Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) was 11.2% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in Sierra Leone, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
Sierra Leone recorded 11.2% for wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in 2025. That is the highest value across all 35 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.1% on the previous year and up 3.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in Sierra Leone peaked at 11.2% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 6.9%, in 2001.
Sierra Leone ranks 185th of 187 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.
Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in Sierra Leone, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 8.2% | — |
| 1992 | 7.9% | -3.9% |
| 1993 | 7.7% | -2.7% |
| 1994 | 7.5% | -2.2% |
| 1995 | 7.3% | -3.0% |
| 1996 | 7.2% | -1.6% |
| 1997 | 7.0% | -2.2% |
| 1998 | 7.0% | -1.0% |
| 1999 | 6.9% | -0.6% |
| 2000 | 7.0% | +1.2% |
| 2001 | 6.9% | -1.8% |
| 2002 | 7.1% | +3.3% |
| 2003 | 7.4% | +4.3% |
| 2004 | 7.7% | +4.4% |
| 2005 | 8.0% | +3.8% |
| 2006 | 8.3% | +3.4% |
| 2007 | 8.6% | +3.8% |
| 2008 | 8.9% | +3.3% |
| 2009 | 9.1% | +2.5% |
| 2010 | 9.3% | +2.5% |
| 2011 | 9.5% | +2.1% |
| 2012 | 9.9% | +3.9% |
| 2013 | 10.5% | +5.9% |
| 2014 | 10.9% | +4.1% |
| 2015 | 10.8% | -1.0% |
| 2016 | 10.9% | +0.5% |
| 2017 | 10.9% | +0.3% |
| 2018 | 11.0% | +0.6% |
| 2019 | 11.1% | +0.9% |
| 2020 | 9.9% | -11.1% |
| 2021 | 10.3% | +4.7% |
| 2022 | 10.5% | +1.7% |
| 2023 | 10.7% | +2.4% |
| 2024 | 11.0% | +2.1% |
| 2025 | 11.2% | +2.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 7.4% | 6.9% | 8.2% | 9 |
| 2000s | 7.9% | 6.9% | 9.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 10.5% | 9.3% | 11.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 10.6% | 9.9% | 11.2% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Sierra Leone
- 182 Central African Republic 14.6% compare
- 183 Nigeria 13.8% compare
- 184 Madagascar 11.7% compare
- 186 Niger 10.5% compare
- 187 Chad 8.4% 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 wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in Sierra Leone?
- Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in Sierra Leone was 11.2% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The highest recorded value was 11.2% in 2025.
- What is the lowest wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.9% in 2001.
- How does Sierra Leone rank for wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment)?
- Sierra Leone ranks 185th out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) rising or falling in Sierra Leone?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- 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 Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Wage and salaried workers (employees) are those workers who hold the type of jobs defined as "paid employment jobs," where the incumbents hold explicit (written or oral) or implicit employment contracts that give them a basic remuneration that is not directly dependent upon the revenue of the unit for which they work.