Panama vs Sierra Leone
Panama is 3% larger than Sierra Leone.
PanamaSierra LeonePanama moved onto Sierra Leone · Equal-area projection
1.03×
Panama is 1.03× the area of Sierra Leone.
 Panama |  Sierra Leone | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaPanama: 1.03× the area | 74,177 km²#116 of 194 | 71,740 km²#117 of 194 |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Has a coast |
| Land neighbours | 2 | 2 |
| People | ||
| PopulationSierra Leone: 1.93× the population | 4,571,189#127 of 194 · 2025 | 8,819,794#101 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensitySierra Leone: 1.99× the density | 62 / km²#124 of 194 | 123 / km²#72 of 194 |
| Urban populationPanama: 1.44× the urban share | 66%#85 of 192 · 2025 | 46%#135 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateSierra Leone: 1.75× the births per woman | 2.11 per woman#91 of 192 · 2024 | 3.70 per woman#35 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthSierra Leone: 0.82 points higher | +1.22%#80 of 192 · 2025 | +2.04%#46 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateSierra Leone: 1.89× the birth rate | 15.9 per 1,000#94 of 192 · 2024 | 30.1 per 1,000#29 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateSierra Leone: 1.67× the death rate | 4.9 per 1,000#173 of 192 · 2024 | 8.2 per 1,000#68 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Sierra Leone: 13.2 points higher | 24.5%#93 of 192 · 2025 | 37.7%#35 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Panama: 6.4 points higher | 9.7%#81 of 192 · 2025 | 3.3%#158 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationPanama: 2.6 per 1,000 higher | +1.3 per 1,000#44 of 192 · 2025 | −1.3 per 1,000#124 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadSierra Leone: 12.6× the refugees for its size | 0.08 per 1,000#122 of 190 · 2025 | 1.01 per 1,000#59 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyPanama: 17.8 years longer | 79.8 years#42 of 192 · 2024 | 62.0 years#181 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalitySierra Leone: 4.55× the infant mortality | 12.0 per 1,000 births#100 of 191 · 2024 | 54.6 per 1,000 births#12 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsPanama: 12.5× the doctors per person | 1.63 per 1,000#91 of 178 · 2022 | 0.13 per 1,000#164 of 178 · 2022 |
| University enrolment | 53.7%#71 of 145 · 2023 | — |
| Human Development IndexPanama: 0.372 higher | 0.839#58 of 190 · 2023 | 0.467#182 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaPanama: 23.1× the income per person | $19,140#57 of 185 · 2025 | $830#174 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPPanama: 12.1× the economy | $90.46B2025 | $7.46B2025 |
| Income group | High income | Low income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Panama: 11.8× the output per person | $43,902#52 of 184 · 2025 | $3,717#163 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthSierra Leone: 0.2 points higher | +4.4%#58 of 187 · 2025 | +4.6%#51 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationSierra Leone: 7.7 points higher | −0.2%#167 of 176 · 2025 | +7.5%#32 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentPanama: 2.63× the unemployment | 8.4%#47 of 178 · 2025 | 3.2%#133 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme povertySierra Leone: 13.4× the share in extreme poverty | 3.1%#63 of 149 · 2024 | 41.5%#18 of 149 · 2018 |
| Income inequality (Gini)Panama: 14.0 higher | 49.7#10 of 149 · 2024 | 35.7#66 of 149 · 2018 |
| Jobs in agricultureSierra Leone: 28.5 points higher | 16.0% of jobs#89 of 178 · 2025 | 44.5% of jobs#31 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryPanama: 5.5 points higher | 17.0% of jobs#113 of 178 · 2025 | 11.5% of jobs#151 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesPanama: 23.0 points higher | 67.0% of jobs#64 of 178 · 2025 | 44.0% of jobs#140 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentSierra Leone: 1.4 points higher | 1.0% of GDP#126 of 184 · 2025 | 2.4% of GDP#78 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsPanama: 23.5 points higher | 44.4% of GDP#57 of 168 · 2024 | 20.9% of GDP#133 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spending | 0.0% of GDP#153 of 155 · 2025 | 0.4% of GDP#148 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersPanama: 2.9× the share online | 73%#113 of 184 · 2024 | 25%#170 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsPanama: 1.45× the mobile subscriptions | 157 per 100#22 of 191 · 2023 | 108 per 100#114 of 191 · 2022 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaPanama: 1.83× the forest share | 62% of land#22 of 192 · 2024 | 34% of land#90 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personPanama: 16.1× the CO₂ per person | 2.74 t a year#87 of 185 · 2024 | 0.17 t a year#170 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energySierra Leone: 43.6 points higher | 28.0%#84 of 190 · 2021 | 71.6%#25 of 190 · 2022 |
| Access to electricityPanama: 56.8 points higher | 96.0%#126 of 192 · 2024 | 39.2%#182 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Sierra Leone: 1.49× the air pollution | 15.1 µg/m³#115 of 191 · 2023 | 22.5 µg/m³#69 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landPanama: 18.8 points higher | 31.4% of land#28 of 191 · 2025 | 12.6% of land#134 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landSierra Leone: 15.2 points higher | 6.7% of land#117 of 190 · 2024 | 21.9% of land#48 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressPanama: 1.8× the water stress | 0.9%#163 of 176 · 2022 | 0.5%#165 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationPanama: 1.16× the rain and snow | 2,928 mm#5 of 180 · 2022 | 2,526 mm#13 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityPanama: 0.63 higher | +0.24#83 of 193 · 2025 | −0.39#131 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionPanama: 0.22 higher | −0.56#125 of 193 · 2025 | −0.78#140 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide ratePanama: 5.32× the homicide rate | 11.7 per 100,000#24 of 146 · 2023 | 2.2 per 100,000#74 of 146 · 2020 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Presidential republic | Presidential republic |
| Capital | Panama City | Freetown |
| Currency | United States dollar (USD), Panamanian balboa (PAB) | Leone (SLE) |
| Official languages | Spanish | English, Krio |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC−5 | UTC |
| Calling code | +507 | +232 |
| Region | Central America, North America | 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. Panama sits at about 9° N and is stretched to 1.02× its true area; Sierra Leone at 9° N is stretched to 1.02×. Here the two are distorted about the same amount, so Mercator gets this pair roughly right. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Questions about this pair
- Is Panama bigger than Sierra Leone?
- Yes. Panama is 3% larger than Sierra Leone. Panama covers 74,177 km² and Sierra Leone covers 71,740 km².
- How many times does Sierra Leone fit into Panama?
- About 1.0 times: Panama has 1.03× the area of Sierra Leone.
- Why do Panama and Sierra Leone look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Panama is drawn about 1.02× its true area there and Sierra Leone about 1.02×. For this pair the distortion is similar, so Mercator gets the comparison roughly right. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, Panama or Sierra Leone?
- Sierra Leone: 8,819,794 people against 4,571,189. Density: Panama 62 per km², Sierra Leone 123 per km².
- Which is richer, Panama or Sierra Leone?
- By gross national income per person, Panama: $19,140 against $830 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 23.1× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Panama or Sierra Leone?
- In Panama: life expectancy at birth is 79.8 years, against 62.0 — 17.8 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Panama and Sierra Leone have?
- The same form of government, by constitution: presidential republic (CIA World Factbook).