English
Flag of Sierra Leone

Sierra Leone: capital, population, area and flag

Sierra Leone is a country in Western Africa (Africa). Its capital is Freetown. The population is about 8.82M (#100 of 193) and the area is about 72,300 km² (#117 of 193).

Key facts

Capital
Freetown
Region
Africa / Western Africa
Population
8,819,794 (2025) #100 of 193
Total area
72,300 km² (2024) #117 of 193
Population density
119.7 people/km² (2024) #73 of 193
GDP (total)
$7.46B (2025) #154 of 189
GDP per capita
$846 (2025) #180 of 189
Life expectancy
62.0 years (2024) #182 of 193
Distance from Japan
14,343 km #13 of 192
Area compared with Japan
about 1/5 that of Japan
Population compared with Japan
about 1/14 that of Japan
Main languages
English
Currency
Sierra Leonean Leone (SLE)
Calling code
+232
Time zone (capital)
UTC+0
Time difference from Japan (standard time)
9 h behind Japan
Driving side
Right
Capital location
8.49°N 13.24°W

Population of Sierra Leone, 1950–2100 (Japanese)
See past estimates, future projections and the population pyramid in the World Population Time Machine.

Map of Sierra Leone

Map of Sierra Leone

Capital: Freetown

Sierra Leone: in the world’s top 10 for food & farming

Sierra Leone ranks among the world’s top 10 for these crops, animals, seafood and farm products (latest FAO data).

Neighbors by land

Top rankings

Sierra Leone is in the top 10 for:

Sierra Leone in world rankings

How Sierra Leone compares with other countries, indicator by indicator. Click an indicator to see the full ranking.

