Birth rate in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: Birth rate was 30.6 births per 1,000 people in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
30.6 births per 1,000 people
Change on year
down 1.5%
World rank
30th
of 236 countries
All-time high
48.21 births per 1,000 people
in 1963
All-time low
30.6 births per 1,000 people
in 2023
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Birth rate in Sierra Leone, 1950–2023
Source: Human Mortality Database (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in births per 1,000 people.
Analysis
Sierra Leone recorded 30.6 births per 1,000 people for birth rate in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 74 years on record.
The figure is down 1.5% on the previous year and down 16.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, birth rate in Sierra Leone peaked at 48.21 births per 1,000 people in 1963 and was at its lowest, 30.6 births per 1,000 people, in 2023.
Sierra Leone ranks 30th of 236 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 74 years of available data.
Birth rate in Sierra Leone, year by year
| Year | births per 1,000 people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 47.82 births per 1,000 people | — |
| 1951 | 47.66 births per 1,000 people | -0.3% |
| 1952 | 47.38 births per 1,000 people | -0.6% |
| 1953 | 47.14 births per 1,000 people | -0.5% |
| 1954 | 47.46 births per 1,000 people | +0.7% |
| 1955 | 47.61 births per 1,000 people | +0.3% |
| 1956 | 47.75 births per 1,000 people | +0.3% |
| 1957 | 47.79 births per 1,000 people | +0.1% |
| 1958 | 47.84 births per 1,000 people | +0.1% |
| 1959 | 47.87 births per 1,000 people | +0.1% |
| 1960 | 48 births per 1,000 people | +0.3% |
| 1961 | 48.12 births per 1,000 people | +0.3% |
| 1962 | 48.11 births per 1,000 people | -0.0% |
| 1963 | 48.21 births per 1,000 people | +0.2% |
| 1964 | 48.2 births per 1,000 people | -0.0% |
| 1965 | 48.02 births per 1,000 people | -0.4% |
| 1966 | 47.96 births per 1,000 people | -0.1% |
| 1967 | 47.92 births per 1,000 people | -0.1% |
| 1968 | 47.65 births per 1,000 people | -0.6% |
| 1969 | 47.47 births per 1,000 people | -0.4% |
| 1970 | 47.37 births per 1,000 people | -0.2% |
| 1971 | 47.28 births per 1,000 people | -0.2% |
| 1972 | 47.18 births per 1,000 people | -0.2% |
| 1973 | 47.16 births per 1,000 people | -0.0% |
| 1974 | 47.43 births per 1,000 people | +0.6% |
| 1975 | 47.31 births per 1,000 people | -0.2% |
| 1976 | 47.19 births per 1,000 people | -0.2% |
| 1977 | 47.12 births per 1,000 people | -0.2% |
| 1978 | 47.17 births per 1,000 people | +0.1% |
| 1979 | 47 births per 1,000 people | -0.4% |
| 1980 | 46.84 births per 1,000 people | -0.3% |
| 1981 | 46.79 births per 1,000 people | -0.1% |
| 1982 | 46.78 births per 1,000 people | -0.0% |
| 1983 | 46.74 births per 1,000 people | -0.1% |
| 1984 | 46.79 births per 1,000 people | +0.1% |
| 1985 | 46.7 births per 1,000 people | -0.2% |
| 1986 | 46.6 births per 1,000 people | -0.2% |
| 1987 | 46.6 births per 1,000 people | -0.0% |
| 1988 | 46.4 births per 1,000 people | -0.4% |
| 1989 | 46.25 births per 1,000 people | -0.3% |
| 1990 | 45.48 births per 1,000 people | -1.7% |
| 1991 | 47.52 births per 1,000 people | +4.5% |
| 1992 | 46.99 births per 1,000 people | -1.1% |
| 1993 | 46.95 births per 1,000 people | -0.1% |
| 1994 | 46.78 births per 1,000 people | -0.4% |
| 1995 | 46.77 births per 1,000 people | -0.0% |
| 1996 | 46.48 births per 1,000 people | -0.6% |
| 1997 | 46.27 births per 1,000 people | -0.4% |
| 1998 | 46.3 births per 1,000 people | +0.1% |
| 1999 | 46.13 births per 1,000 people | -0.4% |
| 2000 | 45.05 births per 1,000 people | -2.3% |
| 2001 | 44.01 births per 1,000 people | -2.3% |
| 2002 | 44.28 births per 1,000 people | +0.6% |
| 2003 | 43.47 births per 1,000 people | -1.8% |
| 2004 | 42.47 births per 1,000 people | -2.3% |
| 2005 | 41.97 births per 1,000 people | -1.2% |
| 2006 | 41.81 births per 1,000 people | -0.4% |
| 2007 | 41.06 births per 1,000 people | -1.8% |
| 2008 | 40.59 births per 1,000 people | -1.1% |
