Sierra Leone at its true size
Sierra Leone covers 71,740 km², number 117 of 194 countries by area. Home to 8,819,794 people (2025). Sitting near the equator, it is one of the few places Mercator gets almost right.
Equal-area projection · Natural Earth 50m
| Area | 71,740 km² Wikidata |
|---|---|
| Population | 8,819,794 World Bank, 2025 |
| Density | 123 per km² |
| Capital | Freetown |
| Local time in Freetown | |
| Time zone | UTC IANA |
| Currency | Leone (SLE) Wikidata |
| Languages | English, Krio |
| Traffic | On the right |
| Region | Western Africa, Africa |
| Status | Independent state |
| Coast | Has a coastline |
| Calling code | +232 |
| Codes | SL · SLE · 694 |
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Where Sierra Leone ranks
Among the independent states, in 43 rankings. Each links to its table.
People
- Population#101 of 1948.8 million people#33 of 54 in Africa
- Population density#72 of 194123 people per km²#15 of 54 in Africa
- Urban population#135 of 19246% urban#26 of 54 in Africa
- Fertility rate#35 of 1923.70 births per woman#32 of 54 in Africa
- Population growth#46 of 192+2.04% a year#34 of 54 in Africa
- Birth rate#29 of 19230.1 births per 1,000 people#27 of 54 in Africa
- Death rate#68 of 1928.2 deaths per 1,000 people#15 of 54 in Africa
- Children under 15#35 of 19237.7% under 15#31 of 54 in Africa
- People over 65#158 of 1923.3% aged 65 and over#28 of 54 in Africa
- Net migration#124 of 192−1.3 per 1,000 people#36 of 54 in Africa
- Refugees abroad#59 of 1901.01 refugees abroad per 1,000 people#23 of 54 in Africa
Health & education
Economy
- GNI per capita#174 of 185$830 a person#43 of 52 in Africa
- Internet users#170 of 18425% online#40 of 52 in Africa
- GDP per capita (PPP)#163 of 184$3,717 a person#34 of 52 in Africa
- GDP growth#51 of 187+4.6% a year#24 of 52 in Africa
- Inflation#32 of 176+7.5% a year#16 of 50 in Africa
- Unemployment#133 of 1783.2% of the labour force#38 of 53 in Africa
- Extreme poverty#18 of 14941.5% under $3.00 a day#18 of 47 in Africa
- Income inequality (Gini)#66 of 149a Gini index of 35.7#33 of 47 in Africa
- Jobs in agriculture#31 of 17844.5% of jobs#24 of 53 in Africa
- Jobs in industry#151 of 17811.5% of jobs#34 of 53 in Africa
- Jobs in services#140 of 17844.0% of jobs#27 of 53 in Africa
- Foreign investment#78 of 1842.4% of GDP#22 of 52 in Africa
- Exports#133 of 16820.9% of GDP#33 of 49 in Africa
- Military spending#148 of 1550.4% of GDP#49 of 50 in Africa
- Mobile subscriptions#114 of 191108 subscriptions per 100 people#24 of 54 in Africa
Energy & environment
- CO₂ per person#170 of 1850.17 tonnes a person#41 of 53 in Africa
- Forest area#90 of 19234% forest#17 of 54 in Africa
- Renewable energy#25 of 19071.6% renewable#21 of 54 in Africa
- Access to electricity#182 of 19239.2% with electricity#44 of 54 in Africa
- Air pollution (PM2.5)#69 of 19122.5 µg/m³#31 of 54 in Africa
- Protected land#134 of 19112.6% of the land protected#35 of 54 in Africa
- Arable land#48 of 19021.9% of the land arable#13 of 54 in Africa
- Water stress#165 of 1760.5% of its available fresh water#46 of 53 in Africa
- Precipitation#13 of 1802,526 mm a year#2 of 54 in Africa
Governance & safety
Countries of a similar size
Every country within 25% of Sierra Leone’s area, lit up on the map →
- Ireland1.03×Sierra Leone and Ireland are almost exactly the same size.
- Georgia1.03×Sierra Leone and Georgia are almost exactly the same size.
- Panama0.97×Sierra Leone is 3% smaller than Panama.
- Sri Lanka1.09×Sierra Leone is 9% larger than Sri Lanka.
- Lithuania1.1×Sierra Leone is 10% larger than Lithuania.
- Czechia0.91×Sierra Leone is 9% smaller than Czechia.
How many times does Sierra Leone fit into…
- Russia: about 238 times
- Canada: about 139 times
- United States: about 137 times
The land itself
Rivers, summits and lakes Sierra Leone shares with the rest of the world. Turn on “Rivers & lakes” and “Physical names” in the atlas to see them on the map.
Summits
- Mount Bintumani1,945 m
Rivers are listed by the published length of their whole course, not the part inside Sierra Leone. Figures from Wikidata, features from Natural Earth.
Neighbours
Questions about Sierra Leone
- How big is Sierra Leone?
- Sierra Leone covers 71,740 km², which makes it number 117 of 194 countries by area. About 8,819,794 people live there (2025), 123 per km².
- Is Sierra Leone bigger than Ireland?
- Sierra Leone and Ireland are almost exactly the same size. Sierra Leone: 71,740 km²; Ireland: 69,797 km².
- How much does the Mercator map distort Sierra Leone?
- Sierra Leone lies close to the equator, so Mercator draws it at nearly its true size. It is the countries far from the equator that Mercator inflates.
- Which countries border Sierra Leone?
- Sierra Leone shares a land border with Guinea, Liberia.