2022 Edition

Background

Continuously populated for at least 2,500 years, the dense jungle in the area of Sierra Leone allowed the region to remain relatively protected from invaders from empires in West Africa. Traders introduced Sierra Leone to Islam, which occupies a central role in Sierra Leonean culture and history. In the 17th century, the British set up a trading post near present-day Freetown. The trade originally involved timber and ivory but later expanded to enslaved people. In 1787, following the American Revolution, Sierra Leone became a destination for Black British loyalists from the new United States. After the abolition of the slave trade in 1807, British ships delivered thousands of liberated Africans to Sierra Leone. During the 19th century, the colony gradually expanded inland. In 1961, Sierra Leone became independent of the UK. While Sierra Leone held free and fair elections in 1962 and 1967, Siaka STEVENS - Sierra Leone’s second prime minister - quickly reverted to authoritarian tendencies, outlawing most political parties and ruling from 1967 to 1985. In 1991, Sierra Leonean soldiers launched a civil war against STEVENS’ ruling party. The war caused tens of thousands of deaths and displaced more than 2 million people (about one third of the population). In 1998, a Nigerian-led West African coalition military force intervened, installing Tejan KABBAH - who was originally elected in 1996 - as prime minister. In 2002, KABBAH officially announced the end of the war. Since 1998, Sierra Leone has conducted uninterrupted democratic elections, dominated by the two main political parties. In 2018, Julius Maada BIO of the Sierra Leone People’s Party won the presidential election that saw a high voter turnout despite some allegations of voter intimidation. The next presidential election is scheduled for March 2023.

Area

land

71,620 sq km

total

71,740 sq km

water

120 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly smaller than South Carolina

Climate

tropical; hot, humid; summer rainy season (May to December); winter dry season (December to April)

Coastline

402 km

Elevation

highest point

Loma Mansa (Bintimani) 1,948 m

lowest point

Atlantic Ocean 0 m

mean elevation

279 m

Geographic coordinates

8 30 N, 11 30 W

Geography - note

rainfall along the coast can reach 495 cm (195 inches) a year, making it one of the wettest places along coastal, western Africa

Irrigated land

300 sq km (2012)

Land boundaries

border countries

Guinea 794 km; Liberia 299 km

total

1,093 km

Land use

agricultural land

56.2% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: arable land

arable land: 23.4% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: permanent crops

permanent crops: 2.3% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: permanent pasture

permanent pasture: 30.5% (2018 est.)

forest

37.5% (2018 est.)

other

6.3% (2018 est.)

Location

Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea and Liberia

Major watersheds (area sq km)

Atlantic Ocean drainage: Niger (2,261,741 sq km)

Map references

Africa

Maritime claims

contiguous zone

24 nm

continental shelf

200 nm

exclusive economic zone

200 nm

territorial sea

12 nm

Natural hazards

dry, sand-laden harmattan winds blow from the Sahara (December to February); sandstorms, dust storms

Natural resources

diamonds, titanium ore, bauxite, iron ore, gold, chromite

Population distribution

population clusters are found in the lower elevations of the south and west; the northern third of the country is less populated as shown on this population distribution map

Terrain

coastal belt of mangrove swamps, wooded hill country, upland plateau, mountains in east

Age structure

0-14 years

41.38% (male 1,369,942/female 1,371,537)

15-24 years

18.83% (male 610,396/female 636,880)

25-54 years

32.21% (male 1,020,741/female 1,112,946)

55-64 years

3.89% (male 121,733/female 135,664)

65 years and over

3.7% (male 100,712/female 144,382) (2020 est.)

Alcohol consumption per capita

beer

0.17 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

other alcohols

2.9 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

spirits

0.15 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

total

3.22 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

wine

0.01 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

Birth rate

32.2 births/1,000 population (2022 est.)

Child marriage

men married by age 18

4.1% (2019 est.)

women married by age 15

8.6%

women married by age 18

29.6%

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

13.5% (2019)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

21.2% (2019)

Current health expenditure

8.8% of GDP (2019)

Death rate

9.32 deaths/1,000 population (2022 est.)

