Sierra Leone Flag

Sierra Leone

Population

9,051,324

Estimated as of Oct 22, 2026View source
Population rank
101st
Share of world
0.11%
Annual change
+176,9512.14%

Population of Sierra Leone

010M20M30M40MProjected peak20269.1M2050 projection12.9M↑ 43% from 202619601980200020202040206020802100

Source: United Nations — World Population Prospects (2024 Revision)

95% prediction interval

Current population estimate: 9,051,324. 2050 projection: 12,948,325.Use the arrow keys on the chart to inspect individual years.

Historical population estimates for Sierra Leone. Annual change is shown as a percentage.
20268,996,7452.14%101
20258,819,7942.20%102
20207,912,5582.34%102
20197,731,9912.35%102
20187,554,5632.38%102
20177,379,2992.42%103
20157,037,6552.49%105
20106,222,7142.49%107
20055,501,7124.46%107
20004,423,6111.14%115

Showing 10 of 19 years.

Population by City

Bo is home to 951,244 people, 10.57% of Sierra Leone's population.

City population900K400K100K
Bo 951.2KKenema 940.6KWestern Area Rural 850.2KKono 620.7KKailahun 571.3KTonkolili 557.3KPort Loko 525.7KFreetown 474.4KPujehun 429.6KMoyamba 372.2K
Largest cities by 2026 population and share of the national population.
1Bo951.2K10.57%
2Kenema940.6K10.45%
3Western Area Rural850.2K9.45%
4Kono620.7K6.90%
5Kailahun571.3K6.35%
6Tonkolili557.3K6.19%
7Port Loko525.7K5.84%
8Freetown474.4K5.27%
9Pujehun429.6K4.77%
10Moyamba372.2K4.14%

Sierra Leone by the Numbers

Estimated as of Oct 22, 2026

Population
Sierra Leone is home to an estimated 9,051,324 people, the 101st largest population in the world.
Daily change
Sierra Leone has a net population change of approximately 483 people per day, driven by 715 births, 198 deaths, and net emigration of 34 people.
Share of world
Sierra Leone makes up 0.11% of the world's population and 0.57% of Africa's.
Density
124.6 people per km² of land (322.8 per mi²), ranking 99th among countries and territories.
Urban living
45.93% of people live in urban areas.

Sierra Leone Demographics

Age & longevity

MaleFemale100+ years, male: 4100+ years, female: 1095–99 years, male: 6495–99 years, female: 14090–94 years, male: 59190–94 years, female: 1,06885–89 years, male: 3,10685–89 years, female: 4,84780–84 years, male: 10,10980–84 years, female: 14,30275–79 years, male: 20,76475–79 years, female: 27,80970–74 years, male: 37,70470–74 years, female: 47,43665–69 years, male: 60,39865–69 years, female: 71,23060–64 years, male: 86,97460–64 years, female: 97,06855–59 years, male: 115,23655–59 years, female: 123,49550–54 years, male: 147,19750–54 years, female: 153,07045–49 years, male: 184,42845–49 years, female: 187,14640–44 years, male: 226,72340–44 years, female: 226,23435–39 years, male: 271,65835–39 years, female: 270,35930–34 years, male: 322,01730–34 years, female: 322,20325–29 years, male: 383,49625–29 years, female: 381,25720–24 years, male: 438,10520–24 years, female: 433,36615–19 years, male: 492,56615–19 years, female: 487,17110–14 years, male: 526,65110–14 years, female: 520,9885–9 years, male: 560,5005–9 years, female: 552,0210–4 years, male: 599,3480–4 years, female: 587,898100+95–9990–9485–8980–8475–7970–7465–6960–6455–5950–5445–4940–4435–3930–3425–2920–2415–1910–145–90–4200K200K400K400K

Hover or tap an age group to see exact counts. Use the up and down arrow keys to inspect age groups.

Median age

20.9 yrs

World: 31

Life expectancy

62.3 yrs

World: 73.8

Male

49.88%

Female

50.12%

Life expectancy 60.6Life expectancy 64.1

Ethnicity

35.5%

Temne

  • Temne35.5%
  • Mende33.2%
  • Limba6.4%
  • Other5.2%
  • Kono4.4%
  • Fullah3.4%
  • Loko2.9%
  • Koranko2.8%
  • Sherbro2.6%
  • Mandingo2.4%
  • Creole1.2%
Data notes

Source estimate: 2015 est.

Other: includes refugees from Liberia's civil war, and small numbers of Europeans, Lebanese, Pakistanis, and Indians

Creole: descendants of freed Jamaican slaves who were settled in the Freetown area in the late-18th century; also known as Krio

Religion

77.1%

Muslim, the largest religion

  • Muslim77.1%
  • Christian22.9%
Data notes

Source estimate: 2019 est.

Related Pages

Sources

  1. World Population Prospects (2024 Revision) - United Nations population estimates and projections.
  2. World Population Prospects (2024 Revision) - Sierra Leone United Nations Graphs/Profiles
  3. World Bank / UN World Urbanization Prospects - 2025: Urban population (% of total population), using national definitions.
  4. Statistics Sierra Leone