Share of the population at risk of catastrophic spending when surgical care is required in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: Share of the population at risk of catastrophic spending when surgical care is required was 84.3% in 2019. ▼ Falling
Share of the population at risk of catastrophic spending when surgical care is required in Sierra Leone, 2003–2019
Source: Harvard Medical School Program in Global Surgery and Social Change (PGSSC), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of people at risk.
Analysis
Sierra Leone recorded 84.3% for share of the population at risk of catastrophic spending when surgical care is required in 2019.
The figure is down 3.4% on the previous year and down 11.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of the population at risk of catastrophic spending when surgical care is required in Sierra Leone peaked at 97.3% in 2007 and was at its lowest, 54.3%, in 2014.
That places Sierra Leone 10th out of 134 countries with data for 2019, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 17 years of available data.
Share of the population at risk of catastrophic spending when surgical care is required in Sierra Leone, year by year
| Year | % of people at risk | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 95.9% | — |
| 2004 | 96.0% | +0.1% |
| 2005 | 95.7% | -0.3% |
| 2006 | 96.3% | +0.6% |
| 2007 | 97.3% | +1.0% |
| 2008 | 97.0% | -0.3% |
| 2009 | 95.7% | -1.3% |
| 2010 | 97.0% | +1.4% |
| 2011 | 94.4% | -2.7% |
| 2012 | 92.7% | -1.8% |
| 2013 | 77.2% | -16.7% |
| 2014 | 54.3% | -29.7% |
| 2015 | 58.9% | +8.5% |
| 2016 | 61.8% | +4.9% |
| 2017 | 78.8% | +27.5% |
| 2018 | 87.3% | +10.8% |
| 2019 | 84.3% | -3.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 96.3% | 95.7% | 97.3% | 7 |
| 2010s | 78.7% | 54.3% | 97.0% | 10 |
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 share of the population at risk of catastrophic spending when surgical care is required in Sierra Leone?
- Share of the population at risk of catastrophic spending when surgical care is required in Sierra Leone was 84.3% in 2019, according to Harvard Medical School Program in Global Surgery and Social Change (PGSSC), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of the population at risk of catastrophic spending when surgical care is required recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The highest recorded value was 97.3% in 2007.
- What is the lowest share of the population at risk of catastrophic spending when surgical care is required recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The lowest recorded value was 54.3% in 2014.
- How does Sierra Leone rank for share of the population at risk of catastrophic spending when surgical care is required?
- Sierra Leone ranks 10th out of 134 countries with data for 2019.
- Is share of the population at risk of catastrophic spending when surgical care is required rising or falling in Sierra Leone?
- Over the last ten years it is down 11.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sierra Leone data come from?
- The figures come from Harvard Medical School Program in Global Surgery and Social Change (PGSSC), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of the population at risk of catastrophic spending when surgical care is required. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 17 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Catastrophic expenditure is defined as direct out-of-pocket payments for surgical and anaesthesia care exceeding 10% of total income.