Arrivals of tourists from abroad in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: Arrivals of tourists from abroad was 40,000 arrivals in 2021. ▲ Rising
Latest (2021)
40,000 arrivals
Change on year
up 66.7%
World rank
182nd
of 203 countries
All-time high
81,000 arrivals
in 2013
All-time low
7,500 arrivals
in 1997
Years of data
27
1995–2021
Arrivals of tourists from abroad in Sierra Leone, 1995–2021
Source: UN Tourism (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in arrivals.
Analysis
Sierra Leone recorded 40,000 arrivals for arrivals of tourists from abroad in 2021.
That represents a change of up 66.7% on the previous year and down 23.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, arrivals of tourists from abroad in Sierra Leone peaked at 81,000 arrivals in 2013 and was at its lowest, 7,500 arrivals, in 1997.
Sierra Leone ranks 182nd of 203 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 27 years of available data.
Arrivals of tourists from abroad in Sierra Leone, year by year
| Year | arrivals | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 13,800 arrivals | — |
| 1996 | 21,900 arrivals | +58.7% |
| 1997 | 7,500 arrivals | -65.8% |
| 1998 | 12,900 arrivals | +72.0% |
| 1999 | 10,600 arrivals | -17.8% |
| 2000 | 15,800 arrivals | +49.1% |
| 2001 | 24,100 arrivals | +52.5% |
| 2002 | 28,400 arrivals | +17.8% |
| 2003 | 38,100 arrivals | +34.2% |
| 2004 | 43,600 arrivals | +14.4% |
| 2005 | 40,000 arrivals | -8.3% |
| 2006 | 33,700 arrivals | -15.8% |
| 2007 | 32,200 arrivals | -4.5% |
| 2008 | 36,000 arrivals | +11.8% |
| 2009 | 37,000 arrivals | +2.8% |
| 2010 | 39,000 arrivals | +5.4% |
| 2011 | 52,000 arrivals | +33.3% |
| 2012 | 60,000 arrivals | +15.4% |
| 2013 | 81,000 arrivals | +35.0% |
| 2014 | 44,000 arrivals | -45.7% |
| 2015 | 24,000 arrivals | -45.5% |
| 2016 | 55,000 arrivals | +129.2% |
| 2017 | 51,000 arrivals | -7.3% |
| 2018 | 57,000 arrivals | +11.8% |
| 2019 | 63,000 arrivals | +10.5% |
| 2020 | 24,000 arrivals | -61.9% |
| 2021 | 40,000 arrivals | +66.7% |
Sierra Leone compared with similar countries
- Sierra Leone's 40,000 arrivals is below the median for low income countries, which is 366,700 arrivals, 11% of the median. (19 countries reporting)
- Sierra Leone's 40,000 arrivals is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 393,000 arrivals, 10% of the median. (41 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 13,340 arrivals | 7,500 arrivals | 21,900 arrivals | 5 |
| 2000s | 32,890 arrivals | 15,800 arrivals | 43,600 arrivals | 10 |
| 2010s | 52,600 arrivals | 24,000 arrivals | 81,000 arrivals | 10 |
| 2020s | 32,000 arrivals | 24,000 arrivals | 40,000 arrivals | 2 |
Countries ranked near Sierra Leone
- 179 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 59,000 arrivals compare
- 180 Guinea-Bissau 52,400 arrivals compare
- 181 Samoa 49,400 arrivals compare
- 182 Chad 40,000 arrivals compare
- 184 Central African Republic 34,600 arrivals compare
- 185 Libya 34,000 arrivals compare
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 arrivals of tourists from abroad in Sierra Leone?
- Arrivals of tourists from abroad in Sierra Leone was 40,000 arrivals in 2021, according to UN Tourism (2025) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest arrivals of tourists from abroad recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The highest recorded value was 81,000 arrivals in 2013.
- What is the lowest arrivals of tourists from abroad recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The lowest recorded value was 7,500 arrivals in 1997.
- How does Sierra Leone rank for arrivals of tourists from abroad?
- Sierra Leone ranks 182nd out of 203 countries with data for 2021.
- Is arrivals of tourists from abroad rising or falling in Sierra Leone?
- Over the last ten years it is down 23.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sierra Leone data come from?
- The figures come from UN Tourism (2025) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Arrivals of tourists from abroad. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 27 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Number of trips by visitors who arrive from abroad and stay overnight.