Number of people living in urban and rural areas, per capita in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: Number of people living in urban and rural areas, per capita was 0.4593 people per person in 2025. ▲ Rising
Number of people living in urban and rural areas, per capita in Sierra Leone, 1960–2025
Source: Statizoid (derived). Measured in people per person.
Analysis
In 2025, number of people living in urban and rural areas, per capita in Sierra Leone stood at 0.4593 people per person. That is the highest value across all 66 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.2% on the previous year and up 12.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of people living in urban and rural areas, per capita in Sierra Leone peaked at 0.4593 people per person in 2025 and was at its lowest, 0.1743 people per person, in 1960.
Sierra Leone ranks 160th of 215 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 66 years of available data.
Number of people living in urban and rural areas, per capita in Sierra Leone, year by year
| Year | people per person | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 0.1743 people per person | — |
| 1961 | 0.1796 people per person | +3.1% |
| 1962 | 0.185 people per person | +3.0% |
| 1963 | 0.1905 people per person | +3.0% |
| 1964 | 0.1965 people per person | +3.2% |
| 1965 | 0.2034 people per person | +3.5% |
| 1966 | 0.2109 people per person | +3.7% |
| 1967 | 0.2188 people per person | +3.8% |
| 1968 | 0.227 people per person | +3.8% |
| 1969 | 0.2354 people per person | +3.7% |
| 1970 | 0.2436 people per person | +3.5% |
| 1971 | 0.2516 people per person | +3.3% |
| 1972 | 0.2592 people per person | +3.0% |
| 1973 | 0.2662 people per person | +2.7% |
| 1974 | 0.2724 people per person | +2.3% |
| 1975 | 0.278 people per person | +2.0% |
| 1976 | 0.2832 people per person | +1.9% |
| 1977 | 0.2882 people per person | +1.8% |
| 1978 | 0.2931 people per person | +1.7% |
| 1979 | 0.2977 people per person | +1.6% |
| 1980 | 0.3021 people per person | +1.5% |
| 1981 | 0.3063 people per person | +1.4% |
| 1982 | 0.3104 people per person | +1.3% |
| 1983 | 0.3141 people per person | +1.2% |
| 1984 | 0.3177 people per person | +1.1% |
| 1985 | 0.321 people per person | +1.0% |
| 1986 | 0.3241 people per person | +1.0% |
| 1987 | 0.327 people per person | +0.9% |
| 1988 | 0.3297 people per person | +0.8% |
| 1989 | 0.3322 people per person | +0.8% |
| 1990 | 0.3346 people per person | +0.7% |
| 1991 | 0.3368 people per person | +0.7% |
| 1992 | 0.339 people per person | +0.6% |
| 1993 | 0.341 people per person | +0.6% |
| 1994 | 0.343 people per person | +0.6% |
| 1995 | 0.345 people per person | +0.6% |
| 1996 | 0.347 people per person | +0.6% |
| 1997 | 0.349 people per person | +0.6% |
| 1998 | 0.351 people per person | +0.6% |
| 1999 | 0.3531 people per person | +0.6% |
| 2000 | 0.3553 people per person | +0.6% |
| 2001 | 0.3576 people per person | +0.7% |
| 2002 | 0.3601 people per person | +0.7% |
| 2003 | 0.3627 people per person | +0.7% |
| 2004 | 0.3655 people per person | +0.8% |
| 2005 | 0.3685 people per person | +0.8% |
| 2006 | 0.3717 people per person | +0.9% |
| 2007 | 0.3751 people per person | +0.9% |
| 2008 | 0.3787 people per person | +1.0% |
| 2009 | 0.3825 people per person | +1.0% |
| 2010 | 0.3864 people per person | +1.0% |
| 2011 | 0.3905 people per person | +1.0% |
| 2012 | 0.3946 people per person | +1.1% |
| 2013 | 0.3989 people per person | +1.1% |
| 2014 | 0.4033 people per person | +1.1% |
| 2015 | 0.4077 people per person | +1.1% |
| 2016 | 0.4123 people per person | +1.1% |
| 2017 | 0.4171 people per person | +1.2% |
| 2018 | 0.422 people per person | +1.2% |
| 2019 | 0.427 people per person | +1.2% |
| 2020 | 0.4321 people per person | +1.2% |
| 2021 | 0.4373 people per person | +1.2% |
| 2022 | 0.4427 people per person | +1.2% |
| 2023 | 0.4481 people per person | +1.2% |
| 2024 | 0.4536 people per person | +1.2% |
| 2025 | 0.4593 people per person | +1.2% |
Sierra Leone compared with similar countries
- Sierra Leone's 0.4593 people per person is above the median for low income countries, which is 0.3454 people per person, 1.3× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Sierra Leone's 0.4593 people per person is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.4552 people per person, 1.0× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.2022 people per person | 0.1743 people per person | 0.2354 people per person | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.2733 people per person | 0.2436 people per person | 0.2977 people per person | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.3185 people per person | 0.3021 people per person | 0.3322 people per person | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.344 people per person | 0.3346 people per person | 0.3531 people per person | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.3678 people per person | 0.3553 people per person | 0.3825 people per person | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.406 people per person | 0.3864 people per person | 0.427 people per person | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.4455 people per person | 0.4321 people per person | 0.4593 people per person | 6 |
Countries ranked near Sierra Leone
- 157 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 0.4798 people per person compare
- 158 Turkmenistan 0.4711 people per person compare
- 159 Guinea-Bissau 0.4665 people per person compare
- 161 Zambia 0.4592 people per person compare
- 162 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 0.4511 people per person compare
- 163 Lesotho 0.4467 people per person compare
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 number of people living in urban and rural areas, per capita in Sierra Leone?
- Number of people living in urban and rural areas, per capita in Sierra Leone was 0.4593 people per person in 2025, according to Statizoid (derived).
- What is the highest number of people living in urban and rural areas, per capita recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The highest recorded value was 0.4593 people per person in 2025.
- What is the lowest number of people living in urban and rural areas, per capita recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.1743 people per person in 1960.
- How does Sierra Leone rank for number of people living in urban and rural areas, per capita?
- Sierra Leone ranks 160th out of 215 countries with data for 2025.
- Is number of people living in urban and rural areas, per capita rising or falling in Sierra Leone?
- Over the last ten years it is up 12.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sierra Leone data come from?
- The figures come from Statizoid (derived), published as part of Number of people living in urban and rural areas, per capita. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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How this figure is calculated
Number of people living in urban and rural areas divided by Population, total, matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.
Number of people living in urban and rural areas ÷ Population, total
Computed from
- Number of people living in urban and rural areas United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
- Population, total World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN)
Statizoid computes this series; the underlying measurements belong to the publishers named above. The arithmetic is applied to every country and year where both inputs report, and nothing is estimated unless the page says so.
About this data
Number of people living in urban and rural areas divided by Population, total, matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.