About Sierra Leone

The essentials about Sierra Leone, with figures dated as their sources give them.

Before you travel

Official Government of Sierra Leone services. Links open in a new tab.

Apply for an eVisaSierra Leone Immigration’s official eVisa application, to complete before you travel.
Health Declaration FormAll travellers must complete it on the NPHA Health Travel Portal no more than 72 hours before travelling.
Government services (WanGov)Apply for, track and pay for government services such as passports, driving licences and police clearance.
Work and residence permitsApply for and track Sierra Leone work and residence permits online.

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At a glance

Capital: Freetown (8°29′N, 13°14′W); Source: CIA World Factbook, 2025 edition (public domain), via the World Factbook Archive
Population: 9,331,203 (2025 estimate); Source: CIA World Factbook, 2025 edition (public domain), via the World Factbook Archive
Area: 71,740 sq km, of which 120 sq km is water; Source: CIA World Factbook, 2025 edition (public domain), via the World Factbook Archive
Coastline: About 400 km on the Atlantic Ocean; Source: National Tourist Board of Sierra Leone, About Sierra Leone
Borders: Guinea to the north-east, Liberia to the south-east; Source: National Tourist Board of Sierra Leone, About Sierra Leone
Official language: English; Krio is the lingua franca, understood by about 95%; Source: CIA World Factbook, 2025 edition (public domain), via the World Factbook Archive
Time zone: UTC+0 all year; Source: CIA World Factbook, 2025 edition (public domain), via the World Factbook Archive
Government: Presidential republic; Source: CIA World Factbook, 2025 edition (public domain), via the World Factbook Archive
National animal: The chimpanzee; Source: National Tourist Board of Sierra Leone, About Sierra Leone

Land and climate

Sierra Leone lies on the west coast of Africa between 7 and 10 degrees north of the Equator. Four regions shape its landscapes: a flat coast lined with mangrove swamps, rainforest-covered hill country in the centre, an upland plateau, and mountains in the east. Offshore islands include Bunce Island and the Banana and Turtle Islands.

The Loma Mountains hold the country’s highest peak, Mount Bintumani, at 1,948 metres; the Tingi Hills (Sankan Biriwa) and Sula Mountains are other ranges. The Rokel is the largest river basin, flowing more than 386 km from the Loma Mountains to the Atlantic, where its estuary forms Freetown Harbour. The Sewa and Moa are other major rivers; the Moa rises in Guinea and marks part of the border.

About 38% of the land is forested, 4% of it primary rainforest. Gola Rainforest National Park, about 350,000 hectares in the east, is part of the Upper Guinea Forest and shelters more than 300 bird species along with pygmy hippopotamus, chimpanzees and forest elephants.

The climate is tropical, hot and humid all year. The dry season runs from November to April; December and January are the most pleasant months, before the harmattan wind brings heat and haze from the Sahara. The rainy season, May to October, brings heavy bursts of rain between sunny spells and can flood roads.

Natural resources: Diamonds, titanium ore, bauxite, iron ore, gold, chromite; Source: CIA World Factbook, 2025 edition (public domain), via the World Factbook Archive

Regions

Sierra Leone has five regions: four provinces and the Western Area.

Western Area: the capital, Freetown, and the country’s economic and political centre.

Northern Province: fertile farmland and rainforest, with Outamba-Kilimi National Park; Makeni is its capital and a commercial hub.

North West Province: stretches to the Guinea border; Port Loko is its largest town, and farming, fishing and mining are the main activities.

Southern Province: beaches, historic sites and wildlife on Tiwai Island; Bo, the second-largest city, is its capital.

Eastern Province: home to the Gola Rainforest and the centre of diamond mining; Kenema is its capital, known for its markets.

People and languages

Sierra Leone is home to about 18 ethnic groups. The Temne, mostly in the north including Freetown, and the Mende, in the south and east and known for their carved masks, each make up about a third of the population.

The Krio are descended from formerly enslaved Africans who settled on the Freetown Peninsula from the late 18th century, including the Black Poor, Nova Scotians, Jamaican Maroons and Liberated Africans. Though few in number, they have shaped the country’s culture, and their language, Krio, is spoken across the country.

Sierra Leone is a secular state. Religious tolerance is a core value: interfaith marriages are common and both Muslim and Christian festivals are public holidays.

Ethnic groups: 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%, Krio 1.2%, other 5% (2019); Source: CIA World Factbook, 2025 edition (public domain), via the World Factbook Archive
Languages: English (official), Krio (lingua franca), Mende (main language in the south), Temne (main language in the north), and more than twenty others; Source: CIA World Factbook, 2025 edition (public domain), via the World Factbook Archive
Religions: Muslim 77.1%, Christian 22.9% (2019); traditional beliefs remain important, especially in rural areas; Source: CIA World Factbook, 2025 edition (public domain), via the World Factbook Archive
Median age: 19.7 years; Source: CIA World Factbook, 2025 edition (public domain), via the World Factbook Archive
Life expectancy: 59.4 years (2024 estimate); Source: CIA World Factbook, 2025 edition (public domain), via the World Factbook Archive
Urban population: 44.3% (2023); Source: CIA World Factbook, 2025 edition (public domain), via the World Factbook Archive
Literacy: 43.6% (2019); Source: CIA World Factbook, 2025 edition (public domain), via the World Factbook Archive

Food and festivals

Rice, cassava, plantain and yams are the staples. Cassava is often pounded and fermented into fufu, used to scoop up sauces; groundnut soup and cassava leaf stew are favourites. Fish is everywhere along the coast, and fried fish balls are a common snack.

