Ireland vs Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone and Ireland are almost exactly the same size.
IrelandSierra LeoneIreland moved onto Sierra Leone · Equal-area projection
0.97×
Ireland is 0.97× the area of Sierra Leone. Put the other way, Sierra Leone is 1.03× the size of Ireland.
 Ireland |  Sierra Leone | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaAbout the same area | 69,797 km²#118 of 194 | 71,740 km²#117 of 194 |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Has a coast |
| Land neighbours | 1 | 2 |
| People | ||
| PopulationSierra Leone: 1.61× the population | 5,484,367#121 of 194 · 2025 | 8,819,794#101 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensitySierra Leone: 1.56× the density | 79 / km²#106 of 194 | 123 / km²#72 of 194 |
| Urban populationIreland: 1.41× the urban share | 65%#90 of 192 · 2025 | 46%#135 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateSierra Leone: 2.52× the births per woman | 1.47 per woman#141 of 192 · 2024 | 3.70 per woman#35 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthSierra Leone: 0.41 points higher | +1.63%#62 of 192 · 2025 | +2.04%#46 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateSierra Leone: 3.01× the birth rate | 10.0 per 1,000#140 of 192 · 2024 | 30.1 per 1,000#29 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateSierra Leone: 1.26× the death rate | 6.5 per 1,000#122 of 192 · 2024 | 8.2 per 1,000#68 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Sierra Leone: 19.6 points higher | 18.1%#127 of 192 · 2025 | 37.7%#35 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Ireland: 12.9 points higher | 16.2%#50 of 192 · 2025 | 3.3%#158 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationIreland: 7.8 per 1,000 higher | +6.5 per 1,000#14 of 192 · 2025 | −1.3 per 1,000#124 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadSierra Leone: 101× the refugees for its size | 0.01 per 1,000#155 of 190 · 2025 | 1.01 per 1,000#59 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyIreland: 21.0 years longer | 83.0 years#18 of 192 · 2024 | 62.0 years#181 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalitySierra Leone: 16.1× the infant mortality | 3.4 per 1,000 births#159 of 191 · 2024 | 54.6 per 1,000 births#12 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsIreland: 29.8× the doctors per person | 3.88 per 1,000#34 of 178 · 2023 | 0.13 per 1,000#164 of 178 · 2022 |
| University enrolment | 77.6%#30 of 145 · 2022 | — |
| Human Development IndexIreland: 0.482 higher | 0.949#10 of 190 · 2023 | 0.467#182 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaIreland: 105× the income per person | $87,360#6 of 185 · 2025 | $830#174 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPIreland: 96.7× the economy | $721.7B2025 | $7.46B2025 |
| Income group | High income | Low income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Ireland: 41.7× the output per person | $155,089#3 of 184 · 2025 | $3,717#163 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthIreland: 7.7 points higher | +12.3%#3 of 187 · 2025 | +4.6%#51 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationSierra Leone: 5.3 points higher | +2.2%#113 of 176 · 2025 | +7.5%#32 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentIreland: 1.44× the unemployment | 4.6%#102 of 178 · 2025 | 3.2%#133 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme povertySierra Leone: 415× the share in extreme poverty | 0.1%#126 of 149 · 2023 | 41.5%#18 of 149 · 2018 |
| Income inequality (Gini)Sierra Leone: 6.7 higher | 29.0#128 of 149 · 2023 | 35.7#66 of 149 · 2018 |
| Jobs in agricultureSierra Leone: 40.6 points higher | 3.9% of jobs#139 of 178 · 2025 | 44.5% of jobs#31 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryIreland: 6.7 points higher | 18.2% of jobs#102 of 178 · 2025 | 11.5% of jobs#151 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesIreland: 33.9 points higher | 77.9% of jobs#23 of 178 · 2025 | 44.0% of jobs#140 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentIreland: 8.0 points higher | 10.4% of GDP#16 of 184 · 2025 | 2.4% of GDP#78 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsIreland: 119.2 points higher | 140.1% of GDP#4 of 168 · 2025 | 20.9% of GDP#133 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spendingSierra