Sub-Saharan Africa · Low income
Sierra Leone: the economy in numbers
Per person: $846, or $3,717 at purchasing power parity. Population: 8.82 million (2025).
GDP in 2025, current US dollars: #162 of 204 economies. IMF forecast for 2026: +4.0%.
GDP
Adjusted for US inflation, in 2025 dollars: $3.51 billion in 1960, $7.46 billion in 2025.
GDP per capita
In 2025 dollars: $1,547 per person in 1960, $846 in 2025.
Real GDP growth
Average over 2016–2025: 4.2% a year. Years of falling GDP since 1961: 13 of 65.
Source: International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook (October 2026)
Inflation
Consumer prices rose 10.7 times from 2006 to 2025. Highest annual inflation: 178.7% in 1987. Years with inflation above 100%: 3. The chart cuts the scale at 100%; “Full scale” shows everything.
Source: International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook (October 2026)
Government debt, % of GDP
Highest since 2001: 113.5% of GDP in 2001. IMF forecast for 2031: 33.8%.
Population
1960: 2.27 million · 2025: 8.82 million.
Unemployment rate
1991: 4.1% · 2025: 3.1%.
Life expectancy at birth
1960: 33.1 years · 2024: 62.0 years.
Exports of goods and services
1964: 29.1% · 2025: 20.9%.
Data by year
Show the year-by-year table
| Year | GDP | GDP per capita | Per capita, PPP | Real growth | Inflation | Gov. debt, % GDP | Population | Unemployment | Life expectancy | Exports, % GDP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2031 | 4.6%f | 9.0%f | 33.8%f | |||||||
| 2030 | 4.6%f | 9.0%f | 35.9%f | |||||||
| 2029 | 4.6%f | 9.0%f | 38.8%f | |||||||
| 2028 | 4.6%f | 9.3%f | 41.7%f | |||||||
| 2027 | 4.4%f | 13.0%f | 45.4%f | |||||||
| 2026 | 4.0%f | 13.8%f | 50.1%f | |||||||
| 2025 | $7.46B | $846 | $3,717 | 4.6% | 7.5% | 51.4% | 8.82M | 3.1% | 20.9% | |
| 2024 | $6.97B | $807 | $3,527 | 4.3% | 28.6% | 47.0% | 8.64M | 3.1% | 62.0 | 17.3% |
| 2023 | $6.42B | $758 | $3,371 | 5.7% | 47.6% | 49.4% | 8.46M | 3.1% | 61.8 | 21.0% |
| 2022 | $7.12B | $860 | $3,143 | 5.3% | 27.2% | 54.0% | 8.28M | 3.1% | 61.3 | 16.8% |
| 2021 | $7.17B | $885 | $2,849 | 5.9% | 11.9% | 47.1% | 8.09M | 3.6% | 60.3 | 15.5% |
| 2020 | $6.69B | $845 | $2,719 | −1.3% | 13.4% | 46.4% | 7.91M | 3.5% | 59.7 | 9.9% |
| 2019 | $6.52B | $844 | $2,704 | 5.5% | 14.8% | 45.3% | 7.73M | 3.2% | 59.6 | 9.7% |
| 2018 | $6.39B | $846 | $2,640 | 2.9% | 16.0% | 44.2% | 7.55M | 3.2% | 59.1 | 11.2% |
| 2017 | $5.75B | $779 | $2,501 | 3.2% | 18.2% | 44.2% | 7.38M | 3.7% | 57.8 | 13.9% |
| 2016 | $6.08B | $844 | $2,635 | 6.4% | 10.9% | 34.7% | 7.21M | 4.2% | 56.9 | 14.1% |
| 2015 | $6.79B | $965 | $2,560 | −4.4% | 6.7% | 28.4% | 7.04M | 4.5% | 55.5 | 10.5% |
| 2014 | $7.69B | $1,118 | $2,762 | −7.8% | 4.6% | 26.8% | 6.88M | 4.7% | 54.3 | 20.2% |
| 2013 | $7.5B | $1,117 | $2,701 | 14.7% | 5.5% | 22.3% | 6.71M | 4.4% | 54.1 | 18.9% |
| 2012 | $6.14B | $938 | $2,317 | 10.6% | 6.6% | 24.1% | 6.55M | 4.4% | 53.2 | 20.6% |
| 2011 | $4.86B | $761 | $2,043 | 8.1% | 6.8% | 25.8% | 6.39M | 4.4% | 52.6 | 9.6% |
| 2010 | $4.26B | $685 | $1,900 | 6.4% | 7.2% | 28.9% | 6.22M | 4.3% | 51.9 | 9.9% |
