Rural population in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: Rural population was 55.2% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Rural population in Sierra Leone, 1970–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in % of total population.
Analysis
Sierra Leone recorded 55.2% for rural population in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 55 years on record.
The figure is down 0.9% on the previous year and down 7.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rural population in Sierra Leone peaked at 76.0% in 1970 and was at its lowest, 55.2%, in 2024.
That places Sierra Leone 55th out of 214 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 55 years of available data.
Rural population in Sierra Leone, year by year
| Year | % of total population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 76.0% | — |
| 1971 | 75.3% | -1.0% |
| 1972 | 74.5% | -1.0% |
| 1973 | 73.7% | -1.1% |
| 1974 | 72.9% | -1.1% |
| 1975 | 72.3% | -0.8% |
| 1976 | 71.9% | -0.6% |
| 1977 | 71.4% | -0.6% |
| 1978 | 71.0% | -0.6% |
| 1979 | 70.6% | -0.6% |
| 1980 | 70.2% | -0.6% |
| 1981 | 69.8% | -0.6% |
| 1982 | 69.3% | -0.6% |
| 1983 | 68.9% | -0.6% |
| 1984 | 68.4% | -0.6% |
| 1985 | 68.0% | -0.6% |
| 1986 | 67.7% | -0.5% |
| 1987 | 67.4% | -0.3% |
| 1988 | 67.2% | -0.3% |
| 1989 | 67.0% | -0.3% |
| 1990 | 66.7% | -0.3% |
| 1991 | 66.5% | -0.3% |
| 1992 | 66.3% | -0.4% |
| 1993 | 66.0% | -0.4% |
| 1994 | 65.8% | -0.4% |
| 1995 | 65.6% | -0.4% |
| 1996 | 65.3% | -0.4% |
| 1997 | 65.1% | -0.4% |
| 1998 | 64.9% | -0.4% |
| 1999 | 64.6% | -0.4% |
| 2000 | 64.4% | -0.4% |
| 2001 | 64.1% | -0.4% |
| 2002 | 63.9% | -0.4% |
| 2003 | 63.6% | -0.4% |
| 2004 | 63.4% | -0.4% |
| 2005 | 63.1% | -0.5% |
| 2006 | 62.7% | -0.6% |
| 2007 | 62.3% | -0.6% |
| 2008 | 61.9% | -0.6% |
| 2009 | 61.5% | -0.6% |
| 2010 | 61.1% | -0.6% |
| 2011 | 60.8% | -0.6% |
| 2012 | 60.4% | -0.6% |
| 2013 | 60.0% | -0.7% |
| 2014 | 59.6% | -0.7% |
| 2015 | 59.2% | -0.7% |
| 2016 | 58.8% | -0.7% |
| 2017 | 58.4% | -0.7% |
| 2018 | 57.9% | -0.7% |
| 2019 | 57.5% | -0.7% |
| 2020 | 57.1% | -0.8% |
| 2021 | 56.6% | -0.8% |
| 2022 | 56.2% | -0.8% |
| 2023 | 55.7% | -0.8% |
| 2024 | 55.2% | -0.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 73.0% | 70.6% | 76.0% | 10 |
| 1980s | 68.4% | 67.0% | 70.2% | 10 |
| 1990s | 65.7% | 64.6% | 66.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 63.1% | 61.5% | 64.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 59.4% | 57.5% | 61.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 56.2% | 55.2% | 57.1% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Sierra Leone
More population data for Sierra Leone
- 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)
- Population growth rate -0.137 (2100)
- Population density 220.76 (2100)
- Projected population under age 5 983,692 (2100)
- Population growth rate by level of development -0.137 (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is rural population in Sierra Leone?
- Rural population in Sierra Leone was 55.2% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest rural population recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The highest recorded value was 76.0% in 1970.
- What is the lowest rural population recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The lowest recorded value was 55.2% in 2024.
- How does Sierra Leone rank for rural population?
- Sierra Leone ranks 55th out of 214 countries with data for 2024.
- Is rural population rising or falling in Sierra Leone?
- Over the last ten years it is down 7.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sierra Leone data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Rural population (% of total population). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 55 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release