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Sierra Leone
A West African nation on the Atlantic coast, Sierra Leone's name ('Lion Mountain') was coined by Portuguese explorers in the 15th century. The capital Freetown was founded in 1792 as a settlement for freed slaves. After a brutal civil war (1991-2002) fueled by 'blood diamonds,' Sierra Leone has made significant progress in peace-building. The country has some of West Africa's finest beaches.
Major cities: Freetown, Bo, Kenema, Makeni
2024
8.6M
UN
2050
12.9M
UN
2100
15.9M
UN
~2200
11.0M
GPU
~2500
1.0M
GPU
Population8.6M
Fertility (TFR)3.70
Life expectancy62.0
Median age19.3
Infant mortality56.2 per 1,000
Pop. density117/km²
Urbanization45%
Youth share (0-14)39%
Land area72,180 km²
LanguageEnglish
ReligionMuslim
HDI0.467 (#185)
RegionAfrica
Latest available year is shown in parentheses where the source series varies across indicators. Governance metrics use World Bank percentile ranks; battle deaths and military spending are context variables, not direct fertility drivers.
UN WPP 2024 — verified data through 2100
| Year | Population | TFR | Life Exp. | CBR | CDR | Net Migration | Growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 2.00M | 6.09 | 28.9 | 47.8 | 34.5 | -3K | 1.3% |
| 1955 | 2.12M | 6.07 | 30.9 | 47.6 | 32.7 | -5K | 1.5% |
| 1960 | 2.27M | 6.17 | 33.1 | 48.0 | 31.2 | -4K | 1.7% |
| 1965 | 2.47M | 6.31 | 35.9 | 48.0 | 28.9 | -2K | 1.9% |
| 1970 | 2.71M | 6.41 | 38.6 | 47.4 | 26.5 | -5K | 2.1% |
| 1975 | 2.97M | 6.55 | 41.0 | 47.3 | 24.6 | -13K | 2.3% |
| 1980 | 3.27M | 6.56 | 42.8 | 46.8 | 23.0 | -12K | 2.4% |
| 1985 | 3.64M | 6.59 | 43.6 | 46.7 | 22.3 | -8K | 2.4% |
| 1990 | 4.20M | 6.57 | 43.7 | 45.5 | 21.5 | +132K | 2.4% |
| 1995 | 4.18M | 6.56 | 42.6 | 46.8 | 22.6 | -113K | 2.4% |
| 2000 | 4.42M | 6.35 | 44.8 | 45.0 | 20.0 | +83K | 2.5% |
| 2005 | 5.50M | 5.81 | 48.3 | 42.0 | 17.0 | -2K | 2.5% |
| 2010 | 6.22M | 5.33 | 51.9 | 39.1 | 14.2 | +8K | 2.5% |
| 2015 | 7.04M | 4.55 | 55.5 | 34.7 | 11.6 | -0K | 2.3% |
| 2020 | 7.91M | 4.08 | 59.7 | 32.2 | 9.3 | +1K | 2.3% |
| 2024Now | 8.64M | 3.70 | 62.0 | 30.1 | 8.2 | -11K | 2.2% |
| 2025 | 8.82M | 3.61 | 62.2 | 29.5 | 8.1 | -11K | 2.1% |
| 2030 | 9.69M | 3.23 | 63.0 | 27.1 | 7.8 | -13K | 1.9% |
| 2035 | 10.6M | 2.97 | 63.8 | 25.1 | 7.7 | -11K | 1.7% |
| 2040 | 11.4M | 2.76 | 64.6 | 23.3 | 7.7 | -8K | 1.6% |
| 2045 | 12.2M | 2.58 | 65.3 | 21.6 | 7.8 | -14K | 1.4% |
| 2050 | 12.9M | 2.45 | 66.0 | 20.1 | 8.0 | -12K | 1.2% |
| 2055 | 13.6M | 2.34 | 66.6 | 18.8 | 8.3 | -14K | 1.0% |
| 2060 | 14.2M | 2.25 | 67.3 | 17.7 | 8.7 | -16K | 0.9% |
| 2065 | 14.7M | 2.17 | 67.9 | 16.7 | 9.2 | -13K | 0.7% |
| 2070 | 15.2M | 2.10 | 68.5 | 15.8 | 9.8 | -15K | 0.6% |
| 2075 | 15.5M | 2.05 | 69.1 | 15.0 | 10.4 | -13K | 0.5% |
| 2080 | 15.8M | 2.00 | 69.7 | 14.4 | 10.9 | -16K | 0.3% |
| 2085 | 15.9M | 1.96 | 70.3 | 13.8 | 11.5 | -15K | 0.2% |
| 2090 | 16.0M | 1.93 | 70.9 | 13.3 | 12.0 | -11K | 0.1% |
| 2095 | 16.0M | 1.90 | 71.4 | 12.9 | 12.4 | -16K | 0.0% |
| 2100 | 15.9M | 1.87 | 72.0 | 12.5 | 12.8 | -17K | 0.0% |