Public holidays include Eid al-Fitr, Eid al-Adha and the Prophet’s birthday as well as Christmas, Easter and Boxing Day. New Year’s Day is spent on the beach or by the river, and Freetown’s Lantern Parade marks Independence Day in April.

History

People have lived in Sierra Leone for at least 2,500 years. Iron working dates to the 9th century and farming on the coast to the 10th. Communities were led by chiefs or kings checked by councils of elders, and secret societies such as the Poro for men and the Sande for women, still active today, held political power. Islam arrived from the north with traders.

Portuguese sailors reached the coast in the 15th century and named the peninsula Serra Lyoa, Lion Mountain, from which the country takes its name. Dutch and English traders followed, and the transatlantic slave trade lasted about three centuries.

In the late 18th century formerly enslaved Africans settled the peninsula and founded Freetown, named as a free haven. British colonial rule met resistance, most famously the Hut Tax War of 1898 led by Bai Bureh, now a national hero. Sierra Leone became independent in 1961. Military coups from the 1960s and a civil war from 1991 to 2002 followed; the country has since been peaceful and stable.

Government

System: Presidential republic; the president is head of state and government; Source: CIA World Factbook, 2025 edition (public domain), via the World Factbook Archive
President: Julius Maada Bio, re-elected in June 2023 with 56.2% of the vote; Source: CIA World Factbook, 2025 edition (public domain), via the World Factbook Archive
Parliament: 149 seats: 135 elected by proportional representation and 14 paramount chiefs, one for each provincial district; 5-year terms; Source: CIA World Factbook, 2025 edition (public domain), via the World Factbook Archive
Courts: Supreme Court, Court of Appeal and High Court, with magistrates’ and local courts below; Source: CIA World Factbook, 2025 edition (public domain), via the World Factbook Archive
Constitution: In force since 1 October 1991; Source: CIA World Factbook, 2025 edition (public domain), via the World Factbook Archive
Next elections: Expected June 2028; Source: CIA World Factbook, 2025 edition (public domain), via the World Factbook Archive
Member of: African Union, ECOWAS, the Commonwealth, the United Nations and many other international organisations; Source: CIA World Factbook, 2025 edition (public domain), via the World Factbook Archive

Economy

GDP (purchasing power parity): US$26.7 billion (2024 estimate); Source: CIA World Factbook, 2025 edition (public domain), via the World Factbook Archive
GDP per person: US$3,100 (2024 estimate); Source: CIA World Factbook, 2025 edition (public domain), via the World Factbook Archive
Growth: 4% (2024 estimate); Source: CIA World Factbook, 2025 edition (public domain), via the World Factbook Archive
Inflation: 28.6% (2024 estimate); Source: CIA World Factbook, 2025 edition (public domain), via the World Factbook Archive
Exports: US$1.38 billion (2023 estimate); Source: CIA World Factbook, 2025 edition (public domain), via the World Factbook Archive
Imports: US$2.26 billion (2023 estimate); Source: CIA World Factbook, 2025 edition (public domain), via the World Factbook Archive
Industries: Diamond mining; iron ore, rutile and bauxite mining; small-scale manufacturing; Source: CIA World Factbook, 2025 edition (public domain), via the World Factbook Archive
Farm products: Cassava, rice, oil palm fruit, vegetables, sweet potatoes, citrus, groundnuts, sugarcane; Source: CIA World Factbook, 2025 edition (public domain), via the World Factbook Archive

Getting connected

Airports: 8 (2025); Source: CIA World Factbook, 2025 edition (public domain), via the World Factbook Archive
Mobile phones: 8.93 million subscriptions, about 108 per 100 people (2022); Source: CIA World Factbook, 2025 edition (public domain), via the World Factbook Archive
Internet users: 21% of the population (2023); Source: CIA World Factbook, 2025 edition (public domain), via the World Factbook Archive

Military and security

Forces: Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces (land, air and maritime); the Sierra Leone Police under the Ministry of Internal Affairs; Source: CIA World Factbook, 2025 edition (public domain), via the World Factbook Archive
Service: Voluntary, ages 18 to 25; no conscription; Source: CIA World Factbook, 2025 edition (public domain), via the World Factbook Archive
Spending: 0.5% of GDP (2024 estimate); Source: CIA World Factbook, 2025 edition (public domain), via the World Factbook Archive
Role: Border and coastal security, support to civil authorities in emergencies, and international peacekeeping; Source: CIA World Factbook, 2025 edition (public domain), via the World Factbook Archive

Sources

Figures come from the CIA World Factbook 2025 (public domain); descriptions are summarised from the National Tourist Board of Sierra Leone.