Demographic profile

Sierra Leone’s youthful and growing population is driven by its high total fertility rate (TFR) of almost 5 children per woman, which has declined little over the last two decades. Its elevated TFR is sustained by the continued desire for large families, the low level of contraceptive use, and the early start of childbearing. Despite its high TFR, Sierra Leone’s population growth is somewhat tempered by high infant, child, and maternal mortality rates that are among the world’s highest and are a result of poverty, a lack of potable water and sanitation, poor nutrition, limited access to quality health care services, and the prevalence of female genital cutting.Sierra Leone’s large youth cohort – about 60% of the population is under the age of 25 – continues to struggle with high levels of unemployment, which was one of the major causes of the country’s 1991-2002 civil war and remains a threat to stability today. Its estimated 60% youth unemployment rate is attributed to high levels of illiteracy and unskilled labor, a lack of private sector jobs, and low pay.Sierra Leone has been a source of and destination for refugees. Sierra Leone’s civil war internally displaced as many as 2 million people, or almost half the population, and forced almost another half million to seek refuge in neighboring countries (370,000 Sierra Leoneans fled to Guinea and 120,000 to Liberia). The UNHCR has helped almost 180,000 Sierra Leoneans to return home, while more than 90,000 others have repatriated on their own. Of the more than 65,000 Liberians who took refuge in Sierra Leone during their country’s civil war (1989-2003), about 50,000 have been voluntarily repatriated by the UNHCR and others have returned home independently. As of 2015, less than 1,000 Liberians still reside in Sierra Leone.

Dependency ratios

elderly dependency ratio

5.5

potential support ratio

18.3 (2020 est.)

total dependency ratio

74

youth dependency ratio

68.5

Drinking water source

improved: rural

rural: 58% of population

improved: total

total: 72.8% of population

improved: urban

urban: 92.5% of population

unimproved: rural

rural: 42% of population

unimproved: total

total: 27.2% of population (2020 est.)

unimproved: urban

urban: 7.5% of population

Education expenditures

9.1% of GDP (2021 est.)

Ethnic groups

Temne 35.4%, Mende 30.8%, Limba 8.8%, Kono 4.3%, Korankoh 4%, Fullah 3.8%, Mandingo 2.8%, Loko 2%, Sherbro 1.9%, Creole 1.2% (descendants of freed Jamaican slaves who were settled in the Freetown area in the late-18th century; also known as Krio), other 5% (2019 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

1.4% (2021 est.)

Infant mortality rate

female

68.23 deaths/1,000 live births (2022 est.)

male

78.45 deaths/1,000 live births

total

73.42 deaths/1,000 live births

Languages

English (official, regular use limited to literate minority), Mende (principal vernacular in the south), Temne (principal vernacular in the north), Krio (English-based Creole, spoken by the descendants of freed Jamaican slaves who were settled in the Freetown area, a lingua franca and a first language for 10% of the population but understood by 95%)

Life expectancy at birth

female

60.41 years (2022 est.)

male

57.16 years

total population

58.76 years

Literacy

definition

age 15 and over can read and write English, Mende, Temne, or Arabic

female

39.8% (2018)

male

51.6%

total population

43.2%

Major infectious diseases

aerosolized dust or soil contact diseases

Lassa fever

animal contact diseases

rabies

degree of risk

very high (2020)

food or waterborne diseases

bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever

note

note: on 21 March 2022, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a Travel Alert for polio in Africa; Sierra Leone is currently considered a high risk to travelers for circulating vaccine-derived polioviruses (cVDPV); vaccine-derived poliovirus (VDPV) is a strain of the weakened poliovirus that was initially included in oral polio vaccine (OPV) and that has changed over time and behaves more like the wild or naturally occurring virus; this means it can be spread more easily to people who are unvaccinated against polio and who come in contact with the stool or respiratory secretions, such as from a sneeze, of an “infected” person who received oral polio vaccine; the CDC recommends that before any international travel, anyone unvaccinated, incompletely vaccinated, or with an unknown polio vaccination status should complete the routine polio vaccine series; before travel to any high-risk destination, the CDC recommends that adults who previously completed the full, routine polio vaccine series receive a single, lifetime booster dose of polio vaccine

vectorborne diseases

malaria and dengue fever

water contact diseases

schistosomiasis

Major urban areas - population

1.309 million FREETOWN (capital) (2023)

Maternal mortality ratio

1,120 deaths/100,000 live births (2017 est.)

