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

020.0k40.0k60.0k80.0k1995200820211995: 13.8k arrivals1996: 21.9k arrivals1997: 7.5k arrivals1998: 12.9k arrivals1999: 10.6k arrivals2000: 15.8k arrivals2001: 24.1k arrivals2002: 28.4k arrivals2003: 38.1k arrivals2004: 43.6k arrivals2005: 40.0k arrivals2006: 33.7k arrivals2007: 32.2k arrivals2008: 36.0k arrivals2009: 37.0k arrivals2010: 39.0k arrivals2011: 52.0k arrivals2012: 60.0k arrivals2013: 81.0k arrivals2014: 44.0k arrivals2015: 24.0k arrivals2016: 55.0k arrivals2017: 51.0k arrivals2018: 57.0k arrivals2019: 63.0k arrivals2020: 24.0k arrivals2021: 40.0k arrivals

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.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest 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

  1. 179 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 59,000 arrivals compare
  2. 180 Guinea-Bissau 52,400 arrivals compare
  3. 181 Samoa 49,400 arrivals compare
  4. 182 Chad 40,000 arrivals compare
  5. 184 Central African Republic 34,600 arrivals compare
  6. 185 Libya 34,000 arrivals compare

See the full ranking of 203 places →

More reference data data for Sierra Leone

All data for Sierra Leone →

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

Indicator
Arrivals of tourists from abroad
Unit
arrivals
Source
UN Tourism (2025) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
203 places, 5,187 data points, 1995–2024
Last refreshed

Number of trips by visitors who arrive from abroad and stay overnight.