As a relatively new country, the growth rate in Sierra Leone has been above average throughout its history, and the steady increase in population is still going on today and the annual rate of change has been over 2% since around the turn of the century. The median age in Sierra Leone is 18.5 years, which is disproportionately young and makes for a very young working population. The average woman gives birth to roughly 4.5 children, and this high birth rate is the cause of the substantial growth rate in the country.
The annual growth rate in Sierra Leone is not expected to remain over 2% for much longer. Current projections believe that the rate of growth will peak at 2.14% in 2020 before declining towards 1.22% by the year 2050- a fairly drastic drop. The population numbers will still change pretty drastically during this time, however. The same set of predictions state that the population of Sierra Leone will be 8,046,931 in 2020, 9,719,531 in 2030, 11,403,087 in 2040 and 12,971,626 by the year 2050.
| Sierra Leone Population (as of 8/16/2024) | 8,664,958 |
| Last UN Estimate (July 1, 2024) | 8,642,022 |
| Births per Day | 712 |
| Deaths per Day | 194 |
| Migrations per Day | -30 |
| Net Change per Day | 488 |
| Population Change Since Jan. 1 | 111,752 |
Net increase of 1 person every 2.95 minutes
Population estimates based on interpolation of data from World Population Prospects
| One birth every 2.02 minutes | |
| One death every 7.42 minutes | |
| One emigrant every 48 minutes | |
| Net gain of one person every 2.95 minutes |
City | 2024 Population |
|---|---|
| Freetown | 802,639 |
| Bo | 174,354 |
| Kenema | 143,137 |
| Koidu | 88,000 |
| Makeni | 87,679 |
| Lunsar | 22,461 |
| Port Loko | 21,308 |
| Waterloo | 19,750 |
| Kabala | 17,948 |
| Segbwema | 16,532 |
Sierra Leone is a West African country along the Atlantic Ocean, bordering Liberia and Guinea. The land itself is broken up into four quadrants: Guinean mangroves (essentially swamps along the coastline), forested hills, plateaus high above sea level, and mountains in the east. Sierra Leone is a rapidly growing country with an estimated population of 7.557 million, up from 5.5 million in 2008, within 27,699 square miles (71,740 square kilometers) of area, ranking Sierra Leone 103rd in terms of population, and 120th in terms of area. Using these figured, the population density of Sierra Leone is 273 people per square mile (105 people per square kilometer), which ranks 87th in the world for population density.
35% of people living in Sierra Leone live in urban areas, and as such there aren't many large cities in the country. The Western Area Urban District, which includes the capital and largest city Freetown, has a population of 853,651 and a population density of 1,224 people per square kilometers, while the Koinadugu district in the north has a population density of 21 people per square kilometer. The second most populous city, found in the southern portion of the country, is Bo with a population of 233,684. Bo is very diverse and is the home to one of the nation's most prestigious universities. The only two other cities with populations over 100,000 are Kenema and Makeni.
Year | Population | Growth Rate | Density (/km²) | Population Rank | Density Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 8,642,022 | 2.25% | 120 | 102 | 99 |
| 2023 | 8,460,512 | 2.29% | 117 | 102 | 99 |
| 2020 | 7,912,558 | 2.33% | 110 | 102 | 103 |
| 2019 | 7,731,991 | 2.35% | 107 | 102 | 105 |
| 2018 | 7,554,563 | 2.38% | 105 | 102 | 108 |
| 2017 | 7,379,299 | 2.42% | 102 | 103 | 110 |
| 2015 | 7,037,655 | 2.49% | 98 | 105 | 111 |
| 2010 | 6,222,714 | 2.49% | 86 | 107 | 116 |
| 2005 | 5,501,712 | 4.46% | 76 | 107 | 119 |
| 2000 | 4,423,611 | 1.14% | 61 | 115 | 131 |
| 1995 | 4,179,179 | -0.08% | 58 | 118 | 129 |
| 1990 | 4,196,828 | 2.9% | 58 | 113 | 125 |
| 1985 | 3,638,438 | 2.15% | 50 | 114 | 126 |
| 1980 | 3,272,089 | 1.92% | 45 | 115 | 125 |
| 1975 | 2,974,657 | 1.86% | 41 | 115 | 123 |
| 1970 | 2,712,286 | 1.9% | 38 | 116 | 125 |
| 1965 | 2,468,666 | 1.71% | 34 | 114 | 122 |
| 1960 | 2,268,356 | 1.35% | 31 | 112 | 121 |
| 1955 | 2,120,889 | 1.19% | 29 | 111 | 121 |
Year | Population | Growth Rate | Density (/km²) | Population Rank | Density Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 8,642,022 | 2.25% | 120 | 102 | 99 |
| 2025 | 8,819,794 | 2.2% | 122 | 102 | 98 |
| 2030 | 9,694,858 | 1.91% | 134 | 98 | 95 |
| 2035 | 10,563,167 | 1.73% | 146 | 94 | 89 |
| 2040 | 11,398,400 | 1.53% | 158 | 92 | 88 |