Median age

female

19.7 years (2020 est.)

male

18.5 years

total

19.1 years

Mother's mean age at first birth

19.6 years (2019 est.)

note

note: data represents median age at first birth among women 20-49

Nationality

adjective

Sierra Leonean

noun

Sierra Leonean(s)

Net migration rate

2.03 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2022 est.)

Obesity - adult prevalence rate

8.7% (2016)

Physicians density

0.07 physicians/1,000 population (2018)

Population

8,692,606 (2022 est.)

Population distribution

population clusters are found in the lower elevations of the south and west; the northern third of the country is less populated as shown on this population distribution map

Population growth rate

2.49% (2022 est.)

Religions

Muslim 77.1%, Christian 22.9% (2019 est.)

Sanitation facility access

improved: rural

rural: 35.5% of population

improved: total

total: 54.4% of population

improved: urban

urban: 79.5% of population

unimproved: rural

rural: 64.5% of population

unimproved: total

total: 45.6% of population (2020 est.)

unimproved: urban

urban: 20.5% of population

Sex ratio

0-14 years

1.02 male(s)/female

15-24 years

0.97 male(s)/female

25-54 years

0.97 male(s)/female

55-64 years

1.25 male(s)/female

65 years and over

0.83 male(s)/female

at birth

1.03 male(s)/female

total population

0.98 male(s)/female (2022 est.)

Tobacco use

female

6.4% (2020 est.)

male

20.5% (2020 est.)

total

13.5% (2020 est.)

Total fertility rate

3.8 children born/woman (2022 est.)

Urbanization

rate of urbanization

3.02% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

urban population

44.3% of total population (2023)

Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24)

female

2.6% (2018 est.)

male

4.9%

total

3.6%

Administrative divisions

4 provinces and 1 area*; Eastern, Northern, North Western, Southern, Western*

Capital

etymology

name derived from the fact that the original settlement served as a haven for free-born and freed African Americans, as well as for liberated Africans rescued from slave ships

geographic coordinates

8 29 N, 13 14 W

name

Freetown

time difference

UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

Citizenship

citizenship by birth

no

citizenship by descent only

at least one parent or grandparent must be a citizen of Sierra Leone

dual citizenship recognized

yes

residency requirement for naturalization

5 years

Constitution

amendments

proposed by Parliament; passage of amendments requires at least two-thirds majority vote of Parliament in two successive readings and assent of the president of the republic; passage of amendments affecting fundamental rights and freedoms and many other constitutional sections also requires approval in a referendum with participation of at least one half of qualified voters and at least two thirds of votes cast; amended several times, last in 2016

history

several previous; latest effective 1 October 1991

Country name

conventional long form

Republic of Sierra Leone

conventional short form

Sierra Leone

etymology

the Portuguese explorer Pedro de SINTRA named the country "Serra Leoa" (Lion Mountains) for the impressive mountains he saw while sailing the West African coast in 1462

local long form

Republic of Sierra Leone

local short form

Sierra Leone

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission

Ambassador David REIMER (since 24 March 2021)

email address and website

consularfreetown@state.govhttps://sl.usembassy.gov/

embassy

Southridge-Hill Station, Freetown

mailing address

2160 Freetown Place, Washington DC  20521-2160

telephone

[232] 99 105 000

Diplomatic representation in the US

chancery

1701 19th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009-1605

chief of mission

Ambassador Sidique Abou-Bakarr WAI (since 8 April 2019)

email address and website

info@embassyofsierraleone.nethttps://embassyofsierraleone.net/

FAX

[1] (202) 483-1793

telephone

[1] (202) 939-9261

Executive branch

cabinet

Ministers of State appointed by the president, approved by Parliament; the cabinet is responsible to the president

chief of state

President Julius Maada BIO (since 4 April 2018); Vice President Mohamed Juldeh JALLOH (since 4 April 2018) ; note - the president is both chief of state, head of government, and minister of defense

election results

Julius Maada BIO elected president in second round; percent of vote - Julius Maada BIO (SLPP) 51.8%, Samura KAMARA (APC) 48.2%

elections/appointments

president directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 4 April 2018 (next to be in 2023) (2018)

head of government

President Julius Maada BIO (since 4 April 2018); Vice President Mohamed Juldeh JALLOH (since 4 April 2018)

Flag description

three equal horizontal bands of light green (top), white, and light blue; green symbolizes agriculture, mountains, and natural resources, white represents unity and justice, and blue the sea and the natural harbor in Freetown

