Employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) (modeled ILO estimate) in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: Employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) (modeled ILO estimate) was 51.7% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) in Sierra Leone, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
In 2025, employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) in Sierra Leone stood at 51.7%.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.4% on the previous year and down 3.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) in Sierra Leone peaked at 63.8% in 2004 and was at its lowest, 51.4%, in 2020.
That places Sierra Leone 132nd out of 187 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) (modeled ILO estimate) in Sierra Leone, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 61.7% | — |
| 1992 | 61.6% | -0.2% |
| 1993 | 61.6% | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 61.6% | -0.0% |
| 1995 | 61.7% | +0.2% |
| 1996 | 61.7% | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 61.7% | -0.0% |
| 1998 | 61.8% | +0.2% |
| 1999 | 61.8% | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 61.9% | +0.2% |
| 2001 | 61.9% | -0.1% |
| 2002 | 62.1% | +0.4% |
| 2003 | 62.1% | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 63.8% | +2.8% |
| 2005 | 62.8% | -1.6% |
| 2006 | 61.8% | -1.5% |
| 2007 | 60.9% | -1.5% |
| 2008 | 60.0% | -1.5% |
| 2009 | 59.0% | -1.6% |
| 2010 | 58.1% | -1.6% |
| 2011 | 57.2% | -1.6% |
| 2012 | 56.3% | -1.6% |
| 2013 | 55.4% | -1.6% |
| 2014 | 54.3% | -2.0% |
| 2015 | 53.7% | -1.1% |
| 2016 | 53.1% | -1.0% |
| 2017 | 52.7% | -0.8% |
| 2018 | 52.2% | -0.9% |
| 2019 | 52.1% | -0.2% |
| 2020 | 51.4% | -1.3% |
| 2021 | 51.7% | +0.5% |
| 2022 | 52.0% | +0.5% |
| 2023 | 52.0% | -0.0% |
| 2024 | 51.9% | -0.1% |
| 2025 | 51.7% | -0.4% |
Sierra Leone compared with similar countries
- Sierra Leone's 51.7% is below the median for low income countries, which is 64.3%, 80% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Sierra Leone's 51.7% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 58.8%, 88% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 61.7% | 61.6% | 61.8% | 9 |
| 2000s | 61.6% | 59.0% | 63.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 54.5% | 52.1% | 58.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 51.8% | 51.4% | 52.0% | 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 to population ratio, 15+, total (%) in Sierra Leone?
- Employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) in Sierra Leone was 51.7% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The highest recorded value was 63.8% in 2004.
- What is the lowest employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The lowest recorded value was 51.4% in 2020.
- How does Sierra Leone rank for employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%)?
- Sierra Leone ranks 132nd out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) rising or falling in Sierra Leone?
- Over the last ten years it is down 3.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- 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 to population ratio, 15+, total (%) (modeled ILO estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 35 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Employment to population ratio is the proportion of a country's population that is employed.