Share urban and rural population in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: Share urban and rural population was 45.93 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
45.93
Change on year
up 1.2%
World rank
171st
of 236 countries
All-time high
45.93
in 2025
All-time low
12.43
in 1950
Years of data
76
1950–2025
Share urban and rural population in Sierra Leone, 1950–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, share urban and rural population in Sierra Leone stood at 45.93. That is the highest value across all 76 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.2% on the previous year and up 12.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share urban and rural population in Sierra Leone peaked at 45.93 in 2025 and was at its lowest, 12.43, in 1950.
That places Sierra Leone 171st out of 236 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 76 years of available data.
Share urban and rural population in Sierra Leone, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 12.43 | — |
| 1951 | 12.9 | +3.7% |
| 1952 | 13.37 | +3.7% |
| 1953 | 13.85 | +3.6% |
| 1954 | 14.34 | +3.5% |
| 1955 | 14.84 | +3.5% |
| 1956 | 15.35 | +3.4% |
| 1957 | 15.86 | +3.3% |
| 1958 | 16.38 | +3.3% |
| 1959 | 16.9 | +3.2% |
| 1960 | 17.43 | +3.1% |
| 1961 | 17.96 | +3.1% |
| 1962 | 18.5 | +3.0% |
| 1963 | 19.05 | +3.0% |
| 1964 | 19.65 | +3.2% |
| 1965 | 20.34 | +3.5% |
| 1966 | 21.09 | +3.7% |
| 1967 | 21.88 | +3.8% |
| 1968 | 22.7 | +3.8% |
| 1969 | 23.54 | +3.7% |
| 1970 | 24.36 | +3.5% |
| 1971 | 25.16 | +3.3% |
| 1972 | 25.92 | +3.0% |
| 1973 | 26.62 | +2.7% |
| 1974 | 27.24 | +2.3% |
| 1975 | 27.8 | +2.0% |
| 1976 | 28.32 | +1.9% |
| 1977 | 28.82 | +1.8% |
| 1978 | 29.31 | +1.7% |
| 1979 | 29.77 | +1.6% |
| 1980 | 30.21 | +1.5% |
| 1981 | 30.63 | +1.4% |
| 1982 | 31.03 | +1.3% |
| 1983 | 31.41 | +1.2% |
| 1984 | 31.77 | +1.1% |
| 1985 | 32.1 | +1.0% |
| 1986 | 32.41 | +1.0% |
| 1987 | 32.7 | +0.9% |
| 1988 | 32.97 | +0.8% |
| 1989 | 33.22 | +0.8% |
| 1990 | 33.46 | +0.7% |
| 1991 | 33.68 | +0.7% |
| 1992 | 33.9 | +0.6% |
| 1993 | 34.1 | +0.6% |
| 1994 | 34.3 | +0.6% |
| 1995 | 34.5 | +0.6% |
| 1996 | 34.7 | +0.6% |
| 1997 | 34.9 | +0.6% |
| 1998 | 35.1 | +0.6% |
| 1999 | 35.31 | +0.6% |
| 2000 | 35.53 | +0.6% |
| 2001 | 35.76 | +0.6% |
| 2002 | 36.01 | +0.7% |
| 2003 | 36.27 | +0.7% |
| 2004 | 36.55 | +0.8% |
| 2005 | 36.85 | +0.8% |
| 2006 | 37.17 | +0.9% |
| 2007 | 37.51 | +0.9% |
| 2008 | 37.87 | +1.0% |
| 2009 | 38.25 | +1.0% |
| 2010 | 38.64 | +1.0% |
| 2011 | 39.05 | +1.0% |
| 2012 | 39.46 | +1.1% |
| 2013 | 39.89 | +1.1% |
| 2014 | 40.33 | +1.1% |
| 2015 | 40.77 | +1.1% |
| 2016 | 41.23 | +1.1% |
| 2017 | 41.71 | +1.2% |
| 2018 | 42.2 | +1.2% |
| 2019 | 42.7 | +1.2% |
| 2020 | 43.21 | +1.2% |
| 2021 | 43.73 | +1.2% |
| 2022 | 44.27 | +1.2% |
| 2023 | 44.81 | +1.2% |
| 2024 | 45.36 | +1.2% |
| 2025 | 45.93 | +1.2% |
Sierra Leone compared with similar countries
- Sierra Leone's 45.93 is above the median for low income countries, which is 34.54, 1.3× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Sierra Leone's 45.93 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 44.89, 1.0× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 14.62 | 12.43 | 16.9 | 10 |
| 1960s | 20.22 | 17.43 | 23.54 | 10 |
| 1970s | 27.33 | 24.36 | 29.77 | 10 |
| 1980s | 31.85 | 30.21 | 33.22 | 10 |
| 1990s | 34.4 | 33.46 | 35.31 | 10 |
| 2000s | 36.78 | 35.53 | 38.25 | 10 |
| 2010s | 40.6 | 38.64 | 42.7 | 10 |
| 2020s | 44.55 | 43.21 | 45.93 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Sierra Leone
- 168 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 47.98 compare
- 169 Turkmenistan 47.11 compare
- 170 Guinea-Bissau 46.65 compare
- 172 Zambia 45.92 compare
- 173 Seychelles 45.48 compare
- 174 Democratic Republic of Congo 45.11 compare
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)
- Population growth rate -0.137 (2100)
- Population density 220.76 (2100)
- Projected population under age 5 983,692 (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share urban and rural population in Sierra Leone?
- Share urban and rural population in Sierra Leone was 45.93 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share urban and rural population recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The highest recorded value was 45.93 in 2025.
- What is the lowest share urban and rural population recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The lowest recorded value was 12.43 in 1950.
- How does Sierra Leone rank for share urban and rural population?
- Sierra Leone ranks 171st out of 236 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share urban and rural population rising or falling in Sierra Leone?
- Over the last ten years it is up 12.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sierra Leone data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Share urban and rural population. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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