# Sierra Leone — key facts

Source: GeoReality (https://geo-reality.com) — verified country data, regenerated 2026-09-01.
When citing a figure, attribute both GeoReality and the primary source in the third column.

- Capital: Freetown
- Region: Africa · Western Africa
- Full profile: https://geo-reality.com/country/sl
- Methodology and source URLs: https://geo-reality.com/data-sources

| Fact | Value | Primary source |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 8,819,794 | World Bank SP.POP.TOTL |
| Area | 72,180 km² | World Bank AG.LND.TOTL.K2 |
| GDP per capita (nominal) | 846 USD | World Bank NY.GDP.PCAP.CD |
| GDP per capita (PPP) | 3,717 intl $ | World Bank NY.GDP.PCAP.PP.CD |
| GDP (total) | 7.5 bn USD | World Bank NY.GDP.MKTP.CD |
| Human Development Index | 0.46 | UNDP Human Development Report (2022) |
| Global Peace Index (lower = more peaceful) | 1.94 | IEP Global Peace Index (2024) |
| Life satisfaction (Cantril ladder, 0-10) | 3.25 | World Happiness Report — Data for Figure 2.1, life evaluation (Cantril ladder) (2026) |
| Life expectancy at birth | 62 years | World Bank SP.DYN.LE00.IN |
| Fertility rate | 3.7 births/woman | World Bank SP.DYN.TFRT.IN |
| Unemployment | 3.2% | World Bank SL.UEM.TOTL.ZS |
| Inflation (CPI, annual) | 7.5% | World Bank FP.CPI.TOTL.ZG |
| Internet users | 25.1% of population | World Bank IT.NET.USER.ZS |
| Urban population | 45.9% | World Bank SP.URB.TOTL.IN.ZS |
| Renewable share of energy | 71.6% | World Bank EG.FEC.RNEW.ZS |
| Forest area | 34.3% of land | World Bank AG.LND.FRST.ZS |
| CO2 emissions per capita | 0.17 t/yr | World Bank EN.GHG.CO2.PC.CE.AR5 |
| Corporate tax rate | 25% | Wikipedia — List of countries by tax rates (corporate column, headline statutory rate) (2024) |

## Two decades of change

| Indicator | First → last observed | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy at birth | 48.31 (2005) → 61.96 (2024) | World Bank SP.DYN.LE00.IN |
| Internet users | 0.23 (2006) → 25.1 (2024) | World Bank IT.NET.USER.ZS |
| Urban population | 37.17 (2006) → 45.93 (2025) | World Bank SP.URB.TOTL.IN.ZS |
| Births per woman | 5.81 (2005) → 3.7 (2024) | World Bank SP.DYN.TFRT.IN |
| Renewable share of energy | 86.5 (2004) → 71.6 (2022) | World Bank EG.FEC.RNEW.ZS |
| Access to electricity | 11.3 (2005) → 39.2 (2024) | World Bank EG.ELC.ACCS.ZS |
| Infant mortality | 109.3 (2005) → 54.6 (2024) | World Bank SP.DYN.IMRT.IN |
| CO2 emissions per person | 0.1 (2005) → 0.17 (2024) | World Bank EN.GHG.CO2.PC.CE.AR5 |
| Forest area | 39.49 (2004) → 34.3 (2023) | World Bank AG.LND.FRST.ZS |

Context across all countries: https://geo-reality.com/changed

## Human Development Index, 1990–2022

Source: UNDP Human Development Report, composite indices complete time series (2023-24). Annual values as published, none interpolated.

| Year | HDI |
|---|---|
| 1990 | 0.314 |
| 1991 | 0.304 |
| 1992 | 0.305 |
| 1993 | 0.312 |
| 1994 | 0.312 |
| 1995 | 0.314 |
| 1996 | 0.312 |
| 1997 | 0.307 |
| 1998 | 0.304 |
| 1999 | 0.301 |
| 2000 | 0.319 |
| 2001 | 0.330 |
| 2002 | 0.346 |
| 2003 | 0.355 |
| 2004 | 0.363 |
| 2005 | 0.369 |
| 2006 | 0.371 |
| 2007 | 0.392 |
| 2008 | 0.403 |
| 2009 | 0.411 |
| 2010 | 0.416 |
| 2011 | 0.424 |
| 2012 | 0.427 |
| 2013 | 0.445 |
| 2014 | 0.447 |
| 2015 | 0.438 |
| 2016 | 0.446 |
| 2017 | 0.448 |
| 2018 | 0.454 |
| 2019 | 0.457 |
| 2020 | 0.453 |
| 2021 | 0.456 |
| 2022 | 0.458 |

Chart: https://geo-reality.com/country/sl#hdi-history

Vintages marked "varies" are the most recent value the source publishes per country; the profile page states the exact year per figure.