Sierra Leone vs South Africa: Share of population that cannot afford a healthy diet
Sierra Leone
62.9%
in 2024
South Africa
61.7%
in 2024
Sierra Leone rank
26th
South Africa rank
29th
Share of population that cannot afford a healthy diet over time
- Sierra Leone
- South Africa
How they compare
Sierra Leone currently reports 62.9% against 61.7% in South Africa, a difference of 1.2%.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 8 shared years of data; in 2017 it was Sierra Leone ahead.
Sierra Leone ranks 26th and South Africa ranks 29th of 150 countries.
Across the 2 decades both report, Sierra Leone averaged higher in 1 and South Africa in 1.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Sierra Leone | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 59.9% | 60.4% | 0.5% | South Africa |
| 2020s | 61.8% | 61.5% | 0.3% | Sierra Leone |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of population that cannot afford a healthy diet, Sierra Leone or South Africa?
- Sierra Leone, at 62.9% against 61.7% in South Africa as of 2024.
- What is the difference in share of population that cannot afford a healthy diet between Sierra Leone and South Africa?
- 1.2%, with Sierra Leone ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Sierra Leone and South Africa?
- 8 years are reported by both, from 2017 to 2024.
- How do Sierra Leone and South Africa rank globally for share of population that cannot afford a healthy diet?
- Sierra Leone ranks 26th and South Africa ranks 29th of 150 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- FAO and World Bank (2025), using data and methods from Bai et al. (2024) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Share of population that cannot afford a healthy diet. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Percentage of the total population unable to afford a healthy diet. A diet is considered unaffordable when the diet cost plus expenditures for basic non-food needs exceed income per capita per day.