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The African Exponent DATA

Country

🇸🇱 Sierra Leone

SL · SLE Sierra Leonean leone · Compare Sierra Leone →

Policy rate not yet covered
Headline inflation 14.89% Jul 2026
FX premium not yet covered
Latest T-bill 13.21% 182-day · 15 Jun 2026

Tier 1 · Markets

The Market Now

Series Per US$1 As of Source
Official not yet covered
Marketparallel 24.46 27 Sep 2026, 00:35 UTC Binance P2P
Premium not yet covered

Official rate, 10-year annual average (World Bank)

4.512.8212014201820202023

Download CSV — FX history · Download CSV — official rate, annual

Tier 2 · Policy & Prices

Policy & Prices

Policy rate

not yet covered

Inflation

Series YoY Period Source
Headline 14.89% Jul 2026 Source

As of 12 Sep 2026, 20:22 UTC

Download CSV — headline

Yield curve

yield BSL

182-day 13.21% 15 Jun 2026
364-day 17.07% 15 Jun 2026

Steep — 364-day above 182-day.

as of 15 Jun 2026

Download CSV — auction history

Tier 3 · Structure

Structure & trajectory

Annual indicators, latest available year on each card · Sources: World Bank / UN / IMF WEO Oct 2025 / V-Dem / EIA

17 of 25 indicators improving improving

Rule: for each metric with at least two observations, direction is the sign of (latest − earliest). Child mortality, $3/day poverty, national poverty, debt service, debt-to-GDP, and the Gini index are inverted (a decline is improvement). Overall: improving if ≥60% of those metrics improved, mixed if 40–60%, worsening if <40%.

Population

8.8M · 2025

7M7.9M8.8M201520172019202120232025

↑ 1.9M since 2014

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GDP per capita (PPP)

$3,717 · 2025

$2,500$3,100$3,700201520172019202120232025

↑ $954.85 since 2014

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GDP per capita growth

2.5% · 2025

-7%0%4%201520172019202120232025

↑ 12.5 pts since 2014

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Life expectancy

62 years · 2024

545862201420162018202020222024

↑ 7.7 years since 2014

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Child mortality

90.5 per 1,000 · 2024

90115140201420162018202020222024

↓ 45.4 since 2014

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Internet users

25.1% · 2024

6%15.5%25%201420162018202020222024

↑ 19 pts since 2014

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Manufacturing share of GDP

7% · 2024

5.2%6.5%7.7%201420162018202020222024

↑ 1.7 pts since 2014

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Electricity access

39.2% · 2024

18%28.5%39%201420162018202020222024

↑ 20.4 pts since 2014

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Adult literacy

43.6% · 2019

43%46%49%201420152016201720182019

↓ 0.8 pts since 2014

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Debt service / exports

9.5% · 2024

2.3%9.7%17%201420162018202020222024

↑ 7.2 pts since 2014

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Exports of goods and services