Government type

presidential republic

Independence

27 April 1961 (from the UK)

International law organization participation

has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

International organization participation

ACP, AfDB, ATMIS, AU, C, ECOWAS, EITI (compliant country), FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO (pending member), ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, MINUSMA, NAM, OIC, OPCW, UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNISFA, UNSOM, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Judicial branch

highest court(s)

Superior Court of Judicature (consists of the Supreme Court - at the apex - with the chief justice and 4 other judges, the Court of Appeal with the chief justice and 7 other judges, and the High Court of Justice with the chief justice and 9 other judges); note – the Judicature has jurisdiction in all civil, criminal, and constitutional matters

judge selection and term of office

Supreme Court chief justice and other judges of the Judicature appointed by the president on the advice of the Judicial and Legal Service Commission, a 7-member independent body of judges, presidential appointees, and the Commission chairman, and are subject to approval by Parliament; all Judicature judges serve until retirement at age 65

subordinate courts

magistrates' courts; District Appeals Court; local courts

Legal system

mixed legal system of English common law and customary law

Legislative branch

description

unicameral Parliament (146 seats; 132 members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote and 14 seats filled in separate elections by non-partisan members of Parliament called "paramount chiefs;" members serve 5-year terms)

election results

percent of vote by party - n/a; seats by party - APC 68, SLPP 49, C4C 8, other 7; composition - men 128, women 18, percent of women 12.3%

elections

last held on 7 March 2018 (next to be held in March 2023)

National anthem

lyrics/music

Clifford Nelson FYLE/John Joseph AKA

name

"High We Exalt Thee, Realm of the Free"

note

note: adopted 1961

National holiday

Independence Day, 27 April (1961)

National symbol(s)

lion; national colors: green, white, blue

Political parties and leaders

All People's Congress or APC [Ernest Bai KOROMA]Coalition for Change or C4C [Tamba R. SANDY]National Grand Coalition or NGC [Dr. Dennis BRIGHT]Sierra Leone People's Party or SLPP [Dr. Prince HARDING]numerous other parties

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Agricultural products

cassava, rice, vegetables, oil palm fruit, sweet potatoes, milk, citrus fruit, groundnuts, fruit, pulses nes

Budget

expenditures

846.4 million (2017 est.)

revenues

562 million (2017 est.)

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)

-7.9% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Current account balance

Current account balance 2016

-$88 million (2016 est.)

Current account balance 2017

-$407 million (2017 est.)

Debt - external

Debt - external 31 December 2016

$1.503 billion (31 December 2016 est.)

Debt - external 31 December 2017

$1.615 billion (31 December 2017 est.)

Economic overview

Sierra Leone is extremely poor and nearly half of the working-age population engages in subsistence agriculture. The country possesses substantial mineral, agricultural, and fishery resources, but it is still recovering from a civil war that destroyed most institutions before ending in the early 2000s.   In recent years, economic growth has been driven by mining - particularly iron ore. The country’s principal exports are iron ore, diamonds, and rutile, and the economy is vulnerable to fluctuations in international prices. Until 2014, the government had relied on external assistance to support its budget, but it was gradually becoming more independent. The Ebola outbreak of 2014 and 2015, combined with falling global commodities prices, caused a significant contraction of economic activity in all areas. While the World Health Organization declared an end to the Ebola outbreak in Sierra Leone in November 2015, low commodity prices in 2015-2016 contributed to the country’s biggest fiscal shortfall since 2001. In 2017, increased iron ore exports, together with the end of the Ebola epidemic, supported a resumption of economic growth.   Continued economic growth will depend on rising commodities prices and increased efforts to diversify the sources of growth. Non-mining activities will remain constrained by inadequate infrastructure, such as power and roads, even though power sector projects may provide some additional electricity capacity in the near term. Pervasive corruption and undeveloped human capital will continue to deter foreign investors. Sustained international donor support in the near future will partially offset these fiscal constraints.

Exchange rates

Currency

leones (SLL) per US dollar -

Exchange rates 2013

4,524.2 (2013 est.)

Exchange rates 2014

5,080.8 (2014 est.)

Exchange rates 2015

6,289.9 (2015 est.)

Exchange rates 2016

6,289.9 (2016 est.)

Exchange rates 2017

7,396.3 (2017 est.)

