Share of workers in vulnerable employment in Sierra Leone

Sierra Leone: Share of workers in vulnerable employment was 86.0% in 2025. β–Ό Falling

Latest (2025)
86.0%
Change on year
down 0.3%
World rank
2nd
of 186 countries
All-time high
90.5%
in 2001
All-time low
86.0%
in 2025
Years of data
35
1991–2025

Share of workers in vulnerable employment in Sierra Leone, 1991–2025

0204060801001991200820251991: 89.1 %1992: 89.5 %1993: 89.7 %1994: 89.9 %1995: 90.1 %1996: 90.2 %1997: 90.4 %1998: 90.4 %1999: 90.5 %2000: 90.4 %2001: 90.5 %2002: 90.3 %2003: 90 %2004: 89.6 %2005: 89.4 %2006: 89.1 %2007: 88.8 %2008: 88.5 %2009: 88.3 %2010: 88 %2011: 87.8 %2012: 87.4 %2013: 86.8 %2014: 86.4 %2015: 86.5 %2016: 86.5 %2017: 86.4 %2018: 86.3 %2019: 86.2 %2020: 87.5 %2021: 87 %2022: 86.8 %2023: 86.5 %2024: 86.3 %2025: 86 %

Source: International Labour Organization (ILOEST/ILOSTAT) and World Bank staff estimates (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

The most recent figure for share of workers in vulnerable employment in Sierra Leone is 86.0%, measured in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 35 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.3% on the previous year and down 0.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of workers in vulnerable employment in Sierra Leone peaked at 90.5% in 2001 and was at its lowest, 86.0%, in 2025.

That places Sierra Leone 2nd out of 186 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 90.0% 89.1% 90.5% 9
2000s 89.5% 88.3% 90.5% 10
2010s 86.8% 86.2% 88.0% 10
2020s 86.7% 86.0% 87.5% 6

Countries ranked near Sierra Leone

  1. 1 Chad 90.2% compare
  2. 3 Madagascar 84.4% compare
  3. 4 Ethiopia 84.1% compare
  4. 5 Niger 83.7% compare

See the full ranking of 186 places β†’

More work & labour data for Sierra Leone

All data for Sierra Leone β†’

Frequently asked questions

What is share of workers in vulnerable employment in Sierra Leone?
Share of workers in vulnerable employment in Sierra Leone was 86.0% in 2025, according to International Labour Organization (ILOEST/ILOSTAT) and World Bank staff estimates (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest share of workers in vulnerable employment recorded in Sierra Leone?
The highest recorded value was 90.5% in 2001.
What is the lowest share of workers in vulnerable employment recorded in Sierra Leone?
The lowest recorded value was 86.0% in 2025.
How does Sierra Leone rank for share of workers in vulnerable employment?
Sierra Leone ranks 2nd out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
Is share of workers in vulnerable employment rising or falling in Sierra Leone?
Over the last ten years it is down 0.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Sierra Leone data come from?
The figures come from International Labour Organization (ILOEST/ILOSTAT) and World Bank staff estimates (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of workers in vulnerable employment. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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About this data

Indicator
Share of workers in vulnerable employment
Unit
%
Source
International Labour Organization (ILOEST/ILOSTAT) and World Bank staff estimates (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
186 places, 6,496 data points, 1991–2025
Last refreshed

Share of employed population who are working as independent own-account workers (self-employed without staff), or contributing family workers (self-employed in a household business or farm).