Sierra Leone
Country in Africa
CountryScope
In brief
Population: 8.8M (2025). World rank 100 of 216; in Africa, 33 of 54. Area: 71,740 km². World rank 121 of 249; in Africa, 41 of 59. GDP per person: $846 (2025). World rank 201 of 210 (1 = best); in Africa, 44 of 52. From 2015 to 2025: population 7M → 8.8M, GDP $6.8B → $7.5B, and GDP per person $965 → $846. Worse than all its neighbours (Guinea and Liberia): GDP per person.
State
- Official name
- Republic of Sierra Leone
- Local name
- Sierra Leone
- Capital
- Freetown
- Region
- Africa
- Form of government
- Presidential republic
- UN member
- Yes
- Head of state
- Julius Maada Bio
- Head of government
- David Sengeh
- Independence
- April 27, 1961
- Women in parliament
- 29.5% 2025
Key figures
- Population
- 8,819,794 2025
- Area
- 71,740 km²
- GDP
- $7.5B 2025
- GDP per person
- $846 2025
- Life expectancy
- 62 years 2024
Practical information
- Languages
- English
- Currency
- Sierra Leonean Leone (1964—2022) (SLL)
- Time zones
- UTC
- Calling code
- +232
- Emergency numbers
- 019, 999
- Driving side
- Right
- Plug types
- G
- Mains voltage
- 230 V
Territory
- Sea access
- Has a coastline
- Coastline, km
- 402
- Neighbours
- Guinea, Liberia
- Agricultural land
- 55.2% 2024
Elevation
- Highest point
- Mount Bintumani, 1,948 m
- Lowest point
- Atlantic Ocean, 0 m
- Mean elevation, m
- 279
Climate
- Average temperature in the capital, °C
- 26
- Warmest month in the capital
- April, 28°C
- Coldest month in the capital
- August, 25°C
- Precipitation, mm per year
- 2,526 2022
Population and migration
- Population density
- 122.9 per km² 2025
- Population growth per year
- +2% 2025
- Living in cities
- 45.9% 2025
- Net migration per year
- -11.3K 2025
- Born in another country
- 0.6% 2024
Age and life expectancy
- Aged 0–14
- 37.7% 2025
- Aged 15–64
- 59.1% 2025
- Aged 65 and over
- 3.3% 2025
- Life expectancy, women
- 63.7 years 2024
- Life expectancy, men
- 60.2 years 2024
Births and deaths
- Children per woman
- 3.7 2024
- Births per 1,000 people
- 30.1 2024
- Deaths per 1,000 people
- 8.2 2024
Society
- Religions
- Muslim 77.1% and Christian 22.9% (2019)
Quality of governance (100 = best)
- Rule of law, score 0–100
- 44.7 2025
- Control of corruption, score 0–100
- 32.2 2025
- Government effectiveness, score 0–100
- 33.3 2025
- Regulatory quality, score 0–100
- 36.5 2025
- Voice and accountability, score 0–100
- 49.2 2025
Size and growth
- GDP per person at purchasing power parity
- $3,717 2025
- GDP growth per year
- +4.6% 2025
Income and prices
- Income level (World Bank)
- Low income
- Gross national income per person
- $830 2025
- Inflation
- +7.5% 2025
- Price level, USA = 100
- 22 2023
Structure and jobs
- Agriculture, share of GDP
- 29.5% 2025
- Industry, share of GDP
- 25.7% 2025
- Services, share of GDP
- 41.6% 2025
- Unemployment
- 3.2% 2025
- Youth unemployment, ages 15–24
- 3.7% 2025
- Women in work or seeking work
- 51.6% 2025
Trade and finance
- Exports, share of GDP
- 20.9% 2025
- Imports, share of GDP
- 28.2% 2025
- Current account balance, share of GDP
- -14.1% 2024
- Foreign direct investment, share of GDP
- +2.4% 2025
- Remittances received, share of GDP
- 4.6% 2024
Poverty and inequality
- Gini index (0 = full equality)
- 35.7 2018
- Living on under $3 a day
- 41.5% 2018
Education
- Adult literacy
- 43.6% 2019
- Primary school enrolment
- 162% 2024
- Secondary school enrolment
- 86.9% 2023
- Higher education enrolment
- 2% 2002
- Public spending on education, share of GDP
- 2.6% 2023
Healthcare
- Health spending, share of GDP
- 4.7% 2023
- Health spending per person
- $36 2023
- Out-of-pocket health spending, share of total
- 54.5% 2023
- Doctors per 1,000 people
- 0.1 2022
- Nurses and midwives per 1,000 people
- 1.2 2022
- Hospital beds per 1,000 people
- 0.4 2006
- Children vaccinated against measles
- 90% 2024
Public health
- Infant deaths per 1,000 births
- 54.6 2024
- Deaths under age 5 per 1,000 births
- 90.5 2024
- Maternal deaths per 100,000 births
- 354 2023
- HIV prevalence, ages 15–49
- 1.4% 2024
- Diabetes prevalence, ages 20–79
- 4.8% 2024
- Overweight adults
- 22.8% 2022
- Adults who use tobacco
- 11.3% 2024
Living conditions
- Access to safe drinking water
- 68.1% 2024
- Access to basic sanitation
- 24.9% 2024
- Access to clean cooking fuels
- 2% 2024
Safety
- Homicides per 100,000 people
- 2.2 2020
- Road deaths per 100,000 people
- 33 2019
- Suicides per 100,000 people
- 6.1 2021
- Political stability and absence of violence, score 0–100
- 58.8 2025
- Natural hazards
- dust and sand storms
Air and emissions
- Air pollution PM2.5, µg/m³
- 22.5 2023
- CO₂ emissions, tonnes per person
- 0.2 2024
- All greenhouse gases, tonnes CO₂e per person
- 0.9 2024
Nature and water
- Forest cover
- 34% 2024
- Protected areas
- 5.1% 2025
- Renewable fresh water, m³ per person
- 19,331 2022
- Water stress, share of fresh water withdrawn
- 0.5% 2022
Internet and communications
- Using the internet
- 25.1% 2024
- Mobile subscriptions per 100 people
- 108 2022
- Home broadband per 100 people
- 0 2021
- Internet domain
- .sl
Energy
- Access to electricity
- 39.2% 2024
- Renewable share of energy use
- 71.6% 2022
- Electricity from renewables
- 75.3% 2021
- Electricity from fossil fuels
- 24.7% 2021
Transport
- Air passengers per year
- 50,193 2012
- Airports
- 8 2025
Science and innovation
- Scientific articles per year
- 86 2023
- High-tech share of manufactured exports
- 0.7% 2018