Urban population in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: Urban population was 45.9% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Urban population in Sierra Leone, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in % of total population.
Analysis
Sierra Leone recorded 45.9% for urban population in 2025. That is the highest value across all 66 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, urban population in Sierra Leone peaked at 45.9% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 17.4%, in 1960.
Sierra Leone ranks 159th of 217 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 66 years of available data.
Urban population in Sierra Leone, year by year
| Year | % of total population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 17.4% | — |
| 1961 | 18.0% | +3.1% |
| 1962 | 18.5% | +3.0% |
| 1963 | 19.0% | +3.0% |
| 1964 | 19.7% | +3.2% |
| 1965 | 20.3% | +3.5% |
| 1966 | 21.1% | +3.7% |
| 1967 | 21.9% | +3.8% |
| 1968 | 22.7% | +3.8% |
| 1969 | 23.5% | +3.7% |
| 1970 | 24.4% | +3.5% |
| 1971 | 25.2% | +3.3% |
| 1972 | 25.9% | +3.0% |
| 1973 | 26.6% | +2.7% |
| 1974 | 27.2% | +2.3% |
| 1975 | 27.8% | +2.0% |
| 1976 | 28.3% | +1.9% |
| 1977 | 28.8% | +1.8% |
| 1978 | 29.3% | +1.7% |
| 1979 | 29.8% | +1.6% |
| 1980 | 30.2% | +1.5% |
| 1981 | 30.6% | +1.4% |
| 1982 | 31.0% | +1.3% |
| 1983 | 31.4% | +1.2% |
| 1984 | 31.8% | +1.1% |
| 1985 | 32.1% | +1.0% |
| 1986 | 32.4% | +1.0% |
| 1987 | 32.7% | +0.9% |
| 1988 | 33.0% | +0.8% |
| 1989 | 33.2% | +0.8% |
| 1990 | 33.5% | +0.7% |
| 1991 | 33.7% | +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 | 35.3% | +0.6% |
| 2000 | 35.5% | +0.6% |
| 2001 | 35.8% | +0.6% |
| 2002 | 36.0% | +0.7% |
| 2003 | 36.3% | +0.7% |
| 2004 | 36.5% | +0.8% |
| 2005 | 36.8% | +0.8% |
| 2006 | 37.2% | +0.9% |
| 2007 | 37.5% | +0.9% |
| 2008 | 37.9% | +1.0% |
| 2009 | 38.2% | +1.0% |
| 2010 | 38.6% | +1.0% |
| 2011 | 39.0% | +1.0% |
| 2012 | 39.5% | +1.1% |
| 2013 | 39.9% | +1.1% |
| 2014 | 40.3% | +1.1% |
| 2015 | 40.8% | +1.1% |
| 2016 | 41.2% | +1.1% |
| 2017 | 41.7% | +1.2% |
| 2018 | 42.2% | +1.2% |
| 2019 | 42.7% | +1.2% |
| 2020 | 43.2% | +1.2% |
| 2021 | 43.7% | +1.2% |
| 2022 | 44.3% | +1.2% |
| 2023 | 44.8% | +1.2% |
| 2024 | 45.4% | +1.2% |
| 2025 | 45.9% | +1.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 20.2% | 17.4% | 23.5% | 10 |
| 1970s | 27.3% | 24.4% | 29.8% | 10 |
| 1980s | 31.8% | 30.2% | 33.2% | 10 |
| 1990s | 34.4% | 33.5% | 35.3% | 10 |
| 2000s | 36.8% | 35.5% | 38.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 40.6% | 38.6% | 42.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 44.6% | 43.2% | 45.9% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Sierra Leone
- 156 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 48.0% compare
- 157 Turkmenistan 47.1% compare
- 158 Guinea-Bissau 46.7% compare
- 160 Zambia 45.9% compare
- 161 Seychelles 45.5% compare
- 162 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 45.1% compare
More climate change data for Sierra Leone
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 1,547 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 538.77 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 1,008 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 2.03 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 36.02 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 1,431 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 201.66 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 1,229 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 0.761 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 43.9 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is urban population in Sierra Leone?
- Urban population in Sierra Leone was 45.9% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest urban population recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The highest recorded value was 45.9% in 2025.
- What is the lowest urban population recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The lowest recorded value was 17.4% in 1960.
- How does Sierra Leone rank for urban population?
- Sierra Leone ranks 159th out of 217 countries with data for 2025.
- Is urban 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 World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Urban population (% of total population). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 66 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Urban population refers to people living in urban areas as defined by national statistical offices. The data are collected and smoothed by United Nations Population Division.