| 2009 | 39.85 births per 1,000 people | -1.8% |
| 2010 | 39.12 births per 1,000 people | -1.9% |
| 2011 | 38.52 births per 1,000 people | -1.5% |
| 2012 | 37.77 births per 1,000 people | -1.9% |
| 2013 | 36.6 births per 1,000 people | -3.1% |
| 2014 | 35.62 births per 1,000 people | -2.7% |
| 2015 | 34.66 births per 1,000 people | -2.7% |
| 2016 | 34.19 births per 1,000 people | -1.3% |
| 2017 | 33.81 births per 1,000 people | -1.1% |
| 2018 | 33.34 births per 1,000 people | -1.4% |
| 2019 | 32.81 births per 1,000 people | -1.6% |
| 2020 | 32.2 births per 1,000 people | -1.9% |
| 2021 | 31.64 births per 1,000 people | -1.7% |
| 2022 | 31.07 births per 1,000 people | -1.8% |
| 2023 | 30.6 births per 1,000 people | -1.5% |
Sierra Leone compared with similar countries
- Sierra Leone's 30.6 births per 1,000 people is below the median for low income countries, which is 32.09 births per 1,000 people, 95% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Sierra Leone's 30.6 births per 1,000 people is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 31.17 births per 1,000 people, 98% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 47.63 births per 1,000 people | 47.14 births per 1,000 people | 47.87 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1960s | 47.97 births per 1,000 people | 47.47 births per 1,000 people | 48.21 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1970s | 47.22 births per 1,000 people | 47 births per 1,000 people | 47.43 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1980s | 46.65 births per 1,000 people | 46.25 births per 1,000 people | 46.84 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1990s | 46.57 births per 1,000 people | 45.48 births per 1,000 people | 47.52 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2000s | 42.46 births per 1,000 people | 39.85 births per 1,000 people | 45.05 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2010s | 35.64 births per 1,000 people | 32.81 births per 1,000 people | 39.12 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2020s | 31.38 births per 1,000 people | 30.6 births per 1,000 people | 32.2 births per 1,000 people | 4 |
Countries ranked near Sierra Leone
More population data for Sierra Leone
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate -0.1141 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate -1.21 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate -0.1141 % change on previous year (2100)
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate -0.076 % change on previous year (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 05 - Demographic estimates 13,595 Persons (2050)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population 1.9 Percent per annum (2030)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -0.6516 % change on previous year (2100)
- World population growth -0.1% (2100)
- Population density 220.76 people per km² (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 983,692 people (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is birth rate in Sierra Leone?
- Birth rate in Sierra Leone was 30.6 births per 1,000 people in 2023, according to Human Mortality Database (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest birth rate recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The highest recorded value was 48.21 births per 1,000 people in 1963.
- What is the lowest birth rate recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The lowest recorded value was 30.6 births per 1,000 people in 2023.
- How does Sierra Leone rank for birth rate?
- Sierra Leone ranks 30th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is birth rate rising or falling in Sierra Leone?
- Over the last ten years it is down 16.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sierra Leone data come from?
- The figures come from Human Mortality Database (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Birth rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 74 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Total number of births per 1,000 people in a given year.