Leone: 1.68× the military spending | 0.2% of GDP#150 of 155 · 2025 | 0.4% of GDP#148 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersIreland: 3.87× the share online | 97%#16 of 184 · 2024 | 25%#170 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsIreland: 1.05× the mobile subscriptions | 113 per 100#102 of 191 · 2024 | 108 per 100#114 of 191 · 2022 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaSierra Leone: 2.83× the forest share | 12% of land#145 of 192 · 2024 | 34% of land#90 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personIreland: 35.5× the CO₂ per person | 6.04 t a year#38 of 185 · 2024 | 0.17 t a year#170 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energySierra Leone: 58.9 points higher | 12.7%#128 of 190 · 2021 | 71.6%#25 of 190 · 2022 |
| Access to electricityIreland: 60.8 points higher | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 | 39.2%#182 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Sierra Leone: 3.0× the air pollution | 7.5 µg/m³#170 of 191 · 2023 | 22.5 µg/m³#69 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landIreland: 1.6 points higher | 14.2% of land#121 of 191 · 2025 | 12.6% of land#134 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landSierra Leone: 15.6 points higher | 6.3% of land#120 of 190 · 2024 | 21.9% of land#48 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressIreland: 16.2× the water stress | 8.1%#97 of 176 · 2022 | 0.5%#165 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationSierra Leone: 2.26× the rain and snow | 1,118 mm#83 of 180 · 2022 | 2,526 mm#13 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityIreland: 1.14 higher | +0.75#53 of 193 · 2025 | −0.39#131 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionIreland: 2.29 higher | +1.51#18 of 193 · 2025 | −0.78#140 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rateSierra Leone: 3.14× the homicide rate | 0.7 per 100,000#123 of 146 · 2023 | 2.2 per 100,000#74 of 146 · 2020 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Parliamentary republic | Presidential republic |
| Member of | EU, Euro area, OECD | — |
| Capital | Dublin | Freetown |
| Currency | Euro (EUR) | Leone (SLE) |
| Official languages | English, Irish | English, Krio |
| Traffic drives | On the left | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC, summer time UTC+1 | UTC |
| Calling code | +353 | +232 |
| Region | Northern Europe, Europe | Western Africa, Africa |
Area: Wikidata. Population, income, health, economy, environment and governance: World Bank. Human Development Index: UNDP. Government: CIA World Factbook. Ranks among the 194 independent states. All sources
Why the map you grew up with disagrees
On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Ireland sits at about 53° N and is stretched to 2.78× its true area; Sierra Leone at 9° N is stretched to 1.02×. That difference is why Ireland looks so much bigger than it is next to Sierra Leone. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Questions about this pair
- Is Ireland bigger than Sierra Leone?
- No. Ireland and Sierra Leone are almost exactly the same size. Ireland covers 69,797 km² and Sierra Leone covers 71,740 km².
- How many times does Ireland fit into Sierra Leone?
- About 1.0 times: Sierra Leone has 1.03× the area of Ireland.
- Why do Ireland and Sierra Leone look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Ireland is drawn about 2.78× its true area there and Sierra Leone about 1.02×. That is why Ireland looks so much bigger than it really is next to Sierra Leone. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, Ireland or Sierra Leone?
- Sierra Leone: 8,819,794 people against 5,484,367. Density: Ireland 79 per km², Sierra Leone 123 per km².
- Which is richer, Ireland or Sierra Leone?
- By gross national income per person, Ireland: $87,360 against $830 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 105× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Ireland or Sierra Leone?
- In Ireland: life expectancy at birth is 83.0 years, against 62.0 — 21.0 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Ireland and Sierra Leone have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — Ireland: parliamentary republic; Sierra Leone: presidential republic.