Risk of catastrophic expenditure for surgical care in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: Risk of catastrophic expenditure for surgical care was 84.3% in 2019. ▼ Falling
Risk of catastrophic expenditure for surgical care in Sierra Leone, 2003–2019
Source: Program in Global Surgery and Social Change (PGSSC), Harvard Medical School. Measured in % of people at risk.
Analysis
In 2019, risk of catastrophic expenditure for surgical care in Sierra Leone stood at 84.3%.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 3.4% on the previous year and down 11.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, risk of catastrophic expenditure for surgical care in Sierra Leone peaked at 97.3% in 2007 and was at its lowest, 54.3%, in 2014.
That places Sierra Leone 10th out of 134 countries with data for 2019, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 17 years of available data.
Risk of catastrophic expenditure for surgical care in Sierra Leone, year by year
| Year | % of people at risk | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 95.9% | — |
| 2004 | 96.0% | +0.1% |
| 2005 | 95.7% | -0.3% |
| 2006 | 96.3% | +0.6% |
| 2007 | 97.3% | +1.0% |
| 2008 | 97.0% | -0.3% |
| 2009 | 95.7% | -1.3% |
| 2010 | 97.0% | +1.4% |
| 2011 | 94.4% | -2.7% |
| 2012 | 92.7% | -1.8% |
| 2013 | 77.2% | -16.7% |
| 2014 | 54.3% | -29.7% |
| 2015 | 58.9% | +8.5% |
| 2016 | 61.8% | +4.9% |
| 2017 | 78.8% | +27.5% |
| 2018 | 87.3% | +10.8% |
| 2019 | 84.3% | -3.4% |
Sierra Leone compared with similar countries
- Sierra Leone's 84.3% is above the median for low income countries, which is 82.4%, 1.0× the median. (17 countries reporting)
- Sierra Leone's 84.3% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 51.7%, 1.6× the median. (36 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Risk of catastrophic expenditure for surgical care in Sierra Leone changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | -29.7% | 77.2% | 54.3% |
| 2017 | +27.5% | 61.8% | 78.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 96.3% | 95.7% | 97.3% | 7 |
| 2010s | 78.7% | 54.3% | 97.0% | 10 |
Countries ranked near Sierra Leone
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)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 38 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 0.6447 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per capita 0.0663 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 0.6611 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is risk of catastrophic expenditure for surgical care in Sierra Leone?
- Risk of catastrophic expenditure for surgical care in Sierra Leone was 84.3% in 2019, according to Program in Global Surgery and Social Change (PGSSC), Harvard Medical School.
- What is the highest risk of catastrophic expenditure for surgical care recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The highest recorded value was 97.3% in 2007.
- What is the lowest risk of catastrophic expenditure for surgical care recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The lowest recorded value was 54.3% in 2014.
- How does Sierra Leone rank for risk of catastrophic expenditure for surgical care?
- Sierra Leone ranks 10th out of 134 countries with data for 2019.
- Is risk of catastrophic expenditure for surgical care rising or falling in Sierra Leone?
- Over the last ten years it is down 11.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sierra Leone data come from?
- The figures come from Program in Global Surgery and Social Change (PGSSC), Harvard Medical School, published as part of Risk of catastrophic expenditure for surgical care (% of people at risk). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
The proportion of population at risk of catastrophic expenditure when surgical care is required. Catastrophic expenditure is defined as direct out of pocket payments for surgical and anaesthesia care exceeding 10% of total income.