Exports

Exports 2018

$720 million (2018 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

Exports 2019

$740 million (2019 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

Exports - commodities

titanium, lumber, diamonds, aluminum, cocoa beans (2019)

Exports - partners

Belgium 26%, China 25%, Romania 9%, United Arab Emirates 6%, Germany 5%, Netherlands 5% (2019)

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP - composition, by end use

exports of goods and services

26.8% (2017 est.)

government consumption

12.1% (2017 est.)

household consumption

97.9% (2017 est.)

imports of goods and services

-55.3% (2017 est.)

investment in fixed capital

18.1% (2017 est.)

investment in inventories

0.4% (2017 est.)

GDP - composition, by sector of origin

agriculture

60.7% (2017 est.)

industry

6.5% (2017 est.)

services

32.9% (2017 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate)

$4.132 billion (2020 est.)

Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income

Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income 1989

62.9 (1989)

Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income 2018

35.7 (2018 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

highest 10%

33.6% (2003)

lowest 10%

2.6%

Imports

Imports 2018

$1.59 billion (2018 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

Imports 2019

$1.82 billion (2019 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

Imports - commodities

rice, plastics, packaged medicines, sauces/seasonings, cars (2019)

Imports - partners

China 27%, India 11%, United States 6%, Ghana 5%, Turkey 5% (2019)

Industrial production growth rate

15.5% (2017 est.)

Industries

diamond mining; iron ore, rutile and bauxite mining; small-scale manufacturing (beverages, textiles, footwear)

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2017

18.2% (2017 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2018

16% (2018 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2019

14.8% (2019 est.)

Labor force

132,000 (2013 est.)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture

61.1%

industry

5.5%

services

33.4% (2014 est.)

Population below poverty line

56.8% (2018 est.)

Public debt

Public debt 2016

54.9% of GDP (2016 est.)

Public debt 2017

63.9% of GDP (2017 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity)

note

note: data are in 2017 dollars

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2018

$12.72 billion (2018 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2019

$13.44 billion (2019 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2020

$13.15 billion (2020 est.)

Real GDP growth rate

Real GDP growth rate 2015

-20.5% (2015 est.)

Real GDP growth rate 2016

6.3% (2016 est.)

Real GDP growth rate 2017

3.7% (2017 est.)

Real GDP per capita

note

note: data are in 2017 dollars

Real GDP per capita 2018

$1,700 (2018 est.)

Real GDP per capita 2019

$1,700 (2019 est.)

Real GDP per capita 2020

$1,600 (2020 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 31 December 2016

$497.2 million (31 December 2016 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 31 December 2017

$478 million (31 December 2017 est.)

Taxes and other revenues

15.6% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Unemployment rate

Unemployment rate 2016

17.2% (2016 est.)

Unemployment rate 2017

15% (2017 est.)

Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24)

female

2.6% (2018 est.)

male

4.9%

total

3.6%

Carbon dioxide emissions

from coal and metallurgical coke

0 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)

from consumed natural gas

0 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)

from petroleum and other liquids

899,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)

total emissions

899,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)

Coal

consumption

0 metric tons (2020 est.)

exports

0 metric tons (2020 est.)

imports

0 metric tons (2020 est.)

production

0 metric tons (2020 est.)

proven reserves

0 metric tons (2019 est.)

Electricity

consumption

130.708 million kWh (2019 est.)

exports

0 kWh (2019 est.)

imports

0 kWh (2020 est.)

installed generating capacity

180,000 kW (2020 est.)

transmission/distribution losses

77 million kWh (2019 est.)

Electricity access

electrification - rural areas

6% (2019)

electrification - total population

26% (2019)

electrification - urban areas

52% (2019)

Electricity generation sources

biomass and waste

1.9% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

fossil fuels

8.2% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

geothermal

0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

hydroelectricity

87% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

nuclear

0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

solar

2.9% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

tide and wave

0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

wind

0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

Energy consumption per capita

Total energy consumption per capita 2019

1.803 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Natural gas

consumption

0 cubic meters (2021 est.)

exports

0 cubic meters (2021 est.)

imports

0 cubic meters (2021 est.)

production

0 cubic meters (2021 est.)

proven reserves

0 cubic meters (2021 est.)

