Rwanda vs Sierra Leone

Rwanda and Sierra Leone compared on 10 key figures from official sources. Each value is the latest one published for that country, so the year is shown with it.

• Rwanda has about 1.7 times as many people as Sierra Leone: 14.6 million against 8.8 million in 2025.
• GDP per person in Rwanda ($1,124) is 33% higher than in Sierra Leone ($846) in 2025.
• The economy grew faster in Rwanda (9.4%) than in Sierra Leone (4.6%), a difference of 4.8 percentage points in 2025.
• Consumer prices rose faster in Sierra Leone (7.5%) than in Rwanda (5.9%), a difference of 1.6 percentage points in 2025.
• The unemployment rate was higher in Rwanda (11.4%) than in Sierra Leone (3.2%), a difference of 8.2 percentage points in 2025.
• A baby born in Rwanda can expect to live 6 years longer than one born in Sierra Leone: 68 years against 62 years in 2024.
• Half of the population is older than about 19.4 years in both Rwanda and Sierra Leone in 2023.
• A larger share of people used the internet in Rwanda (31.7%) than in Sierra Leone (25.1%), a difference of 6.6 percentage points in 2024.
• CO2 emissions per person in Sierra Leone (0.17 tonnes) are 6% higher than in Rwanda (0.16 tonnes) in 2024.
• Forest covers a larger share of the land in Sierra Leone (34%) than in Rwanda (26.1%), a difference of 7.9 percentage points in 2024.