Share of urban population who live in the largest city in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: Share of urban population who live in the largest city was 38.8% in 2020. ▲ Rising
Share of urban population who live in the largest city in Sierra Leone, 1950–2020
Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2020, share of urban population who live in the largest city in Sierra Leone stood at 38.8%. That is the highest value across all 15 years on record.
The figure is up 10.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of urban population who live in the largest city in Sierra Leone peaked at 38.8% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 12.4%, in 1950.
That places Sierra Leone 46th out of 179 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.
Share of urban population who live in the largest city in Sierra Leone, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 12.4% | — |
| 1955 | 13.1% | +5.6% |
| 1960 | 13.7% | +4.2% |
| 1965 | 15.2% | +11.0% |
| 1970 | 17.7% | +16.3% |
| 1975 | 20.0% | +13.0% |
| 1980 | 25.0% | +25.1% |
| 1985 | 29.6% | +18.6% |
| 1990 | 30.4% | +2.5% |
| 1995 | 35.4% | +16.6% |
| 2000 | 37.7% | +6.4% |
| 2005 | 33.6% | -11.0% |
| 2010 | 35.2% | +4.7% |
| 2015 | 35.4% | +0.6% |
| 2020 | 38.8% | +9.5% |
Sierra Leone compared with similar countries
- Sierra Leone's 38.8% is above the median for low income countries, which is 18.4%, 2.1× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Sierra Leone's 38.8% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 28.9%, 1.3× the median. (46 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 12.8% | 12.4% | 13.1% | 2 |
| 1960s | 14.5% | 13.7% | 15.2% | 2 |
| 1970s | 18.8% | 17.7% | 20.0% | 2 |
| 1980s | 27.3% | 25.0% | 29.6% | 2 |
| 1990s | 32.9% | 30.4% | 35.4% | 2 |
| 2000s | 35.7% | 33.6% | 37.7% | 2 |
| 2010s | 35.3% | 35.2% | 35.4% | 2 |
| 2020s | 38.8% | 38.8% | 38.8% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Sierra Leone
More population data for Sierra Leone
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate -0.076 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population long run 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 regions with projections, annual growth rate -0.1141 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population growth rate, by level of development -0.1% (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 983,692 people (2100)
- Population density 220.76 people per km² (2100)
- World population growth -0.1% (2100)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -0.6516 % change on previous year (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population 1.9 Percent per annum (2030)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of urban population who live in the largest city in Sierra Leone?
- Share of urban population who live in the largest city in Sierra Leone was 38.8% in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of urban population who live in the largest city recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The highest recorded value was 38.8% in 2020.
- What is the lowest share of urban population who live in the largest city recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The lowest recorded value was 12.4% in 1950.
- How does Sierra Leone rank for share of urban population who live in the largest city?
- Sierra Leone ranks 46th out of 179 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of urban population who live in the largest city rising or falling in Sierra Leone?
- Over the last ten years it is up 10.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sierra Leone data come from?
- The figures come from European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of urban population who live in the largest city. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Percentage of the urban population living in the country's largest city (by population). City boundaries are defined using a consistent global approach based on satellite imagery and population data.