Guinea vs Sierra Leone
Guinea vs Sierra Leone: Adult literacy
Adult literacy: 39.6% in Guinea in 2018 and 43.6% in Sierra Leone in 2019, by UNESCO estimates. In 2018 the value was higher in Sierra Leone, by 9.2 percentage points, or 1.23 times that in Guinea.
% of adults · UNESCO
What the numbers say
- Sierra Leone has been higher in every year both have figures for since 2014.
- The world as a whole: 86.8% in 2018.
Every year
% of adults · UNESCO
| Year | Guinea | Sierra Leone | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | – | – | 87.7 |
| 2023 | – | – | 87.6 |
| 2022 | – | – | 87.4 |
| 2021 | – | – | 87.2 |
| 2020 | – | – | 87 |
| 2019 | – | 43.6 | 86.8 |
| 2018 | 39.6 | 48.8 | 86.8 |
| 2017 | – | 44.8 | 86.5 |
| 2016 | – | – | 86.3 |
| 2015 | – | 49.4 | 86 |
| 2014 | 32 | 44.4 | 85.6 |
| 2013 | – | – | 85.2 |
| 2012 | – | – | 84.9 |
| 2011 | – | – | 84.7 |
| 2010 | 25.3 | – | 84.4 |
| 2009 | – | – | 83.8 |
| 2008 | – | – | 83.5 |
| 2007 | – | – | 83.1 |
| 2006 | – | – | 82.5 |
| 2005 | – | – | 82.6 |
| 2004 | – | 34.8 | 82.6 |
| 2003 | 29.7 | – | 82.2 |
| 2002 | – | – | 81.7 |
| 2001 | – | – | 81.4 |
| 2000 | – | – | 81.1 |
| 1999 | – | – | 80.9 |
| 1998 | – | – | 80.5 |
| 1997 | – | – | 79.3 |
| 1996 | 20.6 | – | 77.3 |
| 1995 | – | – | 76.9 |
| 1994 | – | – | 76.4 |
| 1993 | – | – | 76 |
| 1992 | – | – | 75.5 |
| 1991 | – | – | 75.1 |
| 1990 | – | – | 74.6 |
| 1989 | – | – | 74.1 |
| 1988 | – | – | 73.6 |
| 1987 | – | – | 71.9 |
| 1986 | – | – | 71.3 |
| 1985 | – | – | 70.7 |
| 1984 | – | – | 70.2 |
| 1983 | – | – | 69.5 |
| 1982 | – | – | 68.9 |
| 1981 | – | – | 68.4 |
| 1980 | – | – | 67.8 |
| 1979 | – | – | 67.2 |
| 1978 | – | – | 66.5 |
| 1977 | – | – | 65.9 |
| 1976 | – | – | 65.6 |
| 1975 | – | – | 65.4 |
Each country on its own
Good to know
- The share of people aged 15 and over who can read and write a short, simple statement about their everyday life.
- Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics, via the World Bank.
- The faint line is the world as a whole, as the same source counts it.
How the layers work, where their data comes from and what they can’t tell you: Countries through time
Guinea vs Sierra Leone
Health
- Life expectancyGuinea: 60.7 years in 2023Sierra Leone: 61.8 years in 2023
- Child mortalityGuinea: 9.2 per 100 live births in 2024Sierra Leone: 9.1 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalityGuinea: 65.4 per 1,000 live births in 2023Sierra Leone: 71.6 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- DepressionGuinea: 3.56% in 2017Sierra Leone: 3.58% in 2017
- Suicide rateGuinea: 11.1 per 100,000 people in 2017Sierra Leone: 9.9 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationGuinea: 14.4 million people in 2023Sierra Leone: 8.46 million people in 2023
- Population growthGuinea: 2.45% a year in 2023Sierra Leone: 2.18% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateGuinea: 4.22 births per woman in 2023Sierra Leone: 3.79 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationGuinea: 38.5% in 2025Sierra Leone: 45.9% in 2025
- Median ageGuinea: 18 years in 2023Sierra Leone: 19.3 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overGuinea: 3.4% in 2023Sierra Leone: 3.2% in 2023
- Net migration rateGuinea: -0.3 per 1,000 people in 2023Sierra Leone: -0.5 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spendingGuinea: 2.03% of GDP in 2025Sierra Leone: 0.37% of GDP in 2025
- Military spending in US dollarsGuinea: $586M in 2025Sierra Leone: $29.5M in 2025
- Military spending per personGuinea: $40 in 2025Sierra Leone: $4 in 2025
- Military share of state spendingGuinea: 10.6% of government spending in 2025Sierra Leone: 2.5% of government spending in 2025
- Armed forces personnelGuinea: 13,000 people in 2020Sierra Leone: 9,000 people in 2020
- National powerGuinea: 0.07% of world capability in 2022Sierra Leone: 0.04% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersGuinea: 0.32% of the labour force in 2020Sierra Leone: 0.35% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsGuinea: 6 million TIV in 2025Sierra Leone: 2 million TIV in 2016