Adoption of communication technologies in Sierra Leone

Sierra Leone: Adoption of communication technologies was 269 in 2022. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2022)
269
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
204th
of 212 countries
All-time high
32,800
in 2009
All-time low
189
in 2020
Years of data
57
1965–2022

Adoption of communication technologies in Sierra Leone, 1965–2022

010.0k20.0k30.0k196519932022

Source: International Telecommunication Union (ITU), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.

Analysis

The most recent figure for adoption of communication technologies in Sierra Leone is 269, measured in 2022.

That represents a change of down 98.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, adoption of communication technologies in Sierra Leone peaked at 32,800 in 2009 and was at its lowest, 189, in 2020.

Sierra Leone ranks 204th of 212 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Adoption of communication technologies in Sierra Leone, year by year

Annual values for Adoption of communication technologies in Sierra Leone, 1965 to 2022.
Year Value Change
1965 2,700
1966 2,700 +0.0%
1967 2,700 +0.0%
1968 2,700 +0.0%
1969 2,700 +0.0%
1970 2,700 +0.0%
1971 2,700 +0.0%
1972 2,700 +0.0%
1973 2,700 +0.0%
1974 2,700 +0.0%
1975 2,700 +0.0%
1976 2,700 +0.0%
1977 2,700 +0.0%
1978 2,700 +0.0%
1980 11,450 +324.1%
1981 11,500 +0.4%
1982 12,050 +4.8%
1983 12,690 +5.3%
1984 14,650 +15.4%
1985 12,690 -13.4%
1986 15,100 +19.0%
1987 12,650 -16.2%
1988 12,650 +0.0%
1989 12,860 +1.7%
1990 13,280 +3.3%
1991 13,560 +2.1%
1992 13,839 +2.1%
1993 14,470 +4.6%
1994 15,754 +8.9%
1995 16,627 +5.5%
1996 17,189 +3.4%
1997 17,382 +1.1%
1998 17,407 +0.1%
1999 18,230 +4.7%
2000 18,980 +4.1%
2001 22,745 +19.8%
2002 24,000 +5.5%
2003 25,300 +5.4%
2004 26,500 +4.7%
2005 27,800 +4.9%
2006 29,000 +4.3%
2007 30,300 +4.5%
2008 31,500 +4.0%
2009 32,800 +4.1%
2010 14,000 -57.3%
2011 16,000 +14.3%
2012 18,000 +12.5%
2013 16,000 -11.1%
2014 16,500 +3.1%
2015 17,000 +3.0%
2016 17,000 +0.0%
2017 17,000 +0.0%
2018 4,352 -74.4%
2019 476 -89.1%
2020 189 -60.3%
2021 269 +42.3%
2022 269 +0.0%

Sierra Leone compared with similar countries

  • Sierra Leone's 269 is below the median for low income countries, which is 44,127, 1% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
  • Sierra Leone's 269 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 56,011, 0% of the median. (48 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Adoption of communication technologies 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.

YearChange FromTo
1980 +324.1% 2,700 11,450
2019 -89.1% 4,352 476
2018 -74.4% 17,000 4,352
2020 -60.3% 476 189
2010 -57.3% 32,800 14,000
2021 +42.3% 189 269

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 2,700 2,700 2,700 5
1970s 2,700 2,700 2,700 9
1980s 12,829 11,450 15,100 10
1990s 15,774 13,280 18,230 10
2000s 26,892 18,980 32,800 10
2010s 13,633 476 18,000 10
2020s 242.33 189 269 3

Countries ranked near Sierra Leone

  1. 201 East Timor 1,691 compare
  2. 202 Haiti 1,357 compare
  3. 203 Benin 1,350 compare
  4. 205 Kiribati 14 compare
  5. 206 Bhutan 0 compare
  6. 206 Chad 0 compare
  7. 206 Democratic Republic of Congo 0 compare
  8. 206 Guinea 0 compare
  9. 206 Guinea-Bissau 0 compare
  10. 206 Nauru 0 compare
  11. 206 South Sudan 0 compare

See the full ranking of 212 places →

More reference data data for Sierra Leone

All data for Sierra Leone →

Frequently asked questions

What is adoption of communication technologies in Sierra Leone?
Adoption of communication technologies in Sierra Leone was 269 in 2022, according to International Telecommunication Union (ITU), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest adoption of communication technologies recorded in Sierra Leone?
The highest recorded value was 32,800 in 2009.
What is the lowest adoption of communication technologies recorded in Sierra Leone?
The lowest recorded value was 189 in 2020.
How does Sierra Leone rank for adoption of communication technologies?
Sierra Leone ranks 204th out of 212 countries with data for 2022.
Is adoption of communication technologies rising or falling in Sierra Leone?
Over the last ten years it is down 98.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Sierra Leone data come from?
The figures come from International Telecommunication Union (ITU), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Adoption of communication technologies. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 57 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Adoption of communication technologies in Sierra Leone. Statizoid, drawing on International Telecommunication Union (ITU), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 23 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/ict-adoption/sierra-leone/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/ict-adoption/sierra-leone/">Adoption of communication technologies in Sierra Leone</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Adoption of communication technologies
Source
International Telecommunication Union (ITU), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
212 places, 11,803 data points, 1960–2024
Last refreshed