Sierra Leone — Unemployment
Unemployment Rate for Sierra Leone, 1991–2025.
Unemployment for Sierra Leone was 3.15% in 2025, according to the latest World Bank data. The series covers 35 years, from 1991 to 2025. The highest recorded value was 4.68% in 2014. The lowest was 3.09% in 2023 (about 1.0× the low point). Across that span the compound annual growth rate works out to -0.80% per year.
Sierra Leone ranks 143 of 187 economies on this measure (1 = highest), putting it in the top 76%. The median for Sub-Saharan Africa is 5.45%, so Sierra Leone sits below it. It peaked in 2014 and has fallen 33% since. Over the last decade (2015–2025) the figure moved down 30%. Within Sub-Saharan Africa it ranks 32 of 47 economies; Nigeria (3.06%) is just below it. Its sharpest one-year move was down 13% in 2018. That is 9% below this series' own ten-year average.
Data highlights
World ranking. Slipped: 114th of 187 in 1991 → 136th of 187 in 2000 → 132nd of 187 in 2010 → 155th of 187 in 2020 → 138th of 182 in 2025.
Key figures
Full history — 1991 to 2025
| Year | % of total labor force | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 3.15% | +0.0 pp |
| 2024 | 3.1% | +0.0 pp |
| 2023 | 3.09% | -0.0 pp |
| 2022 | 3.14% | -0.4 pp |
| 2021 | 3.55% | +0.0 pp |
| 2020 | 3.51% | +0.3 pp |
| 2019 | 3.2% | +0.0 pp |
| 2018 | 3.19% | -0.5 pp |
| 2017 | 3.66% | -0.5 pp |
| 2016 | 4.18% | -0.3 pp |
| 2015 | 4.48% | -0.2 pp |
| 2014 | 4.68% | +0.3 pp |
| 2013 | 4.38% | -0.0 pp |
| 2012 | 4.38% | -0.0 pp |
| 2011 | 4.39% | +0.0 pp |
| 2010 | 4.34% | +0.1 pp |
| 2009 | 4.27% | +0.1 pp |
| 2008 | 4.13% | +0.1 pp |
| 2007 | 4.02% | +0.1 pp |
| 2006 | 3.89% | +0.2 pp |
| 2005 | 3.73% | +0.3 pp |
| 2004 | 3.42% | -0.5 pp |
| 2003 | 3.88% | -0.0 pp |
| 2002 | 3.91% | -0.3 pp |
| 2001 | 4.24% | +0.1 pp |
| 2000 | 4.14% | -0.2 pp |
| 1999 | 4.29% | +0.0 pp |
| 1998 | 4.24% | -0.1 pp |
| 1997 | 4.36% | +0.1 pp |
| 1996 | 4.31% | -0.0 pp |
| 1995 | 4.32% | -0.1 pp |
| 1994 | 4.46% | +0.1 pp |
| 1993 | 4.4% | +0.0 pp |
| 1992 | 4.38% | +0.2 pp |
| 1991 | 4.14% | — |
Frequently asked questions
What was Sierra Leone’s Unemployment in 1992?
4.38% (1992). The full year-by-year table above lists every published year, most recent first.
Are changes in this series measured in percentage points?
Yes. The series is a share expressed in % of total labor force, so year-over-year movements in the Change column are percentage points (pp), not percent.
Is Sierra Leone’s Unemployment growing or shrinking?
Between 1991 and 2025 the series was shrinking overall: -23.8% in total — about 0.8% a year compounded.
Where does this data come from?
World Bank Open Data (CC BY-4.0), indicator SL.UEM.TOTL.ZS. Values are reproduced as published; this page only computes summary statistics such as change, CAGR and extremes.
What are the most recent published figures?
The last five published years: 2025: 3.15%; 2024: 3.1%; 2023: 3.09%; 2022: 3.14%; 2021: 3.55%. Earlier years are in the full-history table below.
Related data
SL.UEM.TOTL.ZS — Unemployment Rate. Data licensed under CC BY 4.0. Values are reproduced as published; this page computes the summary statistics (change, CAGR, extremes) from the underlying annual series. View the original dataset on data.worldbank.org.