Employment in services (% of total employment) in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: Employment in services (% of total employment) was 44.0% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Employment in services (% of total employment) in Sierra Leone, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
Sierra Leone recorded 44.0% for employment in services (% of total employment) in 2025. That is the highest value across all 35 years on record.
The figure is up 1.1% on the previous year and up 20.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employment in services (% of total employment) in Sierra Leone peaked at 44.0% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 25.0%, in 2004.
That places Sierra Leone 149th out of 187 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.
Employment in services (% of total employment) in Sierra Leone, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 27.6% | — |
| 1992 | 26.5% | -4.0% |
| 1993 | 26.7% | +0.9% |
| 1994 | 26.6% | -0.4% |
| 1995 | 26.0% | -2.4% |
| 1996 | 26.2% | +0.9% |
| 1997 | 25.6% | -2.3% |
| 1998 | 25.8% | +0.8% |
| 1999 | 25.7% | -0.4% |
| 2000 | 26.3% | +2.4% |
| 2001 | 25.1% | -4.6% |
| 2002 | 26.6% | +6.1% |
| 2003 | 27.2% | +2.1% |
| 2004 | 25.0% | -8.0% |
| 2005 | 25.6% | +2.2% |
| 2006 | 26.2% | +2.6% |
| 2007 | 27.3% | +4.2% |
| 2008 | 28.3% | +3.4% |
| 2009 | 28.9% | +2.2% |
| 2010 | 30.0% | +3.9% |
| 2011 | 31.0% | +3.4% |
| 2012 | 32.9% | +6.1% |
| 2013 | 35.0% | +6.3% |
| 2014 | 36.3% | +3.7% |
| 2015 | 36.6% | +0.9% |
| 2016 | 39.3% | +7.3% |
| 2017 | 41.7% | +6.1% |
| 2018 | 43.2% | +3.7% |
| 2019 | 43.9% | +1.5% |
| 2020 | 42.3% | -3.6% |
| 2021 | 42.2% | -0.4% |
| 2022 | 42.6% | +1.0% |
| 2023 | 43.2% | +1.5% |
| 2024 | 43.6% | +0.8% |
| 2025 | 44.0% | +1.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 26.3% | 25.6% | 27.6% | 9 |
| 2000s | 26.7% | 25.0% | 28.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 37.0% | 30.0% | 43.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 43.0% | 42.2% | 44.0% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Sierra Leone
More work & labour data for Sierra Leone
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -0.1141 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -0.1389 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -0.091 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -0.2881 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 2.17 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 7,725 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 5,247 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 8,103 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 7,832 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 15,934 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is employment in services (% of total employment) in Sierra Leone?
- Employment in services (% of total employment) in Sierra Leone was 44.0% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest employment in services (% of total employment) recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The highest recorded value was 44.0% in 2025.
- What is the lowest employment in services (% of total employment) recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The lowest recorded value was 25.0% in 2004.
- How does Sierra Leone rank for employment in services (% of total employment)?
- Sierra Leone ranks 149th out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is employment in services (% of total employment) rising or falling in Sierra Leone?
- Over the last ten years it is up 20.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sierra Leone data come from?
- The figures come from ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Employment in services (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Employment is defined as persons of working age who were engaged in any activity to produce goods or provide services for pay or profit, whether at work during the reference period or not at work due to temporary absence from a job, or to working-time arrangement. The services sector consists of wholesale and retail trade and restaurants and hotels; transport, storage, and communications; financing, insurance, real estate, and business services; and community, social, and personal services, in accordance with divisions 6-9 (ISIC 2) or categories G-Q (ISIC 3) or categories G-U (ISIC 4).