AI access, cost and use · Western Africa · Africa · data read 1 Oct 2026

Sierra Leone

In Sierra Leone, a $20-a-month AI plan costs 70% of the median living standard, 89 times the share it takes in the United States; for 99% of people it is over a tenth of what they live on. Claude, OpenAI's API and Gemini are all officially offered. 25% of people use the internet.

70%of the median living standard for a $20 planAfrica median 38% · United States 0.79%

99%of people for whom the plan is over a tenth of their living standardabout 8.8 m people

3of 3leading services officially offeredClaude · OpenAI · Gemini

25%of people use the internetworld 74% · 8.8 m people

The figuresSierra Leone

People8.8 m

Median living standard$343a year per person · consumption

A $20 plan takes70%of that · 89× the US share

For whom it is over a tenth99%of people

Survey2018revalued at 2023 prices

GNI per person$830plan is 29% of it

Claude use per personnot reported

Notable AI models built here0

Officially offered here3 of 3

Run it yourself →

Claude · claude.ai appYes

OpenAI · APIYes

Gemini · web appYes

From each lab's own published list: Anthropic's Claude.ai countries, OpenAI's API countries and Google's Gemini web app countries. Not listed means not officially served; open-weight models can be run anywhere.

Against Africa and the worldregional figures are medians or population-weighted

Measure	Sierra Leone	Africa	World
A $20 plan ÷ median living standard	70%	38%	9.9%
People for whom it is over a tenth	99%	96%	63%
Plan price ÷ GNI per person	29%	14%	2.9%
People using the internet	25%	40%	74%
Claude use per working-age person	not reported	0.24×	1.00×
Notable AI models built	0	0	1,256

NeighboursWestern Africa · lightest burden first

Country	People	Online	$20 plan ÷ median living standard	Over a tenth	Claude use per person	Official lists
Cabo Verde	527k	75%	17%	74%	not reported	3 of 3
Senegal	19 m	60%	28%	94%	0.41×	3 of 3
Mauritania	5.3 m	46%	28%	96%	not reported	3 of 3
Côte d'Ivoire	33 m	41%	30%	94%	0.30×	3 of 3
Liberia	5.7 m	32%	33%	97%	not reported	3 of 3
Ghana	35 m	72%	36%	95%	0.38×	3 of 3
Guinea	15 m	33%	36%	99%	not reported	3 of 3
Togo	8.6 m	39%	38%	97%	0.22×	3 of 3
Benin	15 m	34%	39%	98%	0.39×	3 of 3
Gambia	2.8 m	49%	41%	97%	not reported	3 of 3
Guinea-Bissau	2.2 m	30%	41%	98%	not reported	3 of 3
Mali	25 m	37%	45%	98%	not reported	3 of 3
Burkina Faso	24 m	28%	49%	98%	0.15×	3 of 3
Niger	28 m	16%	61%	99%	not reported	3 of 3
Sierra Leone	8.8 m	25%	70%	99%	not reported	3 of 3
Nigeria	238 m	41%	78%	99%+	0.24×	3 of 3

All countries →

The foundationsSierra Leone against the world

World Bank ↗

People using the internet

25%world 74%

People with electricity

39%world 92%

Mobile subscriptions per 100 people

108world 112

Fixed broadband lines per 100 people

0world 20.1

Enrolled in university-level education

2%world 44%

Research spending, share of GDP

–world 2.6%

Researchers per million people

–world 1,652

Secure internet servers per million people

11world 16,381

The latest World Bank figure for each measure. The tick marks the world figure.

A $20-a-month plan ($240 a year, US list price) against the median household living standard per person in each country. The median is from the latest national household survey (World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform), revalued from 2021 purchasing-power dollars into US dollars at recent prices and official exchange rates, assuming real living standards have not changed since the survey. Some surveys measure income and others consumption, which includes food people grow and housing they own, so this is a living standard, not cash to spare. Countries with no survey since 2015 or no defensible exchange rate are left blank.

World Bank household surveys ↗Anthropic countries ↗OpenAI countries ↗Gemini countries ↗Anthropic Economic Index ↗Epoch AI notable models ↗