| 2009 | $3.95B | $653 | $1,814 | 1.5% | 7.5% | 31.1% | 6.06M | 4.3% | 51.3 | 8.0% |
| 2008 | $4.16B | $705 | $1,824 | 3.7% | 8.2% | 46.1% | 5.89M | 4.1% | 50.7 | 7.8% |
| 2007 | $3.63B | $632 | $1,770 | 3.7% | 11.6% | 26.4% | 5.75M | 4.0% | 50.0 | 9.0% |
| 2006 | $3.26B | $580 | $1,698 | 4.3% | 10.5% | 61.9% | 5.62M | 3.9% | 49.5 | 9.5% |
| 2005 | $2.55B | $463 | $1,615 | 4.4% | 13.7% | 78.9% | 5.5M | 3.7% | 48.3 | 17.8% |
| 2004 | $2.24B | $418 | $1,541 | 6.5% | 12.9% | 93.2% | 5.36M | 3.4% | 47.5 | 16.7% |
| 2003 | $2.14B | $414 | $1,458 | 9.5% | 4.0% | 99.8% | 5.18M | 3.9% | 46.8 | 14.1% |
| 2002 | $1.93B | $389 | $1,360 | 26.5% | 0.1% | 99.8% | 4.97M | 3.9% | 46.2 | 8.7% |
| 2001 | $1.68B | $358 | $1,121 | −6.3% | 2.6% | 113.5% | 4.69M | 4.2% | 45.4 | 8.0% |
| 2000 | $636M | $144 | $1,242 | 6.7% | −0.9% | 4.42M | 4.1% | 44.8 | 18.1% | |
| 1999 | $669M | $155 | $1,167 | −2.0% | 34.1% | 4.32M | 4.3% | 42.0 | 13.8% | |
| 1998 | $672M | $157 | $1,180 | 1.8% | 36.0% | 4.3M | 4.2% | 42.7 | 14.1% | |
| 1997 | $850M | $200 | $1,157 | −5.9% | 14.6% | 4.25M | 4.4% | 43.6 | 13.2% | |
| 1996 | $942M | $224 | $1,225 | 1.8% | 23.1% | 4.2M | 4.3% | 43.5 | 17.4% | |
| 1995 | $871M | $208 | $1,187 | −8.0% | 26.0% | 4.18M | 4.3% | 42.6 | 18.6% | |
| 1994 | $912M | $219 | $1,266 | −1.9% | 24.2% | 4.17M | 4.5% | 42.8 | 29.5% | |
| 1993 | $769M | $185 | $1,269 | 1.4% | 22.2% | 4.16M | 4.4% | 43.4 | 24.3% | |
| 1992 | $680M | $163 | $1,220 | −19.0% | 65.5% | 4.17M | 4.4% | 43.5 | 31.6% | |
| 1991 | $780M | $184 | $1,445 | 2.4% | 102.7% | 4.25M | 4.1% | 43.3 | 31.2% | |
| 1990 | $650M | $155 | $1,382 | 3.3% | 110.9% | 4.2M | 43.7 | 34.7% | ||
| 1989 | $933M | $231 | 0.7% | 60.8% | 4.03M | 43.7 | 23.9% | |||
| 1988 | $1.06B | $268 | −7.1% | 34.3% | 3.93M | 43.8 | 28.7% | |||
| 1987 | $660M | $172 | 7.2% | 178.7% | 3.83M | 43.7 | 32.0% | |||
| 1986 | $490M | $131 | 1.2% | 80.9% | 3.73M | 43.5 | 11.9% | |||
| 1985 | $857M | $236 | −5.3% | 76.6% | 3.64M | 43.6 | 14.8% | |||
| 1984 | $1.09B | $306 | 4.1% | 66.6% | 3.56M | 43.6 | 10.6% | |||
| 1983 | $995M | $286 | −2.1% | 68.5% | 3.48M | 43.5 | 11.1% | |||
| 1982 | $1.3B | $380 | 4.8% | 26.9% | 3.41M | 43.3 | 15.8% | |||
| 1981 | $1.11B | $334 | 2.9% | 23.4% | 3.34M | 43.1 | 23.0% | |||
| 1980 | $1.1B | $336 | 4.8% | 12.9% | 3.27M | 42.8 | 22.9% | |||
| 1979 | $1.11B | $346 | 4.5% | 3.21M | 42.5 | 19.9% | ||||
| 1978 | $961M | $305 | 2.4% | 3.15M | 42.2 | 19.8% | ||||
| 1977 | $692M | $224 | 0.0% | 3.09M | 41.8 | 19.7% | ||||
| 1976 | $595M | $196 | −0.4% | 3.03M | 41.4 | 21.5% | ||||
| 1975 | $679M | $228 | 1.7% | 2.97M | 41.0 | 25.1% | ||||
| 1974 | $649M | $222 | 3.5% | 2.92M | 40.4 | 24.1% | ||||
| 1973 | $575M | $201 | 2.3% | 2.87M | 40.0 | 24.6% | ||||
| 1972 | $465M | $165 | 0.9% | 2.81M | 39.5 | 27.8% | ||||
| 1971 | $420M | $152 | 3.5% | 2.76M | 39.1 | 31.3% | ||||
| 1970 | $434M | $160 | 8.6% | 2.71M | 38.6 | 31.0% | ||||
| 1969 | $409M | $154 | 8.5% | 2.66M | 38.2 | 27.6% | ||||
| 1968 | $330M | $126 | 2.0% | 2.61M | 37.8 | 23.7% | ||||
| 1967 | $349M | $136 | 0.0% | 2.56M | 37.3 | 27.1% | ||||
| 1966 | $375M | $149 | 1.7% | 2.51M | 36.6 | 27.8% | ||||
