Employment to population ratio in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: Employment to population ratio was 51.69 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
51.69
Change on year
down 0.4%
World rank
131st
of 186 countries
All-time high
63.85
in 2004
All-time low
51.43
in 2020
Years of data
35
1991–2025
Employment to population ratio in Sierra Leone, 1991–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
Sierra Leone recorded 51.69 for employment to population ratio in 2025.
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 in Sierra Leone peaked at 63.85 in 2004 and was at its lowest, 51.43, in 2020.
That places Sierra Leone 131st out of 186 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 in Sierra Leone, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 61.71 | — |
| 1992 | 61.58 | -0.2% |
| 1993 | 61.59 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 61.58 | -0.0% |
| 1995 | 61.69 | +0.2% |
| 1996 | 61.72 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 61.72 | -0.0% |
| 1998 | 61.82 | +0.2% |
| 1999 | 61.82 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 61.95 | +0.2% |
| 2001 | 61.89 | -0.1% |
| 2002 | 62.11 | +0.4% |
| 2003 | 62.13 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 63.85 | +2.8% |
| 2005 | 62.8 | -1.6% |
| 2006 | 61.84 | -1.5% |
| 2007 | 60.9 | -1.5% |
| 2008 | 59.96 | -1.5% |
| 2009 | 59 | -1.6% |
| 2010 | 58.08 | -1.6% |
| 2011 | 57.16 | -1.6% |
| 2012 | 56.27 | -1.6% |
| 2013 | 55.36 | -1.6% |
| 2014 | 54.28 | -2.0% |
| 2015 | 53.67 | -1.1% |
| 2016 | 53.12 | -1.0% |
| 2017 | 52.68 | -0.8% |
| 2018 | 52.19 | -0.9% |
| 2019 | 52.09 | -0.2% |
| 2020 | 51.43 | -1.3% |
| 2021 | 51.71 | +0.5% |
| 2022 | 51.98 | +0.5% |
| 2023 | 51.97 | -0.0% |
| 2024 | 51.92 | -0.1% |
| 2025 | 51.69 | -0.4% |
Sierra Leone compared with similar countries
- Sierra Leone's 51.69 is below the median for low income countries, which is 64.33, 80% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Sierra Leone's 51.69 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 58.81, 88% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 61.69 | 61.58 | 61.82 | 9 |
| 2000s | 61.64 | 59 | 63.85 | 10 |
| 2010s | 54.49 | 52.09 | 58.08 | 10 |
| 2020s | 51.78 | 51.43 | 51.98 | 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 in Sierra Leone?
- Employment to population ratio in Sierra Leone was 51.69 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest employment to population ratio recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The highest recorded value was 63.85 in 2004.
- What is the lowest employment to population ratio recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The lowest recorded value was 51.43 in 2020.
- How does Sierra Leone rank for employment to population ratio?
- Sierra Leone ranks 131st out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is employment to population ratio 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 Our World in Data, published as part of Employment to population ratio. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 35 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).