Unemployment rate for young people in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: Unemployment rate for young people was 3.72 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
3.72
Change on year
up 6.5%
World rank
172nd
of 186 countries
All-time high
9.44
in 2014
All-time low
3.48
in 2023
Years of data
35
1991–2025
Unemployment rate for young people in Sierra Leone, 1991–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
Sierra Leone recorded 3.72 for unemployment rate for young people in 2025.
That represents a change of up 6.5% on the previous year and down 54.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment rate for young people in Sierra Leone peaked at 9.44 in 2014 and was at its lowest, 3.48, in 2023.
That places Sierra Leone 172nd out of 186 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Unemployment rate for young people in Sierra Leone, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 7.66 | — |
| 1992 | 7.94 | +3.7% |
| 1993 | 7.96 | +0.2% |
| 1994 | 8.02 | +0.7% |
| 1995 | 7.83 | -2.3% |
| 1996 | 7.82 | -0.2% |
| 1997 | 7.86 | +0.6% |
| 1998 | 7.7 | -2.0% |
| 1999 | 7.75 | +0.6% |
| 2000 | 7.55 | -2.5% |
| 2001 | 7.66 | +1.5% |
| 2002 | 7.25 | -5.4% |
| 2003 | 7.21 | -0.6% |
| 2004 | 5.11 | -29.1% |
| 2005 | 5.7 | +11.5% |
| 2006 | 6.14 | +7.8% |
| 2007 | 6.57 | +6.9% |
| 2008 | 6.98 | +6.2% |
| 2009 | 7.42 | +6.4% |
| 2010 | 7.8 | +5.1% |
| 2011 | 8.16 | +4.6% |
| 2012 | 8.44 | +3.5% |
| 2013 | 8.74 | +3.5% |
| 2014 | 9.44 | +8.1% |
| 2015 | 8.13 | -13.8% |
| 2016 | 6.71 | -17.6% |
| 2017 | 5.09 | -24.1% |
| 2018 | 3.57 | -29.8% |
| 2019 | 3.58 | +0.3% |
| 2020 | 4.08 | +13.9% |
| 2021 | 3.9 | -4.4% |
| 2022 | 3.51 | -10.0% |
| 2023 | 3.48 | -0.8% |
| 2024 | 3.49 | +0.2% |
| 2025 | 3.72 | +6.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 7.84 | 7.66 | 8.02 | 9 |
| 2000s | 6.76 | 5.11 | 7.66 | 10 |
| 2010s | 6.97 | 3.57 | 9.44 | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.7 | 3.48 | 4.08 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Sierra Leone
- 169 Mali 3.88 compare
- 170 Kazakhstan 3.81 compare
- 171 Papua New Guinea 3.79 compare
- 173 Timor-Leste 3.72 compare
- 174 Senegal 3.62 compare
- 175 Togo 3.44 compare
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 unemployment rate for young people in Sierra Leone?
- Unemployment rate for young people in Sierra Leone was 3.72 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest unemployment rate for young people recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The highest recorded value was 9.44 in 2014.
- What is the lowest unemployment rate for young people recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.48 in 2023.
- How does Sierra Leone rank for unemployment rate for young people?
- Sierra Leone ranks 172nd out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is unemployment rate for young people rising or falling in Sierra Leone?
- Over the last ten years it is down 54.3%. 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 Unemployment rate for young people. 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).