Share of drinkers who have had a heavy drinking session in past 30 days in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: Share of drinkers who have had a heavy drinking session in past 30 days was 30.8% in 2020. ▲ Rising
Share of drinkers who have had a heavy drinking session in past 30 days in Sierra Leone, 2000–2020
Source: World Health Organization – Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of drinkers who have had a heavy drinking session in past 30 days in Sierra Leone is 30.8%, measured in 2020.
The figure is up 1.0% on the previous year and down 0.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of drinkers who have had a heavy drinking session in past 30 days in Sierra Leone peaked at 33.5% in 2013 and was at its lowest, 26.9%, in 2001.
Sierra Leone ranks 149th of 187 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 21 years of available data.
Share of drinkers who have had a heavy drinking session in past 30 days in Sierra Leone, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 27.4% | — |
| 2001 | 26.9% | -2.1% |
| 2002 | 28.8% | +7.1% |
| 2003 | 29.0% | +0.6% |
| 2004 | 29.0% | +0.3% |
| 2005 | 27.8% | -4.3% |
| 2006 | 28.5% | +2.5% |
| 2007 | 29.5% | +3.5% |
| 2008 | 30.4% | +3.1% |
| 2009 | 30.7% | +1.1% |
| 2010 | 30.9% | +0.6% |
| 2011 | 31.8% | +2.9% |
| 2012 | 32.8% | +3.3% |
| 2013 | 33.5% | +2.2% |
| 2014 | 31.5% | -6.0% |
| 2015 | 31.7% | +0.5% |
| 2016 | 29.8% | -6.1% |
| 2017 | 29.6% | -0.6% |
| 2018 | 30.6% | +3.4% |
| 2019 | 30.5% | -0.1% |
| 2020 | 30.8% | +1.0% |
Sierra Leone compared with similar countries
- Sierra Leone's 30.8% is below the median for low income countries, which is 43.7%, 70% of the median. (24 countries reporting)
- Sierra Leone's 30.8% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 47.9%, 64% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 28.8% | 26.9% | 30.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 31.3% | 29.6% | 33.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 30.8% | 30.8% | 30.8% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Sierra Leone
More reference data data for Sierra Leone
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.0238 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.4498 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 0.5935 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.12 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 0.5935 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.0797 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.044 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.91 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 2.72 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.6534 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of drinkers who have had a heavy drinking session in past 30 days in Sierra Leone?
- Share of drinkers who have had a heavy drinking session in past 30 days in Sierra Leone was 30.8% in 2020, according to World Health Organization – Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of drinkers who have had a heavy drinking session in past 30 days recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The highest recorded value was 33.5% in 2013.
- What is the lowest share of drinkers who have had a heavy drinking session in past 30 days recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The lowest recorded value was 26.9% in 2001.
- How does Sierra Leone rank for share of drinkers who have had a heavy drinking session in past 30 days?
- Sierra Leone ranks 149th out of 187 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of drinkers who have had a heavy drinking session in past 30 days rising or falling in Sierra Leone?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.2%. 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 Share of drinkers who have had a heavy drinking session in past 30 days. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 21 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Heavy episodic drinking (drinkers only) is defined as the proportion of adult drinkers (15+ years) who have had at least 60 grams or more of pure alcohol on at least one occasion in the past 30 days. A consumption of 60 grams of pure alcohol corresponds approximately to 6 standard alcoholic drinks.