The beach in Sierra Leone

Sierra Leone Economic Data & Projections

Sierra Leone's Macroeconomic Analysis:

Nominal GDP of USD 3.9 billion in 2023.

Nominal GDP of USD 4.2 billion in 2021.

GDP per capita of USD 521 compared to the global average of USD 10,589.

GDP per capita of USD 460 compared to the global average of USD 10,589.

Average real GDP growth of 3% over the last decade.

Average real GDP growth of 4.3% over the last decade.

Share of the region's population
Share of the region's GDP

In 2020, services accounted for 35% of overall GDP, manufacturing 2%, other industrial activity 4%, and agriculture 59%. Looking at GDP by expenditure, private consumption accounted for 101% of GDP in 2020, government consumption 8%, fixed investment 12%, and net exports -21%.

GDP by economic sector
GDP by type of expenditure

International trade

In 2018, manufactured products made up 25% of total merchandise exports, mineral fuels 0%, food 46%, ores and metals 20% and agricultural raw materials 9%, with other categories accounting for 0% of the total. In the same period, manufactured products made up 64% of total merchandise imports, mineral fuels 1%, food 32%, ores and metals 1% and agricultural raw materials 2%, with other goods accounting for 0% of the total. Total exports were worth USD 1 billion in 2021, while total imports were USD 2 billion.

Key exports
Key imports
Key export partners
Key import partners

Main Economic Indicators

Economic growth

The economy recorded average annual growth of 4.3% in the decade to 2021. To read more about GDP growth in Sierra Leone, go to our dedicated page.

Fiscal policy

Sierra Leone's fiscal deficit averaged 3.9% of GDP in the decade to 2022. Find out more on our dedicated page.

Inflation

Inflation averaged 12.4% in the decade to 2022. Go to our Sierra Leone inflation page for extra insight.

Monetary Policy

Sierra Leone's monetary policy rate ended 2021 at 18.86%, down from 21.00% a decade earlier. See our Sierra Leone monetary policy page for additional details.

Exchange Rate

From end-2014 to end-2022 the leone weakened by 73.7% vs the U.S. dollar. For more info on the leone, click here.

Sierra Leone Economic Forecasts

Projections out to 2034.

35 indicators covered including both annual and quarterly frequencies.

Consensus Forecasts based on a panel of 4 expert analysts.

Want to get insight on the economic outlook for Sierra Leone in the coming years? FocusEconomics collects projections out to 2034 on 35 economic indicators for Sierra Leone from a panel of 4 analysts at the leading national, regional and global forecast institutions. These projections are then validated by our in-house team of economists and data analysts, and averaged to provide one Consensus Forecast you can rely on for each indicator. This means you avoid the risk of relying on out of date, biased or outlier forecasts. Our Consensus Forecasts can be visualized in whichever way best suits your needs, including via interactive online dashboards , direct data delivery and executive-style reports which combine analysts' projections with timely written analysis from our in-house team of economists on the latest developments in the Sierra Leone economy. To download a sample report on the Sierra Leone's economy, click here. To get in touch with our team for more information, fill in the form at the bottom of this page.

Sierra Leone Economic Indicators

2019 2020 2021 2022 2023
Population (million) 7.8 8.0 8.1 8.3 8.5
GDP (USD bn) 6.5 6.7 7.2 7.1 6.4
GDP per Capita (USD) 835 838 879 850 754
GDP (LCU bn) 58,779 65,748 74,801 100,007 136,604
Economic Growth (Nominal GDP, ann. var. %) 16.0 11.9 13.8 33.7 36.6
Economic Growth (GDP, ann. var. %) 5.5 -1.3 5.9 5.3 5.7
Fiscal Balance (% of GDP) -0.3 -1.7 -2.6 -4.1 -2.6
Public Debt (% of GDP) 45.3 46.4 47.1 54.0 49.2
Inflation (CPI, ann. var. %, eop) 13.9 10.4 17.9 37.1 52.2
Inflation (CPI, ann. var. %, aop) 14.8 13.4 11.9 27.2 47.6
Policy Rate (%, eop) 17.97 17.94 18.86 19.31 19.64
Exchange Rate (SLL per USD, eop) 9,717 10,133 11,256 18,835 22,797
Exchange Rate (LCU per USD, aop) 9,013 9,831 10,456 14,155 21,369
Current Account Balance (USD bn) -0.6 -0.3 - - -
Current Account Balance (% of GDP) -8.9 -4.1 - - -
Merchandise Trade Balance (USD bn) -0.8 -0.6 -0.6 -0.6 -0.4
Merchandise Exports (USD bn) 0.6 0.6 1.0 1.2 1.3
Merchandise Imports (USD bn) 1.4 1.2 1.6 1.7 1.7
Merchandise Exports (ann. var. %) -15.3 9.1 72.0 10.3 9.3
Merchandise Imports (ann. var. %) 14.7 -12.0 33.6 7.2 -3.0
Foreign Direct Investment (USD bn) 0.3 0.2 0.2 0.3 0.2
International Reserves (USD bn) 0.5 0.7 0.9 0.6 0.5
International Reserves (months of imports) 4.6 7.0 7.0 4.3 3.5
External Debt (USD bn) 1.9 2.2 2.5 2.4 2.4
External Debt (% of GDP) 29.6 32.8 35.4 34.0 37.3
Free Sample Report

Interested in Sierra Leone economic reports, analysis and data? FocusEconomics provides data, forecasts and analysis for hundreds of countries and commodities. Request your free sample report now.

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