| 2045 | 12,208,880 | 1.38% | 169 | 91 | 86 |
| 2050 | 12,948,325 | 1.18% | 179 | 91 | 82 |
| 2055 | 13,629,114 | 1.03% | 189 | 89 | 80 |
| 2060 | 14,219,379 | 0.85% | 197 | 89 | 79 |
| 2065 | 14,732,950 | 0.71% | 204 | 88 | 76 |
| 2070 | 15,177,973 | 0.6% | 210 | 87 | 74 |
| 2075 | 15,507,865 | 0.43% | 215 | 89 | 74 |
| 2080 | 15,751,833 | 0.31% | 218 | 88 | 72 |
| 2085 | 15,913,301 | 0.2% | 220 | 88 | 72 |
| 2090 | 15,996,608 | 0.1% | 222 | 87 | 71 |
| 2095 | 16,002,503 | 0.01% | 222 | 88 | 71 |
19.1
Total
18.5
Male
19.7
Female
There are people over age 18 in Sierra Leone.
Year | Date |
|---|---|
| 2015 | 18 December 2015 |
| 2004 | 4 December 2004 |
| 1985 | 15 December 1985 |
Sierra Leone has 16 different ethnic groups, each with a different language. The largest ethnic group is the Temne (35%), followed by the Mende (31%). The Temne are dominant in the Northern Sierra Leone and areas around the capital, while the Mende live mostly in the South-Eastern Sierra Leone and the Kono District.
The third-largest ethnic group is the Limba (8%), who are native to the area and live in Northern Sierra Leone. The fourth group are the Fula (7%), who are descendants of Fulani migrant settlers from the 17th and 18th century who came from Guinea.
Other major ethnic groups include the Mandingo (2%), who are descended from Guinea traders; the Kono (5%), who are also descended from Guinea migrants; and the Krio (2%) people, who are descendants of freed African American, West Indian and Liberated African slaves and make up 3% of the population.
Smaller ethnic groups include the Kuranko, who arrived in the area around 1600; the Loko (2%), who are native to Sierra Leone; the Kissi, and the Sherbro.
Sierra Leone has a young population with 42% of its population under 15, and a rural population with 62% of people living outside of the cities. Sierra Leone is one of the poorest countries in the world that is facing many challenges. It has one of the highest youth unemployment rates in West Africa (60%), much of its drinking water is collected from polluted sources, one of the worst literacy rates in Africa and health problems that include HIV/AIDS, malaria, and yellow fever. About 81% of its population lives in poverty.
There is no official religious affiliation in Sierra Leone, but nearly everyone living there is either Muslim or Christian. About 78% of the population are Muslims, while Christians make up 21% of the population. Although there isn't a state religion, it is common to find Christian prayers said during the beginning of political occasions. Within the Muslim population, almost all of them are of the Sunni denomination. Religious violence is rare, and Sierra Leone is known as one of the world's most religiously tolerant nations, with Christians and Muslims regularly working together peacefully. Any civil disputes in the country were never religiously motivated.
The economy in Sierra Leone has always been heavily reliant on mineral mining, and it has kept the economy from being able to flourish under the attitude that gold and diamonds are enough of a backbone for the economy of an entire nation. Consequently, the country is heavily reliant upon foreign aid. Agriculture is also an important part of the economy, accounting for 58% of the country's GDP, and employing 80% of the people living there. Rice is Sierra Leone's most common export.
Officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, the country has its government divided into executive, legislative, and judicial branches. The country itself is broken down into 149 chiefdoms, small local units of government.
Sierra Leone did not become independent, free from Britain, until 1961, and its population history is understandably pretty short. The country was declared a republic in 1971 and shortly after a constitution was written declaring the country a single-party state with the All People's Congress being the only legal party. As with many new countries, Sierra Leone experienced a period of civil war shortly after its formation in 1991 when Foday Sankoh, a former army corporal, rebelled against the president and began capturing towns on the border with Liberia. The civil war lasted several years but led to an amended constitution allowing for multiple parties.
An Ebola outbreak hit Sierra Leone in 2014, killing more than 700, forcing the country to declare a state of emergency, forcing people to stay indoors for three days. The World Health Organization declared that the emergency had cleared by 2016.