Urban population in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: Urban population was 4.05 million in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Urban population in Sierra Leone, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
Analysis
Sierra Leone recorded 4.05 million for urban population in 2025. That is the highest value across all 66 years on record.
The figure is up 3.3% on the previous year and up 41.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, urban population in Sierra Leone peaked at 4.05 million in 2025 and was at its lowest, 395,403, in 1960.
Sierra Leone ranks 113th of 215 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 498,552 | 395,403 | 626,379 | 10 |
| 1970s | 809,521 | 660,725 | 954,884 | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.16 million | 988,597 | 1.34 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.45 million | 1.40 million | 1.52 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.97 million | 1.57 million | 2.32 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.83 million | 2.40 million | 3.30 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.73 million | 3.42 million | 4.05 million | 6 |
Countries ranked near Sierra Leone
More climate change data for Sierra Leone
- Share of global CO₂ emissions and population 0.2% (2100)
- Population growth 2.0% (2025)
- Population, total 8.82 million (2025)
- Urban population growth 3.3% (2025)
- Urban population 45.9% (2025)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. GDP per capita 0.166 tonnes per person (2024)
- Cumulative CO₂ emissions 42.62 million tonnes (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita 0.166 tonnes per person (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. share of electricity generation from renewables 0.166 tonnes per person (2024)
- Share of global CO₂ emissions vs. share of population 0.0% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is urban population in Sierra Leone?
- Urban population in Sierra Leone was 4.05 million 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 4.05 million in 2025.
- What is the lowest urban population recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The lowest recorded value was 395,403 in 1960.
- How does Sierra Leone rank for urban population?
- Sierra Leone ranks 113th out of 215 countries with data for 2025.
- Is urban population rising or falling in Sierra Leone?
- Over the last ten years it is up 41.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Sierra Leone data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Urban 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. It is calculated using World Bank population estimates and urban ratios from the United Nations World Urbanization Prospects. Aggregation of urban and rural population may not add up to total population because of different country coverages.