The Universal Health Coverage (UHC) Service Coverage Index in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: The Universal Health Coverage (UHC) Service Coverage Index was 48 in 2023. ▲ Rising
The Universal Health Coverage (UHC) Service Coverage Index in Sierra Leone, 2000–2023
Source: World Health Organization – Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
Analysis
Sierra Leone recorded 48 for the universal health coverage (uhc) service coverage index in 2023. That is the highest value across all 24 years on record.
That represents a change of up 6.7% on the previous year and up 20.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, the universal health coverage (uhc) service coverage index in Sierra Leone peaked at 48 in 2023 and was at its lowest, 17, in 2004.
Sierra Leone ranks 163rd of 195 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 24 years of available data.
The Universal Health Coverage (UHC) Service Coverage Index in Sierra Leone, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 18 | — |
| 2001 | 18 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 18 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 18 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 17 | -5.6% |
| 2005 | 18 | +5.9% |
| 2006 | 23 | +27.8% |
| 2007 | 24 | +4.3% |
| 2008 | 24 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 26 | +8.3% |
| 2010 | 31 | +19.2% |
| 2011 | 36 | +16.1% |
| 2012 | 38 | +5.6% |
| 2013 | 40 | +5.3% |
| 2014 | 43 | +7.5% |
| 2015 | 43 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 40 | -7.0% |
| 2017 | 44 | +10.0% |
| 2018 | 42 | -4.5% |
| 2019 | 42 | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 41 | -2.4% |
| 2021 | 45 | +9.8% |
| 2022 | 45 | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 48 | +6.7% |
Sierra Leone compared with similar countries
- Sierra Leone's 48 is above the median for low income countries, which is 43, 1.1× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Sierra Leone's 48 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 48, 1.0× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 20.4 | 17 | 26 | 10 |
| 2010s | 39.9 | 31 | 44 | 10 |
| 2020s | 44.75 | 41 | 48 | 4 |
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)
- 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)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per capita 0.0676 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is the universal health coverage (uhc) service coverage index in Sierra Leone?
- The universal health coverage (uhc) service coverage index in Sierra Leone was 48 in 2023, according to World Health Organization – Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest the universal health coverage (uhc) service coverage index recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The highest recorded value was 48 in 2023.
- What is the lowest the universal health coverage (uhc) service coverage index recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The lowest recorded value was 17 in 2004.
- How does Sierra Leone rank for the universal health coverage (uhc) service coverage index?
- Sierra Leone ranks 163rd out of 195 countries with data for 2023.
- Is the universal health coverage (uhc) service coverage index rising or falling in Sierra Leone?
- Over the last ten years it is up 20.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sierra Leone data come from?
- The figures come from World Health Organization – Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of The Universal Health Coverage (UHC) Service Coverage Index. 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
The Universal Health Coverage (UHC) Service Coverage Index is measured on a scale from 0 (worst) to 100 (best) based on the average coverage of essential services including reproductive, maternal, newborn and child health, infectious diseases, non-communicable diseases and service capacity and access.