Share of population living in the capital city in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: Share of population living in the capital city was 22.4% in 2020. ▲ Rising
Share of population living in the capital 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
Sierra Leone recorded 22.4% for share of population living in the capital city in 2020. That is the highest value across all 15 years on record.
The figure is up 21.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population living in the capital city in Sierra Leone peaked at 22.4% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 6.0%, in 1950.
Sierra Leone ranks 52nd of 170 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.
Share of population living in the capital city in Sierra Leone, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 6.0% | — |
| 1955 | 6.4% | +5.8% |
| 1960 | 6.7% | +5.0% |
| 1965 | 7.6% | +12.9% |
| 1970 | 9.0% | +19.0% |
| 1975 | 10.4% | +15.6% |
| 1980 | 12.1% | +16.4% |
| 1985 | 13.8% | +13.8% |
| 1990 | 13.9% | +0.5% |
| 1995 | 16.6% | +19.6% |
| 2000 | 18.1% | +8.9% |
| 2005 | 17.1% | -5.4% |
| 2010 | 18.4% | +7.9% |
| 2015 | 19.4% | +5.3% |
| 2020 | 22.4% | +15.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 6.2% | 6.0% | 6.4% | 2 |
| 1960s | 7.1% | 6.7% | 7.6% | 2 |
| 1970s | 9.7% | 9.0% | 10.4% | 2 |
| 1980s | 13.0% | 12.1% | 13.8% | 2 |
| 1990s | 15.2% | 13.9% | 16.6% | 2 |
| 2000s | 17.6% | 17.1% | 18.1% | 2 |
| 2010s | 18.9% | 18.4% | 19.4% | 2 |
| 2020s | 22.4% | 22.4% | 22.4% | 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 population living in the capital city in Sierra Leone?
- Share of population living in the capital city in Sierra Leone was 22.4% 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 population living in the capital city recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The highest recorded value was 22.4% in 2020.
- What is the lowest share of population living in the capital city recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.0% in 1950.
- How does Sierra Leone rank for share of population living in the capital city?
- Sierra Leone ranks 52nd out of 170 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of population living in the capital city rising or falling in Sierra Leone?
- Over the last ten years it is up 21.2%. 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 population living in the capital city. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Percentage of the total population living in the country's capital city. City boundaries are defined using a consistent global approach based on satellite imagery and population data.