Life expectancy in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: Life expectancy was 59.76 years in 2020. ▲ Rising
Life expectancy in Sierra Leone, 1870–2020
Source: Leandro Prados de la Escosura (2021) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
The most recent figure for life expectancy in Sierra Leone is 59.76 years, measured in 2020. That is the highest value across all 24 years on record.
That represents a change of up 11.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, life expectancy in Sierra Leone peaked at 59.76 years in 2020 and was at its lowest, 25 years, in 1870.
Sierra Leone ranks 152nd of 162 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 24 years of available data.
Life expectancy in Sierra Leone, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1870 | 25 years | — |
| 1880 | 25 years | +0.0% |
| 1890 | 25 years | +0.0% |
| 1900 | 25 years | +0.0% |
| 1913 | 25 years | +0.0% |
| 1925 | 25 years | +0.0% |
| 1929 | 25 years | +0.0% |
| 1933 | 25 years | +0.0% |
| 1938 | 26.71 years | +6.8% |
| 1950 | 30.05 years | +12.5% |
| 1955 | 31.05 years | +3.3% |
| 1960 | 31.61 years | +1.8% |
| 1965 | 32.88 years | +4.0% |
| 1970 | 34.36 years | +4.5% |
| 1975 | 35.08 years | +2.1% |
| 1980 | 41.76 years | +19.0% |
| 1985 | 42.39 years | +1.5% |
| 1990 | 44.06 years | +3.9% |
| 1995 | 42.72 years | -3.0% |
| 2000 | 45.05 years | +5.5% |
| 2005 | 48.24 years | +7.1% |
| 2010 | 53.69 years | +11.3% |
| 2015 | 57.19 years | +6.5% |
| 2020 | 59.76 years | +4.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1870s | 25 years | 25 years | 25 years | 1 |
| 1880s | 25 years | 25 years | 25 years | 1 |
| 1890s | 25 years | 25 years | 25 years | 1 |
| 1900s | 25 years | 25 years | 25 years | 1 |
| 1910s | 25 years | 25 years | 25 years | 1 |
| 1920s | 25 years | 25 years | 25 years | 2 |
| 1930s | 25.86 years | 25 years | 26.71 years | 2 |
| 1950s | 30.55 years | 30.05 years | 31.05 years | 2 |
| 1960s | 32.25 years | 31.61 years | 32.88 years | 2 |
| 1970s | 34.72 years | 34.36 years | 35.08 years | 2 |
| 1980s | 42.08 years | 41.76 years | 42.39 years | 2 |
| 1990s | 43.39 years | 42.72 years | 44.06 years | 2 |
| 2000s | 46.64 years | 45.05 years | 48.24 years | 2 |
| 2010s | 55.44 years | 53.69 years | 57.19 years | 2 |
| 2020s | 59.76 years | 59.76 years | 59.76 years | 1 |
Countries ranked near Sierra Leone
- 149 Equatorial Guinea 60.71 years compare
- 150 Benin 60.09 years compare
- 151 Guinea-Bissau 60 years compare
- 153 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 59.74 years compare
- 154 Burkina Faso 59.73 years compare
- 155 Eswatini 59.69 years compare
More health data for Sierra Leone
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -2.34 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.773 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,199 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 4,209 deaths (2100)
- Population ages 0-14, female, annual growth rate 0.8723 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, female, per unit of GDP 0.0002 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, female, per capita 0.1868 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, male, annual growth rate 0.8951 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, male, per unit of GDP 0.0002 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, male, per capita 0.1897 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is life expectancy in Sierra Leone?
- Life expectancy in Sierra Leone was 59.76 years in 2020, according to Leandro Prados de la Escosura (2021) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest life expectancy recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The highest recorded value was 59.76 years in 2020.
- What is the lowest life expectancy recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The lowest recorded value was 25 years in 1870.
- How does Sierra Leone rank for life expectancy?
- Sierra Leone ranks 152nd out of 162 countries with data for 2020.
- Is life expectancy rising or falling in Sierra Leone?
- Over the last ten years it is up 11.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sierra Leone data come from?
- The figures come from Leandro Prados de la Escosura (2021) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Life expectancy. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 24 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Average number of years a newborn would live if age-specific mortality rates in the current year were to stay the same throughout its life.