Sierra Leone — Country Profile
Population, GDP, natural resources, leaders and history of Sierra Leone: the Magna Factbook country file, with its Magna Power score (--/100, ranked #-- of 195).
Last updated: October 2026
Sierra Leone is in Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea and Liberia. It covers 71,740 sq km. Terrain: coastal belt of mangrove swamps, wooded hill country, upland plateau, mountains in east. Climate: tropical; hot, humid; summer rainy season (May to December); winter dry season (December to April).
| Capital | Freetown |
|---|---|
| Population | 9,331,203 (2025 est.) |
| GDP (PPP) | $26.728 billion (2024 est.) |
| GDP per capita (PPP) | $3,100 (2024 est.) |
| Real GDP growth | 4% (2024 est.) |
| Inflation | 28.6% (2024 est.) |
| Unemployment | 3.2% (2024 est.) |
| Public debt | 54.9% of GDP (2016 est.) |
| Exports | $1.382 billion (2023 est.) |
| Imports | $2.264 billion (2023 est.) |
| Life expectancy | 59.4 years (2024 est.) |
| Median age | 19.7 years (2025 est.) |
| Urbanization | 44.3% of total population (2023) |
| Government | presidential republic |
| Independence | 27 April 1961 (from the UK) |
| Languages | English (official, regular use limited to literate minority), Mende (principal vernacular in the south), Temne (principal vernacular in the north), Krio (English-based Creole, spoken by the descendants of freed Jamaican slaves; a first language for 10% of the population but understood by 95%) |
Sierra Leone’s GDP is $26.728 billion (2024 est.) in purchasing-power-parity terms. At official exchange rates it stands at $7.548 billion (2024 est.). Real GDP grew 4% (2024 est.). See where Sierra Leone ranks among all 195 countries by GDP.
POWER --/100 — The Magna Power score is our 0–100 composite of structural national power — nine components, 135 indicators. It is the Bureau's own assessment, not a mirror of World Bank or CIA figures.
Momentum 0 — Quarterly momentum: the Bureau's read on the country's trajectory over the last quarter, from −10 (deteriorating fast) to +10 (accelerating).
Nothing in Jul–Sep 2026 moved the needle. The institutions functioned, the economy ran its course, and the world looked elsewhere.
That is the honest note: a quarter of normalcy, scored as such.
- What our model rewards: unemployment near 3.2% — work for whoever wants it; 95% of its electricity from low-carbon sources
- What drags it down: a median age of 20 — a nation of children, its workforce still in the classroom; a current-account deficit of $1 billion (8.0% of GDP) — living beyond its means
Diamonds, Titanium, Bauxite, Iron ore, Gold.
Energy is the physical base of economic power — what a country can generate, move and burn decides what it can build, sell and defend.
| Electricity access | 29.4% (2022 est.) |
|---|---|
| Installed capacity mix (CIA) | fossil fuels: 3.4% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); solar: 9.8% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); hydroelectricity: 84.4% of total installed capacity (2023 est.) |
| Energy consumption per capita (CIA) | 2.301 million Btu/person (2023 est.) |
| Primary energy consumption (OWID) | 5.7 TWh (2023) |
| Electricity generation (OWID) | 0.2 TWh (2023) |
| Energy per capita (OWID) | 674 kWh per person (2023) |
| Electricity generation mix (OWID) | Hydro 85.7%, Solar 9.5%, Oil 4.8% (2023) |
| Low-carbon share of electricity (OWID) | 95.2% (2023) |
| Carbon intensity of electricity (OWID) | 47.6 gCO2/kWh (2023) |
Sources: CIA World Factbook, Energy section; Our World in Data (IEA/Ember), 2023.
Trade shows what the world buys from a country and what the country must buy from the world — the balance between the two is a direct measure of economic leverage.
| Exports | $1.382 billion (2023 est.) |
|---|---|
| Imports | $2.264 billion (2023 est.) |
| Trade balance (calculated) | Deficit of $882.0 million (2023), calculated from the CIA export and import figures above. |
| Key industries | diamond mining; iron ore, rutile and bauxite mining; small-scale manufacturing (beverages, textiles, footwear) |
Source: CIA World Factbook, Economy section.
Julius Maada Bio — President. President Julius Maada BIO (since 27 June 2023)
Sierra Leone maintains 22 embassies and 1 consulates abroad, hosts 18 foreign diplomatic missions, holds permanent missions to UN New York, AU Addis Ababa. The breadth of a diplomatic network is a direct measure of diplomatic power — it shows how far a country’s influence, alliances and interests reach.
| Embassies abroad | 22 |
|---|---|
| Consulates abroad | 1 |
| Foreign missions hosted | 18 |
| Multilateral missions | UN New York, AU Addis Ababa |
Source: Consular Affairs Center, Diplomatic and Consular Networks Database and Rankings, January 2026 (Zenodo, CC BY 4.0). https://zenodo.org/records/18109976
Transport networks are economic power made physical — ports, runways, railways and pipelines decide what a country can move, sell and defend.
| Sea access | Coastal — 402 km of coastline. |
|---|---|
| Airports (total) | 8 + 3 heliports (registration prefix 9L) |
| Major seaports | Bonthe, Freetown, Pepel |
Major airports
Lungi International Airport (FNA) — Freetown (Lungi-Town).
Sources: OurAirports public-domain extract (2026-10-02); per-entry Wikipedia links included; CIA World Factbook via cia_factbook snapshot (2026-09-28); theodora.com CIA mirror (CIA World Factbook Transportation section), scraped 2026-10-02
| Political system | presidential republic |
|---|---|
| Next election | No election currently scheduled. |
POWER --/100 Ranked #-- of 195 countries in the Magna Country Rankings. Full ranking breakdown for Sierra Leone.
Historical timeline of Sierra Leone
This profile covers the population, economy, natural resources, leaders, and history of Sierra Leone — with the Bureau’s live national-power score of --/100, ranking #-- of 195 countries.
What is Sierra Leone's power score?
Sierra Leone has a Magna Power score of --/100. The score measures structural power — the proven capacity to shape events — across nine components.