leone is 24% more densely populated than the median country.
Sierra Leone: 122 per km² (2025) · World median: 98 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in the median country are 7.1 cm taller than in Sierra Leone.
Sierra Leone: 166.4 cm (2019) · World median: 173.5 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in the median country are 3.2 cm taller than in Sierra Leone.
Sierra Leone: 157.3 cm (2019) · World median: 160.6 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in the median country is 12 years older than in Sierra Leone.
Sierra Leone: 19.3 years (2023) · World median: 31.1 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Sierra Leone have 1.8 more children on average than in the median country.
Sierra Leone: 3.7 children per woman (2024) · World median: 1.9 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
8.6% of people in the median country are 65 or older, versus 3.3% in Sierra Leone.
Sierra Leone: 3.3% (2025) · World median: 8.6% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Sierra Leone and the median country are practically level.
Sierra Leone: 0 (2025) · World median: 0 (2025)
How many official languages?
Sierra Leone and the median country are practically level.
Sierra Leone: 1 (2026) · World median: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
The median country’s economy is 6.1 times the size of Sierra Leone’s.
Sierra Leone: $7.46 billion (2025) · World median: $45.5 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
The median country produces 5.7 times as much per person as Sierra Leone.
Sierra Leone: Int$3,717 (2025) · World median: Int$21,072 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Sierra Leone than in the median country (Gini 1.3 points higher).
Sierra Leone: 35.7 (2018) · World median: 34.4 (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 5.1% in the median country, versus 3.1% in Sierra Leone.
Sierra Leone: 3.2% (2025) · World median: 5.1% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
The median country spends 1.7% of its GDP on the military, Sierra Leone 0.5%.
Sierra Leone: 0.5% (2024) · World median: 1.7% (2024)
How expensive is it?
The median country’s price level (US = 100) is 2× Sierra Leone’s.
Sierra Leone: 23% (2025) · World median: 45% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
The median country spends 13 times as much on health per person as Sierra Leone.
Sierra Leone: $36 (2023) · World median: $470 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in the median country live 13 years longer than in Sierra Leone.
Sierra Leone: 62 years (2024) · World median: 74.6 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Sierra Leone is 4.3 times as likely to die before turning one as in the median country.
Sierra Leone: 54.6 per 1,000 (2024) · World median: 12.7 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
The median country has 13 times as many doctors per person as Sierra Leone.
Sierra Leone: 0.1 per 1,000 (2022) · World median: 1.7 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
24% of adults in the median country are obese, versus 7.3% in Sierra Leone.
Sierra Leone: 7.3% (2024) · World median: 24% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
19% of adults in the median country smoke, versus 11% in Sierra Leone.
Sierra Leone: 11.3% (2024) · World median: 19% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in the median country rate their lives 2.58 points higher than in Sierra Leone.
Sierra Leone: 3.25 (2025) · World median: 5.83 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in the median country drink 18 times as much alcohol as in Sierra Leone.
Sierra Leone: 0.2 litres (2023) · World median: 4.3 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
The median country has 5.2 times as much meat per person as Sierra Leone.
Sierra Leone: 10.8 kg (2023) · World median: 56.2 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
The median country has 500 kcal more food per person per day than Sierra Leone.
Sierra Leone: 2,437 kcal (2023) · World median: 2,938 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Sierra Leone: no data · World median: 1,974 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in the median country went to school 6.4 years longer than in Sierra Leone.
Sierra Leone: 3.5 years (2023) · World median: 9.9 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
The median country welcomed 42 times as many tourists per resident as Sierra Leone (2019).
Sierra Leone: 0.01 (2019) · World median: 0.34 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
82% of people in the median country are online, versus 25% in Sierra Leone.
Sierra Leone: 25% (2024) · World median: 82% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in the median country have electricity, versus 39% in Sierra Leone.
Sierra Leone: 39.2% (2024) · World median: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
64% of people in the median country live in cities, versus 46% in Sierra Leone.
Sierra Leone: 46% (2025) · World median: 64% (2025)
How many phones per person?
The median country has 115 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Sierra Leone 108.
Sierra Leone: 108 (2022) · World median: 115 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Sierra Leone: no data · World median: 2,141 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Sierra Leone: no data · World median: 0.24 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 34% of Sierra Leone, but only 31% of the median country.
Sierra Leone: 34.3% (2023) · World median: 31.2% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in the median country emits 18 times as much CO₂ as someone in Sierra Leone.
Sierra Leone: 0.2 t (2024) · World median: 3 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
95% of Sierra Leone’s electricity is renewable, versus 31% in the median country.
Sierra Leone: 95.2% (2024) · World median: 30.8% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in Sierra Leone carries 22% more fine dust than in the median country.
Sierra Leone: 20.2 µg/m³ (2024) · World median: 16.6 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 2% more likely to be murdered in the median country than in Sierra Leone.
Sierra Leone: 2.2 per 100k (2020) · World median: 2.3 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Sierra Leone are 12% deadlier than in the median country.
Sierra Leone: 13.8 per 100k (2021) · World median: 12.3 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Sierra Leone is on average 3.4 °C warmer than the median country.
Sierra Leone: 26.3°C (2016–2025 avg) · World median: 23°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Sierra Leone gets 2.7 times as much rain as the median country.
Sierra Leone: 2,721 mm (2016–2025 avg) · World median: 1,014 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Sierra Leone bigger than the median country?
The median country is larger. The median country is 54% bigger than Sierra Leone.
Which has more people, Sierra Leone or the median country?
Sierra Leone has 19% more people than the median country (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Sierra Leone or the median country?
People in the median country live 13 years longer than in Sierra Leone. Life expectancy at birth is 62.0 years in Sierra Leone and 74.6 in the median country.
Are people taller in Sierra Leone or the median country?
Men in the median country are 7.1 cm taller than in Sierra Leone (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
