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Life expectancy at birth, total (years) (Life World Population) in Sierra Leone

Sierra Leone: Life expectancy at birth, total (years) (Life World Population) was 61.96 years in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
61.96 years
Change on year
up 0.3%
World rank
207th
of 218 countries
All-time high
61.96 years
in 2024
All-time low
33.09 years
in 1960
Years of data
65
1960–2024

Life expectancy at birth, total in Sierra Leone, 1960–2024

0204060196019922024

Source: World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in years.

Analysis

In 2024, life expectancy at birth, total in Sierra Leone stood at 61.96 years. That is the highest value across all 65 years on record.

The figure is up 0.3% on the previous year and up 14.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, life expectancy at birth, total in Sierra Leone peaked at 61.96 years in 2024 and was at its lowest, 33.09 years, in 1960.

Sierra Leone ranks 207th of 218 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 65 years of available data.

Life expectancy at birth, total (years) (Life World Population) in Sierra Leone, year by year

Year years Change
1960 33.09 years —
1961 33.63 years +1.6%
1962 34.16 years +1.6%
1963 34.7 years +1.6%
1964 35.3 years +1.7%
1965 35.93 years +1.8%
1966 36.64 years +2.0%
1967 37.28 years +1.7%
1968 37.76 years +1.3%
1969 38.23 years +1.2%
1970 38.62 years +1.0%
1971 39.1 years +1.3%
1972 39.51 years +1.0%
1973 39.96 years +1.2%
1974 40.41 years +1.1%
1975 40.99 years +1.4%
1976 41.42 years +1.1%
1977 41.83 years +1.0%
1978 42.19 years +0.9%
1979 42.53 years +0.8%
1980 42.84 years +0.7%
1981 43.09 years +0.6%
1982 43.3 years +0.5%
1983 43.45 years +0.4%
1984 43.56 years +0.2%
1985 43.56 years -0.0%
1986 43.5 years -0.1%
1987 43.75 years +0.6%
1988 43.77 years +0.0%
1989 43.74 years -0.1%
1990 43.72 years -0.0%
1991 43.29 years -1.0%
1992 43.45 years +0.4%
1993 43.43 years -0.1%
1994 42.81 years -1.4%
1995 42.58 years -0.5%
1996 43.53 years +2.2%
1997 43.65 years +0.3%
1998 42.71 years -2.1%
1999 41.96 years -1.8%
2000 44.83 years +6.8%
2001 45.45 years +1.4%
2002 46.17 years +1.6%
2003 46.78 years +1.3%
2004 47.48 years +1.5%
2005 48.31 years +1.7%
2006 49.55 years +2.6%
2007 50.02 years +1.0%
2008 50.69 years +1.3%
2009 51.31 years +1.2%
2010 51.93 years +1.2%
2011 52.59 years +1.3%
2012 53.16 years +1.1%
2013 54.05 years +1.7%
2014 54.28 years +0.4%
2015 55.45 years +2.2%
2016 56.94 years +2.7%
2017 57.76 years +1.4%
2018 59.06 years +2.2%
2019 59.59 years +0.9%
2020 59.69 years +0.2%
2021 60.26 years +0.9%
2022 61.27 years +1.7%
2023 61.79 years +0.8%
2024 61.96 years +0.3%

Sierra Leone compared with similar countries

  • Sierra Leone's 61.96 years is below the median for low income countries, which is 63.84 years, 97% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
  • Sierra Leone's 61.96 years is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 64.26 years, 96% of the median. (48 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 35.67 years 33.09 years 38.23 years 10
1970s 40.66 years 38.62 years 42.53 years 10
1980s 43.46 years 42.84 years 43.77 years 10
1990s 43.11 years 41.96 years 43.72 years 10
2000s 48.06 years 44.83 years 51.31 years 10
2010s 55.48 years 51.93 years 59.59 years 10
2020s 61 years 59.69 years 61.96 years 5

Countries ranked near Sierra Leone

  1. 204 Nauru 62.28 years compare
  2. 205 Cote d'Ivoire 62.11 years compare
  3. 206 Democratic Republic of Congo 62.07 years compare
  4. 208 Niger 61.43 years compare
  5. 209 Burkina Faso 61.29 years compare
  6. 210 Benin 60.96 years compare

See the full ranking of 266 places →

More health data for Sierra Leone

All data for Sierra Leone →

Frequently asked questions

What is life expectancy at birth, total in Sierra Leone?
Life expectancy at birth, total in Sierra Leone was 61.96 years in 2024, according to World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN).
What is the highest life expectancy at birth, total recorded in Sierra Leone?
The highest recorded value was 61.96 years in 2024.
What is the lowest life expectancy at birth, total recorded in Sierra Leone?
The lowest recorded value was 33.09 years in 1960.
How does Sierra Leone rank for life expectancy at birth, total?
Sierra Leone ranks 207th out of 218 countries with data for 2024.
Is life expectancy at birth, total rising or falling in Sierra Leone?
Over the last ten years it is up 14.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Sierra Leone data come from?
The figures come from World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Life expectancy at birth, total (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Life expectancy at birth, total in Sierra Leone. Statizoid, drawing on World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN). Retrieved 10 October 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/life-expectancy-at-birth-total-years/sierra-leone/

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About this data

Indicator
Life expectancy at birth, total (years)
Unit
years
Source
World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
266 places, 17,256 data points, 1960–2024
Last refreshed

Life expectancy at birth indicates the number of years a newborn infant would live if prevailing patterns of mortality at the time of its birth were to stay the same throughout its life.