$1.6B · 2024

$560M$1.1B$1.6B201420162018202020222024

↑ $94.5M since 2014

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GDP growth

4.6% · 2025

-5%0%7%201520172019202120232025

↑ 12.4 pts since 2014

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GDP

$7.5B · 2025

$5.7B$6.6B$7.5B201520172019202120232025

↓ $222M since 2014

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Unemployment

3.1% · 2025

3%3.8%4.5%201520172019202120232025

↓ 1.5 pts since 2014

ILO modeled estimate — national definitions differ

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FDI inflows

$121.8M · 2024

$51M$230.5M$410M201420162018202020222024

↓ $253.3M since 2014

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Remittances

$320.8M · 2024

$48M$184M$320M201420162018202020222024

↑ $258.4M since 2014

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External debt

$2.3B · 2024

$1.4B$1.9B$2.5B201420162018202020222024

↑ $896.5M since 2014

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Agriculture share of GDP

29.5% · 2025

29%32%35%201520172019202120232025

↓ 2.4 pts since 2014

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Services share of GDP

41.6% · 2025

41%43.5%46%201520172019202120232025

↓ 0.2 pts since 2014

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Investment rate

23.2% · 2025

15%19%23%201520172019202120232025

↑ 7.4 pts since 2014

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Terms of trade

103.00 · 2024

100.00110.00120.00201420162018202020222024

↓ 16.90 since 2014

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FX reserves

$433.3M · 2024

$430M$690M$950M201420162018202020222024

↓ $167.5M since 2014

includes gold

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Lending rate

21.4% · 2025

15%18%21%201520172019202120232025

↑ 2 pts since 2014

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Deposit rate

7% · 2025

4.4%5.7%7%201520172019202120232025

↑ 0.4 pts since 2014

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Health expenditure

4.7% · 2023

4.7%9.8%15%2014201820202023

↓ 10.4 pts since 2014

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Physicians

0.1 per 1,000 · 2022

0.0330.08150.1320182019202020212022

↑ 0.1 since 2018

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Tertiary enrollment

not available

Tourist arrivals

71,000 · 2019

31,00051,00071,000201420152016201720182019

↑ 18,000 since 2014

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Account ownership

38.6% · 2024

15%27%39%201420162018202020222024

↑ 23 pts since 2014

Findex · every 3–4 years

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Exports per capita derived

$184.88 · 2024

$70$145$220201420162018202020222024

↓ $33.73 since 2014

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Median age

19.3 years · 2023

1718192014201820202023

↑ 1.8 years since 2014

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Government revenue / GDP

13.7% · 2026

9.3%11.7%14%201620182020202220242026

↑ 2.9 pts since 2014

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Debt to GDP

44.3% · 2026

26%40%54%20142017202020232026

↑ 17.5 pts since 2014

Source: IMF WEO · latest 1–2 years are IMF estimates

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Gross debt (national currency)

SLE 85.7T · 2026

SLE 7.9TSLE 47.0TSLE 86.0T20142017202020232026

↑ SLE 77.8T since 2014

Source: IMF WEO · latest 1–2 years are IMF estimates

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Current account / GDP

-3.3% · 2026

-15%-9.2%-3.3%20142017202020232026

↑ 4 pts since 2014

Source: IMF WEO · latest 1–2 years are IMF estimates

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Budget balance / GDP

-2.2% · 2026

-6%-4%-2%20142017202020232026

↑ 0.6 pts since 2014

Source: IMF WEO · latest 1–2 years are IMF estimates

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Electoral democracy

0.47 · 2025

0.470.520.57201520172019202120232025

↓ 0.04 since 2014

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Trade profile

Exports

$1.6B · 2024

$560M$1.1B$1.6B201420162018202020222024

↑ $94.5M since 2014

Imports

$2.9B · 2024

$1.3B$2.1B$2.9B201420162018202020222024

↑ $40M since 2014

Balance derived

−$1.3B · 2024

$-1.5B$-1.1B$-630M201420162018202020222024

↑ $54.5M since 2014

Top exports · 2018

Products

  1. Fish and crustaceans $42M · 20.5%
  2. Ores, slag and ash $32.2M · 15.7%
  3. Cocoa and cocoa preparations $22.3M · 10.9%
  4. Wood and wood articles $20.3M · 9.9%
  5. Vehicles other than railway $20.2M · 9.8%
  6. Machinery and mechanical appliances $12.6M · 6.1%
  7. Animal or vegetable fats and oils $11.6M · 5.6%
  8. Explosives, matches $5.5M · 2.7%
  9. Preparations of vegetables and fruit $5.1M · 2.5%
  10. Salt, earths, stone, cement $4.9M · 2.4%

Partners

  1. China $37.5M · 18.3%
  2. South Korea $28.7M · 14.0%
  3. Netherlands $27.8M · 13.5%
  4. Somalia $22.2M · 10.8%
  5. Ghana $16.5M · 8.0%
  6. Romania $16M · 7.8%
  7. Germany $10.9M · 5.3%
  8. Guinea $9.2M · 4.5%
  9. Senegal $6.1M · 3.0%
  10. Côte d'Ivoire $3.9M · 1.9%

Top imports · 2018

Products

  1. Cereals $153M · 15.5%
  2. Machinery and mechanical appliances $111.8M · 11.3%
  3. Vehicles other than railway $92.7M · 9.4%
  4. Electrical machinery and equipment $62.9M · 6.4%
  5. Plastics $56.4M · 5.7%
  6. Articles of iron or steel $48.5M · 4.9%
  7. Salt, earths, stone, cement $45.8M · 4.6%
  8. Iron and steel $34.6M · 3.5%
  9. Pharmaceutical products $24.2M · 2.4%
  10. Milling products $23.7M · 2.4%

Partners

  1. China $198M · 20.1%
  2. United Arab Emirates $82.6M · 8.4%
  3. Belgium $74.5M · 7.5%
  4. India $71.1M · 7.2%
  5. United States $53.1M · 5.4%
  6. Türkiye $51M · 5.2%
  7. South Africa $45.8M · 4.6%
  8. Pakistan $36.5M · 3.7%
  9. United Kingdom $33M · 3.3%
  10. Guinea $29.6M · 3.0%

2025 filings are still arriving — this page updates as each country reports

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