IndicatorValueYearRank
Geography & nature
Total area72,300 km²2024#117 of 193
Number of land borders2#109 of 193 tied
Latitude of the capital8.5°#128 of 193
Distance from Japan14,343 km#13 of 192
Forest area (share of land)34.0%2024#92 of 193
Arable land (share of land)21.9%2024#47 of 190
Protected land (share of land)12.6%2025#135 of 192
Agricultural land (share of land)55.2%2024#47 of 192
Average annual rainfall2,526 mm2022#13 of 180
Freshwater resources per person19,331 m³2022#30 of 181
Forest area24,363 km²2025#99 of 193
Marine protected areas (share of territorial waters)1.7%2025#81 of 153 tied
People & population
Population8,819,7942025#100 of 193
Population density119.7 people/km²2024#73 of 193
Population growth rate2.04%2025#46 of 193
Urban population (share of people)45.9%2025#136 of 193
Life expectancy62.0 years2024#182 of 193
Fertility rate3.70 births per woman2024#35 of 193
Infant mortality rate54.6 per 1,000 births2024#12 of 192
Birth rate30.1 per 1,000 people2024#29 of 193
Share of people aged 65 and over3.3%2025#161 of 193
Share of children aged 0–1437.7%2025#36 of 193
Life expectancy of women63.7 years2024#180 of 193
Life expectancy of men60.2 years2024#181 of 193
Maternal mortality ratio354 per 100,000 births2023#19 of 192 tied
City dwellers living in the largest city (share)34.3%2025#59 of 149
Death rate (per 1,000 people)8.2 per 1,000 people2024#69 of 193
Under-5 mortality (per 1,000 births)90.5 per 1,000 births2024#7 of 192
Population aged 15–64 (share of population)59.1%2025#151 of 193
Economy
GDP (total)$7.46B2025#154 of 189
GDP per capita$8462025#180 of 189
GDP per capita (PPP)$3,7172025#164 of 185
Economic growth rate4.6%2025#52 of 188
Inflation rate7.5%2025#34 of 179
Unemployment rate3.2%2025#136 of 178
Exports (share of GDP)20.9%2025#133 of 168
Imports (share of GDP)28.2%2025#127 of 168
Agriculture (share of GDP)29.5%2025#14 of 184
Industry (share of GDP)25.7%2025#75 of 185
Services (share of GDP)41.6%2025#167 of 185
Military spending (share of GDP)0.4%2025#148 of 155
Income inequality (Gini index)35.7 (0–100)2018#66 of 149 tied
Goods exports (total)$1.53B2025#148 of 190
Money sent home by workers abroad (share of GDP)4.6%2024#54 of 170
Women in the labor force (share of women)51.6%2025#104 of 178
Youth unemployment rate3.7%2025#164 of 178
Cereal production1,501,593 t2024#97 of 177
Cereal yield (per hectare of farmland)1,370 kg/ha2024#141 of 175
Fish and seafood production (catch + farmed)208,995 t2024#66 of 193
Fish catch (from sea, rivers and lakes)208,810 t2024#59 of 193
Aquaculture (farmed fish and seafood)185 t2024#146 of 193
Livestock production growth (2014–16 = 100)105.9 (2014–16 average = 100)2024#107 of 187
Fertilizer use (per hectare of arable land)3 kg/ha2023#176 of 187
Manufacturing (share of GDP)7.0%2024#131 of 178
Employment in agriculture (share of jobs)44.5%2025#32 of 178
High-technology exports (share of manufactured exports)0.7%2018#147 of 168
Foreign direct investment, inflows (share of GDP)2.4%2025#83 of 187
Development aid received (share of national income)7.8%2023#30 of 132
Labor force (number of people)2,934,9682025#110 of 178
Reserves of foreign currency and gold$433M2024#157 of 169
Extreme poverty (share living on less than $3.00 a day)41.5%2018#15 of 132
Daily life & technology
Internet users (share of people)25.1%2024#170 of 186
Mobile phone subscriptions107.9 per 100 people2022#119 of 193
Access to electricity (share of people)39.2%2024#183 of 193
Health spending (share of GDP)4.7%2023#130 of 192
Education spending (share of GDP)2.6%2023#150 of 179
Doctors0.13 per 1,000 people2022#174 of 188 tied
Women in parliament (share of seats)29.5%2025#80 of 192
Fixed broadband subscriptions0.0 per 100 people2021#190 of 192
Safe drinking water (share of people)10.9%2024#133 of 136
Safe sanitation (share of people)16.8%2024#123 of 136
Undernourishment (share of people)25.3%2024#14 of 165
Clean cooking fuels (share of people)2.0%2024#182 of 192 tied
Road traffic deaths33.0 per 100,000 people2019#14 of 183 tied
Measles vaccination (share of children)90.0%2024#92 of 192 tied
Secondary school enrollment (gross)86.9%2023#111 of 180
Primary school completion rate99.2%2024#42 of 172
Nurses and midwives (per 1,000 people)1.16 per 1,000 people2022#155 of 190
Tuberculosis cases (per 100,000 people)372 per 100,000 people2024#16 of 191