Petroleum

crude oil and lease condensate exports

0 bbl/day (2018 est.)

crude oil and lease condensate imports

0 bbl/day (2018 est.)

crude oil estimated reserves

0 barrels (2021 est.)

refined petroleum consumption

5,900 bbl/day (2019 est.)

total petroleum production

0 bbl/day (2021 est.)

Refined petroleum products - exports

0 bbl/day (2015 est.)

Refined petroleum products - imports

6,439 bbl/day (2015 est.)

Refined petroleum products - production

0 bbl/day (2017 est.)

Broadcast media

1 government-owned TV station; 3 private TV stations; a pay-TV service began operations in late 2007; 1 government-owned national radio station; about two-dozen private radio stations primarily clustered in major cities; transmissions of several international broadcasters are available  (2019)

Internet country code

.sl

Internet users

percent of population

18% (2020 est.)

total

1,435,857 (2020 est.)

Telecommunication systems

domestic

fixed-line 0 per 100 and mobile-cellular just over 86 per 100 (2020)

general assessment

the telecom sector has only gradually recovered from the destruction caused during the war years, and only since 2019 has there been an effective terrestrial fiber backbone infrastructure, while the cable link to neighboring Guinea was not completed until February 2020; there is considerable available capacity from the ACE submarine cable and the national fiber network, but this is used inefficiently and so the price of internet connectivity remains one of the highest in the region; the theft of equipment and cabling, compounded by neglect, mismanagement, and under investment, means that telcos continue to operate in difficult conditions; the telecom regulator has made efforts to improve the market, including the liberalization of the international gateway and regular checks on QoS; the regulator reduced the price floor for mobile voice calls in early 2020, though consumers objected to the MNOs withdrawing a number of cheap packages as a response; the mobile sector has been the main driver of overall telecom revenue (2022)

international

country code - 232; landing point for the ACE submarine cable linking to South Africa, over 20 western African countries and Europe; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2019)

note

note: the COVID-19 pandemic continues to have a significant impact on production and supply chains globally; since 2020, some aspects of the telecom sector have experienced a downturn, particularly in mobile device production; progress toward 5G implementation has resumed, as well as upgrades to infrastructure; consumer spending on telecom services has increased due to the surge in demand for capacity and bandwidth; the crucial nature of telecom services as a tool for work and school from home is still evident, and the spike in this area has seen growth opportunities for development of new tools and increased services

Telephones - fixed lines

total subscriptions

189 (2020 est.)

Telephones - mobile cellular

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

86 (2020 est.)

total subscriptions

6,884,201 (2020 est.)

Airports

total

8 (2021)

Airports - with paved runways

over 3,047 m

1 (2021)

total

1

Airports - with unpaved runways

914 to 1,523 m

7 (2021)

total

7

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

9L

Heliports

2 (2021)

Merchant marine

by type

bulk carrier 30, container ship 9, general cargo 319, oil tanker 108, other 125 (2021)

total

591

National air transport system

annual freight traffic on registered air carriers

0 (2015) mt-km

annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers

50,193 (2015)

Ports and terminals

major seaport(s)

Freetown, Pepel, Sherbro Islands

Roadways

non-urban

8,700 km (2015)

paved

1,051 km (2015)

total

11,701 km (2015)

unpaved

10,650 km (2015)

urban

3,000 km (2015)

Waterways

800 km (2011) (600 km navigable year-round)

Military - note

after the end of the civil war in 2002, the military was reduced in size and restructured with British military assistance; the RSLAF’s origins lie in the Sierra Leone Battalion of the Royal West African Frontier Force (RWAFF), a multi-regiment force formed by the British colonial office in 1900 to garrison the West African colonies of Gold Coast (Ghana), Nigeria (Lagos and the protectorates of Northern and Southern Nigeria), Sierra Leone, and Gambia; the RWAFF fought in both World Wars (2022)

Military and security forces

Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces (RSLAF): operates under a Joint Force Command with Land Forces, Maritime Forces, and an Air Wing; Ministry of Internal Affairs: Sierre Leone Police (2022)

Military and security service personnel strengths

approximately 9,000 personnel, mostly ground forces (2022)

Military equipment inventories and acquisitions

the RSLAF has a small inventory that includes a mix of Soviet-origin and other older foreign-supplied equipment; it has received limited amounts of mostly donations and second-hand equipment since 2010 (2022)

Military expenditures

Military Expenditures 2017

0.3% of GDP (2017 est.) (approximately $40 million)

Military Expenditures 2018

0.3% of GDP (2018 est.) (approximately $45 million)

Military Expenditures 2019

0.3% of GDP (2019 est.) (approximately $35 million)

Military Expenditures 2020

0.3% of GDP (2020 est.)

