Unemployment, youth female (% of female labor force ages 15-24) in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: Unemployment, youth female (% of female labor force ages 15-24) was 2.5% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Unemployment, youth female (% of female labor force ages 15-24) in Sierra Leone, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
In 2025, unemployment, youth female (% of female labor force ages 15-24) in Sierra Leone stood at 2.5%.
That represents a change of up 2.8% on the previous year and down 50.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment, youth female (% of female labor force ages 15-24) in Sierra Leone peaked at 7.3% in 1994 and was at its lowest, 2.5%, in 2023.
Sierra Leone ranks 179th of 187 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Unemployment, youth female (% of female labor force ages 15-24) in Sierra Leone, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 7.0% | — |
| 1992 | 7.2% | +3.7% |
| 1993 | 7.2% | +0.2% |
| 1994 | 7.3% | +0.6% |
| 1995 | 7.1% | -2.4% |
| 1996 | 7.1% | -0.3% |
| 1997 | 7.1% | +0.5% |
| 1998 | 7.0% | -2.2% |
| 1999 | 7.0% | +0.5% |
| 2000 | 6.8% | -2.7% |
| 2001 | 6.9% | +1.5% |
| 2002 | 6.5% | -5.6% |
| 2003 | 6.5% | -0.6% |
| 2004 | 3.5% | -45.5% |
| 2005 | 3.9% | +10.2% |
| 2006 | 4.1% | +6.6% |
| 2007 | 4.4% | +5.9% |
| 2008 | 4.6% | +5.3% |
| 2009 | 4.9% | +5.5% |
| 2010 | 5.1% | +4.3% |
| 2011 | 5.3% | +3.8% |
| 2012 | 5.4% | +2.8% |
| 2013 | 5.6% | +2.8% |
| 2014 | 6.0% | +7.1% |
| 2015 | 5.2% | -13.1% |
| 2016 | 4.3% | -16.3% |
| 2017 | 3.4% | -22.0% |
| 2018 | 2.5% | -25.8% |
| 2019 | 2.5% | +0.5% |
| 2020 | 3.0% | +18.2% |
| 2021 | 2.8% | -4.8% |
| 2022 | 2.5% | -12.4% |
| 2023 | 2.5% | -0.6% |
| 2024 | 2.5% | +0.3% |
| 2025 | 2.5% | +2.8% |
Sierra Leone compared with similar countries
- Sierra Leone's 2.5% is below the median for low income countries, which is 8.4%, 30% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Sierra Leone's 2.5% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 9.5%, 27% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Unemployment, youth female (% of female labor force ages 15-24) in Sierra Leone changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | -45.5% | 6.5% | 3.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 7.1% | 7.0% | 7.3% | 9 |
| 2000s | 5.2% | 3.5% | 6.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.5% | 2.5% | 6.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.6% | 2.5% | 3.0% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Sierra Leone
- 176 Solomon Islands 3.1% compare
- 177 Papua New Guinea 3.0% compare
- 178 Benin 2.6% compare
- 180 Laos 2.2% compare
- 181 Liberia 2.2% compare
- 182 Guinea-Bissau 1.9% 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, youth female (% of female labor force ages 15-24) in Sierra Leone?
- Unemployment, youth female (% of female labor force ages 15-24) in Sierra Leone was 2.5% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest unemployment, youth female (% of female labor force ages 15-24) recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The highest recorded value was 7.3% in 1994.
- What is the lowest unemployment, youth female (% of female labor force ages 15-24) recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.5% in 2023.
- How does Sierra Leone rank for unemployment, youth female (% of female labor force ages 15-24)?
- Sierra Leone ranks 179th out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is unemployment, youth female (% of female labor force ages 15-24) rising or falling in Sierra Leone?
- Over the last ten years it is down 50.9%. 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 Unemployment, youth female (% of female labor force ages 15-24) (modeled ILO estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Youth unemployment refers to the share of the labor force ages 15-24 without work but available for and seeking employment.