Share of the population living with HIV in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: Share of the population living with HIV was 1.4% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of the population living with HIV in Sierra Leone, 1990–2024
Source: Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of the population living with hiv in Sierra Leone is 1.4%, measured in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 3.2% on the previous year and down 13.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of the population living with hiv in Sierra Leone peaked at 1.7% in 2003 and was at its lowest, 0.6%, in 1990.
That places Sierra Leone 28th out of 150 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.
Share of the population living with HIV in Sierra Leone, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 0.6% | — |
| 1991 | 0.7% | +20.2% |
| 1992 | 0.9% | +17.1% |
| 1993 | 1.0% | +15.7% |
| 1994 | 1.1% | +13.5% |
| 1995 | 1.2% | +10.5% |
| 1996 | 1.3% | +8.8% |
| 1997 | 1.4% | +7.2% |
| 1998 | 1.5% | +5.4% |
| 1999 | 1.6% | +4.1% |
| 2000 | 1.6% | +2.8% |
| 2001 | 1.7% | +1.8% |
| 2002 | 1.7% | +1.0% |
| 2003 | 1.7% | +0.3% |
| 2004 | 1.7% | -0.2% |
| 2005 | 1.7% | -0.6% |
| 2006 | 1.6% | -0.6% |
| 2007 | 1.6% | -0.7% |
| 2008 | 1.6% | -0.5% |
| 2009 | 1.6% | -0.4% |
| 2010 | 1.6% | -0.2% |
| 2011 | 1.6% | -0.2% |
| 2012 | 1.6% | -0.3% |
| 2013 | 1.6% | -0.8% |
| 2014 | 1.6% | -0.8% |
| 2015 | 1.6% | -0.4% |
| 2016 | 1.6% | -0.3% |
| 2017 | 1.6% | -0.5% |
| 2018 | 1.6% | -0.8% |
| 2019 | 1.5% | -1.1% |
| 2020 | 1.5% | -1.1% |
| 2021 | 1.5% | -1.7% |
| 2022 | 1.5% | -2.4% |
| 2023 | 1.4% | -2.9% |
| 2024 | 1.4% | -3.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 1.1% | 0.6% | 1.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.6% | 1.6% | 1.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.6% | 1.5% | 1.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.5% | 1.4% | 1.5% | 5 |
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)
- Population ages 80 and above, female, per capita 0.0022 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 80 and above, male, annual growth rate 3.63 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 80 and above, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 80 and above, male, per capita 0.0015 units per person (2025)
- Pertussis - number of reported cases, gaps filled 0 (2025)
- Pertussis - number of reported cases, per capita 0 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of the population living with hiv in Sierra Leone?
- Share of the population living with hiv in Sierra Leone was 1.4% in 2024, according to Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of the population living with hiv recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The highest recorded value was 1.7% in 2003.
- What is the lowest share of the population living with hiv recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.6% in 1990.
- How does Sierra Leone rank for share of the population living with hiv?
- Sierra Leone ranks 28th out of 150 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of the population living with hiv rising or falling in Sierra Leone?
- Over the last ten years it is down 13.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sierra Leone data come from?
- The figures come from Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of the population living with HIV. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Share of people aged 15-49 who test positive for HIV at a given time. This is the central estimate.