Military Expenditures 2021

0.3% of GDP (2021 est.)

Military service age and obligation

18-29 for voluntary military service; women are eligible to serve; no conscription (2022)

Disputes - international

Sierra Leone-Guinea: Sierra Leone opposed Guinean troops' continued occupation of Yenga, a small village on the Makona River that serves as a border with Guinea; Guinea's forces came to Yenga in the mid-1990s to help the Sierra Leonean military to suppress rebels and to secure their common border but remained there even after both countries signed a 2005 agreement acknowledging that Yenga belonged to Sierra Leone; in 2012, the two sides signed a declaration to demilitarize the area; in 2019, Sierra Leone’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation stated that the dispute over Yenga had been resolved; however, at a 2021 ECOWAS meeting, Sierra Leone’s President BIO called on the bloc to help resolve an incursion of Guinean troops in Yenga Sierra Leone-Liberia: none identified

Refugees and internally displaced persons

IDPs

5,500 (displacement caused by post-electoral violence in 2018 and clashes in the Pujehun region in 2019) (2021)

Air pollutants

carbon dioxide emissions

1.09 megatons (2016 est.)

methane emissions

3.16 megatons (2020 est.)

particulate matter emissions

20.63 micrograms per cubic meter (2016 est.)

Climate

tropical; hot, humid; summer rainy season (May to December); winter dry season (December to April)

Environment - current issues

rapid population growth pressuring the environment; overharvesting of timber, expansion of cattle grazing, and slash-and-burn agriculture have resulted in deforestation, soil exhaustion, and flooding; loss of biodiversity; air pollution; water pollution; overfishing

Environment - international agreements

party to

Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping-London Convention, Marine Dumping-London Protocol, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified

Environmental Modification

Food insecurity

severe localized food insecurity

due to high food prices and reduced incomes - about 1.6 million people are estimated to be severely food insecure between June and August 2022 on account of high food prices and low purchasing power, resulting in acute constraints on households’ economic access to food (2022)

Land use

agricultural land

56.2% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: arable land

arable land: 23.4% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: permanent crops

permanent crops: 2.3% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: permanent pasture

permanent pasture: 30.5% (2018 est.)

forest

37.5% (2018 est.)

other

6.3% (2018 est.)

Major infectious diseases

aerosolized dust or soil contact diseases

Lassa fever

animal contact diseases

rabies

degree of risk

very high (2020)

food or waterborne diseases

bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever

note

note: on 21 March 2022, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a Travel Alert for polio in Africa; Sierra Leone is currently considered a high risk to travelers for circulating vaccine-derived polioviruses (cVDPV); vaccine-derived poliovirus (VDPV) is a strain of the weakened poliovirus that was initially included in oral polio vaccine (OPV) and that has changed over time and behaves more like the wild or naturally occurring virus; this means it can be spread more easily to people who are unvaccinated against polio and who come in contact with the stool or respiratory secretions, such as from a sneeze, of an “infected” person who received oral polio vaccine; the CDC recommends that before any international travel, anyone unvaccinated, incompletely vaccinated, or with an unknown polio vaccination status should complete the routine polio vaccine series; before travel to any high-risk destination, the CDC recommends that adults who previously completed the full, routine polio vaccine series receive a single, lifetime booster dose of polio vaccine

vectorborne diseases

malaria and dengue fever

water contact diseases

schistosomiasis

Major watersheds (area sq km)

Atlantic Ocean drainage: Niger (2,261,741 sq km)

Revenue from coal

coal revenues

0% of GDP (2018 est.)

Revenue from forest resources

forest revenues

6.92% of GDP (2018 est.)

Total renewable water resources

160 billion cubic meters (2017 est.)

Total water withdrawal

agricultural

45.7 million cubic meters (2017 est.)

industrial

55.5 million cubic meters (2017 est.)

municipal

111 million cubic meters (2017 est.)

Urbanization

rate of urbanization

3.02% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

urban population

44.3% of total population (2023)

Waste and recycling

municipal solid waste generated annually

610,222 tons (2004 est.)