Country profile · Sub-Saharan Africa · LIC
🇸🇱 Sierra Leone
Low income. Capital Freetown. Lower-third GDP/cap (LIC · MID) - 40 series with wider survey lag risk.
- 8.6 million
- Population
- $7 billion
- GDP
- $807
- GDP / capita
- 62.0 years
- Life expectancy
Lower-third GDP/cap · MID
Sierra Leone ranks 166th of 217 by total GDP and 206th for life expectancy - a low income economy in Sub-Saharan Africa.
- #166
- World GDP rank (of 217)
- $807
- GDP per capita
- #206
- Life-expectancy rank
- #100
- Population rank
Sierra Leone lands in the lower third of GDP/cap (#203 of 214) - LIC · MID - so national averages need rural/urban caution.
Sierra Leone vs all countries by total GDP
Where this economy's World Bank total GDP sits among every country with a positive observation (inventory signal, not a virtue ranking)
$6,971,127,234 166th of 214 higher than 48 of 214 countries
Countries banded by World Bank total GDP (current US$)
Each bar is a $0.001K-wide band; taller bars hold more countries. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source World Bank, GDP (current US$) · 2026-08-14
Sierra Leone on the global income map
Sierra Leone (SLE) sits in the lower GDP/cap third - plotted with largest peers; bubble area = population.
- Sierra Leone: GDP per capita $807 (2024), life expectancy 62.0 years (2024), low income.
- India: GDP per capita $2,695 (2024), life expectancy 72.2 years (2024), lower-middle income.
- China: GDP per capita $13,303 (2024), life expectancy 78.0 years (2024), upper-middle income.
- United States: GDP per capita $84,534 (2024), life expectancy 78.9 years (2024), high income, OECD member.
- Indonesia: GDP per capita $4,925 (2024), life expectancy 71.3 years (2024), upper-middle income.
- Pakistan: GDP per capita $1,479 (2024), life expectancy 67.8 years (2024), lower-middle income.
- Nigeria: GDP per capita $1,084 (2024), life expectancy 54.6 years (2024), low income.
- Brazil: GDP per capita $10,311 (2024), life expectancy 76.0 years (2024), upper-middle income.
- Bangladesh: GDP per capita $2,593 (2024), life expectancy 74.9 years (2024), lower-middle income.
- Russian Federation: GDP per capita $14,889 (2024), life expectancy 73.4 years (2024), high income.
- Ethiopia: GDP per capita $1,134 (2024), life expectancy 67.6 years (2024), low income.
- Mexico: GDP per capita $14,186 (2024), life expectancy 75.3 years (2024), high income, OECD member.
- Japan: GDP per capita $32,487 (2024), life expectancy 84.0 years (2024), high income, OECD member.
- Egypt, Arab Rep.: GDP per capita $3,338 (2024), life expectancy 71.8 years (2024), lower-middle income.
- Philippines: GDP per capita $3,985 (2024), life expectancy 69.9 years (2024), lower-middle income.
- Congo, Dem. Rep.: GDP per capita $693 (2024), life expectancy 62.1 years (2024), low income.
- Viet Nam: GDP per capita $4,717 (2024), life expectancy 74.7 years (2024), upper-middle income.
- Iran, Islamic Rep.: GDP per capita $5,190 (2024), life expectancy 77.9 years (2024), upper-middle income.
- Turkiye: GDP per capita $15,893 (2024), life expectancy 77.4 years (2024), high income, OECD member.
- Germany: GDP per capita $56,104 (2024), life expectancy 80.8 years (2024), high income, OECD member.
- Thailand: GDP per capita $7,387 (2024), life expectancy 76.6 years (2024), upper-middle income.
- United Kingdom: GDP per capita $53,246 (2024), life expectancy 81.4 years (2024), high income, OECD member.
- Tanzania: GDP per capita $1,193 (2024), life expectancy 67.2 years (2024), lower-middle income.
- France: GDP per capita $46,103 (2024), life expectancy 83.0 years (2024), high income, OECD member.
- South Africa: GDP per capita $6,267 (2024), life expectancy 66.3 years (2024), upper-middle income.
- Italy: GDP per capita $40,385 (2024), life expectancy 84.0 years (2024), high income, OECD member.
- Kenya: GDP per capita $2,133 (2024), life expectancy 63.8 years (2024), lower-middle income.
- Myanmar: GDP per capita $1,359 (2024), life expectancy 67.1 years (2024), lower-middle income.
- Colombia: GDP per capita $7,951 (2024), life expectancy 77.9 years (2024), upper-middle income, OECD member.
- Korea, Rep.: GDP per capita $36,239 (2024), life expectancy 83.6 years (2024), high income, OECD member.
- Sudan: GDP per capita $985 (2024), life expectancy 66.5 years (2024), low income.
Overview
Sierra Leone has a population of 8.6 million, making it the 100th-most populous country out of 217 tracked in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Its economy totals $7 billion - ranked 166th globally by total GDP. GDP per capita stands at $807, placing it in the Low income category.
Life expectancy at birth is 62.0 years (ranked 206th globally), reflecting overall health outcomes as measured by the World Bank.
The capital is Freetown.
👥 Demographics
💰 Economy
🏥 Health
📚 Education
🌍 Environment
🏗️ Infrastructure
⚖️ Social
🌐 Livability Score
One composite verdict from 5 of 5 World Bank series (life expectancy, under-5 mortality, electricity access, clean-water access, homicide rate), each benchmarked against every country tracking that series. A missing series never silently drags the score down: its weight redistributes across the series Sierra Leone does report.
