Rich Potential: Sierra Leone

Rich Potential: Sierra Leone

Sierra Leone offers a wealth of resources and a future of longterm growth, but it’s only for those who can handle the ups and downs.

 
 
Source
Central bank

Bank of Sierra Leone

International Reserves

USD 0.5 billion (2018)

International Monetary Fund (IMF), data retrieved October 2019

Gross Domestic Product - GDP

USD 3.9 billion (2018, estimate)

GDP (Purchasing Power Parity)

Intl$ 12.3 billion (2018, estimate)

Real GDP growth
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
8.1% 5.4% 3.2% 5.3% 6.3% 15.2% 20.7%
2014 2015 2016 2017* 2018*    
4.6% -20.5% 6.4% 3.8% 3.7%    

*Estimate

GDP per capita - current prices

USD 515.9 (2018, estimate)

GDP per capita - PPP

Intl$ 1,620.2 (2018, estimate)

GDP (PPP) - share of world total
1980 1990 2000 2010 2019*
0.02% 0.02% 0.01% 0.01% 0.009%

*Estimate

 
 
Source
GDP - composition by sector
  • agriculture: 60.3% 
  • industry: 5.2% 
  • services: 32.4%

(2017 estimate)

Gross domestic expenditure on R&D; (% of GDP)

N/A

 

Inflation
2015 2016 2017* 2018* 2019*
6.7% 10.9% 18.2% 16.9% 15.7%

*Estimate

Unemployment rate
2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

*Estimate

Household saving rates

N/A

 

Public debt (General government gross debt as a % of GDP)
2015 2016 2017 2018* 2019*
44.9% 55.5% 57.9% 63% 64.5%

*Estimate

Public deficit (General government net lending/borrowing as a % of GDP)
2015 2016 2017 2018* 2019*
-4.5% -8.5% -8.8% -5.8% -3.6%

*Estimate   

Government bond ratings

Standard & Poor's: N/A

Moody's: N/A

Standard & Poor's / Moody's 

Market value of publicly traded shares
2016 2017 2018
N/A N/A N/A
Largest companies

N/A

 
 
Source
Current account balance

USD -0.6 billion (2018 estimate)

Current account balance by percentage of GDP

-13.8% (2018 estimate)

Exports as percent of GDP (Exports of goods and services)

26.1% (2017)

Shares in world total merchandising export

0.004% (2018)

Shares in world total commercial services export

0.003% (2017)

Total exports

USD 802.8 million (2017)

Export commodities

Iron ore, diamonds, rutile, cocoa, coffee, fish

Total imports

USD 1.6 billion (2017 estimate)

 
 
Source
Import commodities

Foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, fuels and lubricants, chemicals

Exports - major partners

Cote dIvoire 37.7%, Belgium 20.5%, US 15.7%, China 10.2%, Netherlands 6.1% (2017)

Imports - major partners

China 11.5%, US 9.2%, Belgium 8.8%, UAE 7.7%, India 7.4%, Turkey 5.2%, Senegal 5.1%, Netherlands 4.3% (2017)

FDI inflows
2016 2017 2018
USD 138 million USD 129 million USD 599 million
Value of cross-border M&A, by country of purchaser
2015 2016 2017 2018
N/A N/A N/A N/A
Cross-border M&A deals worth over $3 billion completed in 2014

N/A

(for a monthly update on M&A; click here )

Cross-border M&A deals worth over $3 billion completed in 2015

N/A

(for a monthly update on M&A; click here )

Best countries for doing business

Economies are ranked on their ease of doing business. A high ease of doing business ranking means the regulatory environment is more conducive to the starting and operation of a local firm.

Overall ranking:

163 out of 190 countries

​Subcategories:
Starting a Business: 58 out of 190 countries
Dealing with Construction Permits: 181 out of 190 countries
Getting Electricity: 181 out of 190 countries
Registering Property: 169 out of 190 countries
Getting Credit: 165 out of 190 countries
Protecting Minority Investors: 128 out of 190 countries
Paying Taxes: 93 out of 190 countries
Trading across Borders: 165 out of 190 countries
Enforcing Contracts: 108 out of 190 countries
Resolving Insolvency: 162 out of 190 countries

Global competitiveness ranking

N/A

Index of Economic Freedom

Ranking: 167 / Score: 47.5 (Repressed)

(100=totally free 0=totally repressed)

 
 
Source
Time zone

UTC 0

Total area

71,740 sq km

Capital

Freetown

Currency

Leones (SLL)

Government type

Presidential republic

Languages

English (official, regular use limited to literate minority), Mende (principal vernacular in the south), Temne (principal vernacular in the north), Krio (English-based Creole, spoken by the descendants of freed Jamaican slaves who were settled in the Free

Religions

Muslim 78.6%, Christian 20.8%, other 0.3%, unspecified 0.2% (2013 est.)

Total population
1990 2000 2010 2015 2020*
4.22 million 4.47 million 6.28 million 7.09 million 7.91 million

*Estimate 

 
 
Source
Urban population as % of total population
1960 1980 2000 2018
17.4% 29.8% 35.6% 42.1%
Population median age

19.1 years 

Population growth rate

2.4% (2018 estimate)

Life expectancy

59 years (2018 estimate)

Literacy

Total population: 48.1% 
Male: 58.7% 
Female: 37.7%
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write english, mende, temne, or arabic (2015 est.)

% of population living on less than $3.10 a day

81.3% (last available estimate, 2011)

Inequality of wealth distribution (Gini index)

34 (last available estimate, 2011)

(0=perfect equality, 100=absolute inequality)

Freedom House rating

Partly Free
Political Rights: 3
Civil Liberties: 3 (2019)
(1 represents the most free, 7 the least free rating)

Source
Total telephone subscribers as % of population

Fixed: 0.2% Mobile: 88.5% (2017)

(fixed-telephone subscribers and mobile-cellular subscribers)

Internet users as % of total population

9% (2017)

Mercer Cost of living index

N/A

CO2 emissions

0.19 metric tons per capita (2014)

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