Health spending per person$362023#179 of 192
Container port traffic (TEU)78,413 TEU2019#122 of 150
Environment
Renewable electricity (share of power)75.3%2021#35 of 187
CO₂ emissions per person0.2 t CO₂e per person2024#170 of 186
CO₂ emissions (total)1.5 Mt CO₂e2024#153 of 186
Air pollution (PM2.5)22.5 µg/m³2023#69 of 192
Renewable energy (share of final energy use)71.6%2022#25 of 191
Electricity from nuclear power (share of total)0.0%2021#33 of 190 tied
Electricity from hydropower (share of total)70.5%2021#28 of 190
Greenhouse gas emissions (total)7.9 Mt CO₂e2024#147 of 186
Freshwater withdrawal (share of internal resources)0.1%2022#167 of 175
Food & farming
Rice: production1,390,800 t2024#35 of 114
Maize (corn): production27,443 t2024#120 of 160
Sorghum: production60,000 t2024#45 of 107
Millet: production7,445 t2024#51 of 73
Cassava: production2,855,436 t2024#22 of 92
Sweet potatoes: production254,823 t2024#32 of 105
Yams: production87,620 t2024#20 of 56
Soybeans: production7,485 t2024#70 of 101
Groundnuts (peanuts): production101,389 t2024#35 of 108
Lentils: production2,600 t2024#23 of 43
Dry peas: production3,754 t2024#61 of 95
Coconuts: production7,838 t2024#57 of 79
Palm oil: production85,800 t2023#25 of 45
Tomatoes: production20,448 t2024#112 of 164
Cabbages: production340 t2024#135 of 143
Cucumbers (with gherkins): production184,939 t2024#28 of 130
Eggplants (aubergines): production3,000 t2024#64 of 94
Green chilies and sweet peppers: production35,478 t2024#59 of 124
Mangoes (with guavas and mangosteens): production32,986 t2024#50 of 96
Coffee: production2,208 t2024#50 of 74
Cocoa beans: production93,750 t2024#9 of 58
Tea: production4,800 t2024#30 of 45
Sugar cane: production83,182 t2024#77 of 93
Tobacco: production48 t2024#113 of 117
Beef (cattle meat): production11,277 t2024#129 of 181
Pork (pig meat): production1,937 t2024#125 of 164
Chicken meat: production18,322 t2024#127 of 183
Cow’s milk: production153,285 t2024#120 of 178
Hen eggs: production11,580 t2024#113 of 167
Honey: production2,240 t2024#69 of 122
Sheep meat (mutton and lamb): production1,880 t2024#108 of 172
Goat meat: production1,764 t2024#94 of 164
Nile tilapia: production140 t2024#58 of 79
African sharptooth catfish: production45 t2024#50 of 63
European anchovy: production90 t2024#25 of 36
Largehead hairtail (cutlassfish): production860 t2024#25 of 44
Shrimps and prawns: production570 t2024#77 of 114
Crabs: production820 t2024#46 of 97 tied
Lobsters: production90 t2024#61 of 91
Squids, cuttlefish and octopuses: production140 t2024#67 of 102
Tunas, bonitos and billfishes: production2,020 t2024#84 of 133
Tilapias and other cichlids: production140 t2024#80 of 119
Herrings, sardines and anchovies: production114,750 t2024#27 of 108
Flatfishes (flounders, halibuts, soles): production1,410 t2024#40 of 91
Sharks and rays: production4,590 t2024#29 of 127
Cattle: number of animals682,125 animals2024#115 of 183
Pigs: number of animals307,970 animals2024#91 of 165
Chickens: number of animals26,940,000 birds2024#87 of 181
Sheep: number of animals934,780 animals2024#79 of 173
Goats: number of animals807,401 animals2024#83 of 180
Horses: number of animals444,910 animals2024#23 of 143
Ducks: number of animals1,752,000 birds2024#28 of 80

Questions about Sierra Leone

What is the capital of Sierra Leone?

The capital of Sierra Leone is Freetown.

What is the population of Sierra Leone?

Sierra Leone has a population of about 8.82M (2025), #100 of 193 among countries.

How big is Sierra Leone?

Sierra Leone covers about 72,300 km², #117 of 193 among countries.

Which continent is Sierra Leone in?

Sierra Leone is in Africa, in the region of Western Africa.

What currency and languages are used in Sierra Leone?

The currency is the Sierra Leonean Leone. Main languages: English.

How does Sierra Leone compare with Japan in size and population?

The area of Sierra Leone is about 1/5 that of Japan, and its population is about 1/14 that of Japan.

How far is Sierra Leone from Japan?

The capital, Freetown, is about 14,343 km from Tokyo, the capital of Japan, in a straight line.

What is the time difference between Sierra Leone and Japan?

The capital, Freetown, is on UTC+0 in standard time: 9 h behind Japan.

More countries in Western Africa

Play with Sierra Leone

Test what you learned in the quiz.

Map puzzle Quiz Rankings

Back to top