- Life expectancy: 2.5 of 13
- Under-5 mortality: 0.0 of 13
- Access to electricity: 1.4 of 13
- Access to clean water: 1.0 of 13
- Safety (homicide rate): 8.4 of 13
All indicators for Sierra Leone
40 latest observations from World Bank WDI, WHO GHO, and ILO ILOSTAT (vintage through 2026-08-14). Values match the topic cards above; this table is the machine-readable export view analysts expect on a country profile.
🫀 Disease Burden
Malaria still registers on Sierra Leone (76.9 per 100,000 vs fleet midpoint 0.3). Profiles where that cell is zero drop the card entirely. Summary metrics use 2021 data; cause-specific cards show their own observation year.
Non-communicable Diseases
Communicable & Maternal
Sources: WHO Global Health Observatory. NCD mortality rate: 2021. Rates are age-standardized per 100,000 population. Premature NCD risk covers cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, and chronic respiratory disease.
Compare Sierra Leone with near GDP/cap peers
Side-by-side pages for the closest ABS GDP/cap neighbours - not a full-roster dropdown.
Read with Sierra Leone
Nearest GDP/cap peers and LE poles for Sierra Leone (LIC · MID), replacing the old fixed guide and region clone strip.
LIC MID
Liberia · LIC
Liberia GDP/cap $851 is higher by $45 than Sierra Leone; LE stamp MID vs MID.
Gambia, The · LIC
Gambia, The GDP/cap $871 is higher by $65 than Sierra Leone; LE stamp MID vs MID.
Niger · LIC
Niger GDP/cap $730 is lower by $77 than Sierra Leone; LE stamp MID vs MID.
Congo, Dem. Rep. · LIC
Congo, Dem. Rep. GDP/cap $693 is lower by $114 than Sierra Leone; LE stamp MID vs MID.
Sub-Saharan Africa WDI roster
Sierra Leone stamps LIC · MID inside Sub-Saharan Africa - open the region roster after the ABS peers.
GDP/cap leaderboard (#203)
Sierra Leone ranks #203 of 214 on NY.GDP.PCAP.CD under the LIC Atlas band.
What the data says about Sierra Leone
Statistical infrastructure in low-income economies like Sierra Leone typically relies more heavily on household surveys and modeled estimates than on continuous administrative registration, so several figures on this profile carry a wider margin of uncertainty and a longer lag between the reference year and today than a high-income country's data would. With a small population, a single survey round or a change in methodology can shift Sierra Leone's reported figures noticeably from one release to the next, independent of any real change on the ground. Where a field on this page reads "N/A," it usually means the relevant international agency has not yet published a recent estimate for Sierra Leone, not that the underlying condition doesn't exist.
Sierra Leone lands in the lower third of GDP/cap (#203 of 214) - LIC · MID - so national averages need rural/urban caution.
Sierra Leone's 8.6 million people and $7 billion GDP (166th) yield $807 per person in the lower GDP/cap third. Life expectancy 62.0 years (206th, MID) and survey lag both matter when reading single-year cells. 40 official points sit in the tables.
Nearest ABS GDP/cap peer: Liberia at $851 (Δ $45). Open that profile or the GDP/cap leaderboard before treating any single year as destiny.
What to do with Sierra Leone's numbers
Sierra Leone is classified LIC with MID. Use that context before comparing any single figure to another country.
- Compare Sierra Leone directly against any other country, side by side, on the indicators that matter to you. Compare countries
- See exactly where Sierra Leone ranks among all 217 tracked countries on a specific indicator, not just the ones shown here. Indicator rank finder
- Learn the common mistakes people make citing country statistics before you quote a number from this page. Reading country profiles
Figures above are sourced from World Bank, WHO, and ILO (OECD where applicable) as cited below; always verify against the primary source before citing a specific number.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where does the data for Sierra Leone come from?
Data for Sierra Leone is sourced from the World Bank Open Data catalog, WHO Global Health Observatory, and ILO ILOSTAT (for average wages and working hours). These are official, publicly available datasets.
How current is the data for Sierra Leone?
Survey lag is the binding caveat on Sierra Leone: several WDI/WHO cells trail the LIC headline year. Each table cell prints its own observation year; methodology lists cadence per source.
Can I compare Sierra Leone with other countries?
Start with the nearest GDP/cap peer (Liberia, Δ $45), then the GDP/cap leaderboard. Incomplete compare URLs 404 rather than dumping you on a hub.
What does GDP per capita tell us about Sierra Leone?
Sierra Leone's total output divided by its population, in current US dollars - an approximate read on average economic productivity per person. See our methodology page for the PPP-adjustment caveats.
How does Sierra Leone's life expectancy compare to the global average?
62.0 years, ranking 206th of 217 countries tracked - against a global average near 73 years.
Does PlainCountries cover visa or travel information for Sierra Leone?
No - PlainCountries covers development and health indicators only. For immigration policy or flight routes, consult the relevant national authority or the ICAO/IATA route registries directly.
Data sources
Sierra Leone's figures are rendered directly from World Bank, WHO, and ILO data, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-08-14. Primary sources: World Bank Open Data, WHO Global Health Observatory and ILO ILOSTAT.