Number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: Number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas was 3.35 million people in 2020. ▲ Rising
Number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas in Sierra Leone, 1950–2020
Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in people.
Analysis
Sierra Leone recorded 3.35 million people for number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas in 2020. That is the highest value across all 15 years on record.
The figure is up 13.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas in Sierra Leone peaked at 3.35 million people in 2020 and was at its lowest, 1.03 million people, in 1950.
Sierra Leone ranks 83rd of 236 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.
Number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas in Sierra Leone, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 1.03 million people | — |
| 1955 | 1.09 million people | +5.9% |
| 1960 | 1.16 million people | +6.3% |
| 1965 | 1.24 million people | +7.1% |
| 1970 | 1.33 million people | +7.3% |
| 1975 | 1.42 million people | +7.1% |
| 1980 | 1.68 million people | +18.3% |
| 1985 | 1.94 million people | +15.4% |
| 1990 | 2.28 million people | +17.3% |
| 1995 | 2.22 million people | -2.5% |
| 2000 | 2.31 million people | +3.7% |
| 2005 | 2.70 million people | +17.2% |
| 2010 | 2.96 million people | +9.6% |
| 2015 | 3.18 million people | +7.3% |
| 2020 | 3.35 million people | +5.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 1.06 million people | 1.03 million people | 1.09 million people | 2 |
| 1960s | 1.20 million people | 1.16 million people | 1.24 million people | 2 |
| 1970s | 1.38 million people | 1.33 million people | 1.42 million people | 2 |
| 1980s | 1.81 million people | 1.68 million people | 1.94 million people | 2 |
| 1990s | 2.25 million people | 2.22 million people | 2.28 million people | 2 |
| 2000s | 2.50 million people | 2.31 million people | 2.70 million people | 2 |
| 2010s | 3.07 million people | 2.96 million people | 3.18 million people | 2 |
| 2020s | 3.35 million people | 3.35 million people | 3.35 million people | 1 |
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 number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas in Sierra Leone?
- Number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas in Sierra Leone was 3.35 million people in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The highest recorded value was 3.35 million people in 2020.
- What is the lowest number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.03 million people in 1950.
- How does Sierra Leone rank for number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas?
- Sierra Leone ranks 83rd out of 236 countries with data for 2020.
- Is number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas rising or falling in Sierra Leone?
- Over the last ten years it is up 13.1%. 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 major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 15 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Estimated number of people living in rural areas. Rural areas are identified using satellite imagery and population data, applying the same definitions across countries.