| 1965 | $359M | $146 | 7.2% | 2.47M | 35.9 | 28.9% | ||||
| 1964 | $372M | $153 | 6.7% | 2.42M | 35.3 | 29.1% | ||||
| 1963 | $349M | $146 | 1.7% | 2.38M | 34.7 | |||||
| 1962 | $343M | $146 | 4.5% | 2.34M | 34.2 | |||||
| 1961 | $328M | $142 | 1.8% | 2.3M | 33.6 | |||||
| 1960 | $322M | $142 | 2.27M | 33.1 |
e: IMF estimate; f: IMF forecast. Inflation: IMF data for 1980–2006, World Bank for the other years.
Nearby economies in Sub-Saharan Africa
Nearest by distance between capitals, with GDP per capita.
Angola · Benin · Botswana · Burkina Faso · Burundi · Cabo Verde · Cameroon · Central African Republic · Chad · Comoros · Côte d’Ivoire · DR Congo · Equatorial Guinea · Eritrea · Eswatini · Ethiopia · Gabon · Gambia · Ghana · Guinea · Guinea-Bissau · Kenya · Lesotho · Liberia · Madagascar · Malawi · Mali · Mauritania · Mauritius · Mozambique · Namibia · Niger · Nigeria · Republic of the Congo · Rwanda · Senegal · Seychelles · Sierra Leone · Somalia · South Africa · South Sudan · Sudan · São Tomé and Príncipe · Tanzania · Togo · Uganda · Zambia · Zimbabwe
Rankings
GDP by country · GDP per capita · Real GDP growth · Inflation by country · Government debt to GDP · Stock market to GDP · Population by country · Unemployment by country
Data and methods
- GDP: gross domestic product in current US dollars, converted from the local currency at market exchange rates (World Bank); not adjusted for inflation.
- Purchasing power parity (PPP): GDP per person in international dollars, which buy the same basket of goods and services in every country. It compares living standards across countries in the same year; it is not adjusted for inflation over time.
- In 2025 dollars: the charts can remove US inflation (US consumer price index, annual average) so that dollar amounts from different years compare in today's money. Exchange rate swings still show.
- Growth and inflation: World Bank data (calendar years). Years the World Bank does not cover yet, and the estimates and forecasts, come from the IMF World Economic Outlook (October 2026): its forecasts start in 2026, and the years after a country's last actual year are IMF estimates.
- Government debt: gross debt of the general government (central, state and local government and social security funds) as a percentage of GDP, IMF. The World Bank's central government debt is narrower and covers fewer countries.
- Stock market capitalization: the end-of-year value of domestic companies listed on the country's exchanges (World Federation of Exchanges via the World Bank; before 2016, Standard & Poor's), as a percentage of GDP: the “Buffett indicator”. Investment funds are excluded, and so are companies listed only abroad; companies from elsewhere that list on an exchange count for its country (Hong Kong lists many mainland Chinese companies).
- Unemployment: ILO modeled estimates (share of the labor force); comparable across countries, but they may differ from national figures.
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0)
Source: International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook (October 2026)