Sierra Leone

presidential republic

name: Freetown geographic coordinates: 8 29 N, 13 14 W time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time) etymology: the name described the original settlement in 1781, which served as a haven for free-born and freed African Americans

chief of state: President Julius Maada BIO (since 27 June 2023) head of government: President Julius Maada BIO (since 27 June 2023) cabinet: Ministers of State appointed by the president, approved by Parliament; the cabinet is responsible to the president election/appointment process: president directly elected by 55% in the first round or absolute-majority popular vote in 2 rounds, if needed, for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term) most recent election date: 24 June 2023 election results: 2023: Julius Maada BIO reelected president in first round; percent of vote - Julius Maada BIO (SLPP) 56.2%, Samura KAMARA (APC) 41.2%, other 2.6% 2018: Julius Maada BIO elected president in second round; percent of vote - Julius Maada BIO (SLPP) 51.8%, Samura KAMARA (APC) 48.2% expected date of next election: June 2028 note: the president is chief of state, head of government, and minister of defense

legislature name: Parliament legislative structure: unicameral number of seats: 149 (135 directly elected; 14 indirectly elected) electoral system: proportional representation scope of elections: full renewal term in office: 5 years most recent election date: 6/24/2023 parties elected and seats per party: Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP) (81); All People's Congress (APC) (54) percentage of women in chamber: 29.5% expected date of next election: June 2028 note: 14 seats are reserved for "paramount chiefs," who are indirectly elected to represent the 14 provincial districts

highest court(s): Superior Court of Judicature (consists of the Supreme Court at the top, with the chief justice and 4 other judges, the Court of Appeal with the chief justice and 7 other judges, and the High Court of Justice with the chief justice and 9 other judges) judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court chief justice and other judges of the Judicature appointed by the president on the advice of the Judicial and Legal Service Commission, a 7-member independent body of judges, presidential appointees, and the Commission chairman, and are subject to approval by Parliament; all Judicature judges serve until retirement at age 65 subordinate courts: magistrates' courts; District Appeals Court; local courts

history: several previous; latest effective 1 October 1991 amendment process: proposed by Parliament; passage of amendments requires at least two-thirds majority vote of Parliament in two successive readings and assent of the president of the republic; passage of amendments affecting fundamental rights and freedoms and many other constitutional sections also requires approval in a referendum with participation of at least one half of qualified voters and at least two thirds of votes cast

ACP, AfDB, ATMIS, AU, C, ECOWAS, EITI (compliant country), FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO (pending member), ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, NAM, OIC, OPCW, UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNISFA, UNOOSA, UNSOM, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

0.5% of GDP (2024 est.) 0.6% of GDP (2023 est.) 0.6% of GDP (2022 est.) 0.3% of GDP (2021 est.) 0.3% of GDP (2020 est.)

Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces (RSLAF): organized as a Joint Force Command with land, air, and maritime components Ministry of Internal Affairs: Sierra Leone Police (2025)

18-25 for voluntary military service for men and women; no conscription (2025)

the RSLAF s primary responsibilities are securing the country's borders and territorial waters, supporting civil authorities during internal emergencies, and participating in peacekeeping missions; since the end of the civil war in 2002, it has received assistance from several foreign militaries, including those of Canada, China, France, the UK, and the US the RSLAF s origins lie in the Sierra Leone Battalion of the Royal West African Frontier Force (RWAFF), a multi-regiment force formed by the British colonial office in 1900 to garrison the West African colonies of Gold Coast (Ghana), Nigeria (Lagos and the protectorates of Northern and Southern Nigeria), Sierra Leone, and The Gambia; the RWAFF fought in both World Wars (2025)

$26.728 billion (2024 est.) $25.7 billion (2023 est.) $24.312 billion (2022 est.) note: data in 2021 dollars

$3,100 (2024 est.) $3,000 (2023 est.) $2,900 (2022 est.) note: data in 2021 dollars

4% (2024 est.) 5.7% (2023 est.) 5.3% (2022 est.) note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

28.6% (2024 est.) 47.6% (2023 est.) 27.2% (2022 est.) note: annual % change based on consumer prices

54.9% of GDP (2016 est.)

$1.382 billion (2023 est.) $1.202 billion (2022 est.) $928.689 million (2021 est.) note: balance of payments - exports of goods and services in current dollars

$2.264 billion (2023 est.) $2.074 billion (2022 est.) $1.91 billion (2021 est.) note: balance of payments - imports of goods and services in current dollars

3.2% (2024 est.) 3.2% (2023 est.) 3.2% (2022 est.) note: % of labor force seeking employment

revenues: $740 million (2019 est.) expenditures: $867 million (2019 est.)

diamond mining; iron ore, rutile and bauxite mining; small-scale manufacturing (beverages, textiles, footwear)

cassava, rice, oil palm fruit, vegetables, sweet potatoes, milk, citrus fruits, fruits, groundnuts, sugarcane (2023) note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage

total: 9,331,203 (2025 est.) male: 4,620,638 female: 4,710,565

2.24% (2025 est.)

0-14 years: 40.1% (male 1,843,606/female 1,812,304) 15-64 years: 57.4% (male 2,557,715/female 2,675,418) 65 years and over: 2.5% (2024 est.) (male 114,405/female 117,601)

30.04 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)

8.8 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)

1.13 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)

total population: 59.4 years (2024 est.) male: 57.8 years female: 61 years

urban population: 44.3% of total population (2023) rate of urbanization: 3.02% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Temne 35.4%, Mende 30.8%, Limba 8.8%, Kono 4.3%, Korankoh 4%, Fullah 3.8%, Mandingo 2.8%, Loko 2%, Sherbro 1.9%, Creole 1.2% (descendants of freed Jamaican slaves who were settled in the Freetown area in the late-18th century; also known as Krio), other 5% (2019 est.)

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%)

Muslim 77.1%, Christian 22.9% (2019 est.)

total population: 43.6% (2019 est.) male: 54.6% (2019 est.) female: 33.9% (2019 est.)

diamonds, titanium ore, bauxite, iron ore, gold, chromite

8 (2025)

total: 584 (2023) by type: bulk carrier 33, container ship 8, general cargo 320, oil tanker 97, other 126

total subscriptions: 8.93 million (2022 est.) subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 108 (2022 est.)

percent of population: 21% (2023 est.)