Military spending in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: Military spending was 28.24 million constant 2022 US$ in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
28.24 million constant 2022 US$
Change on year
up 2.0%
World rank
165th
of 172 countries
All-time high
56.17 million constant 2022 US$
in 1994
All-time low
9.72 million constant 2022 US$
in 1987
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Military spending in Sierra Leone, 1961–2023
Source: Barnum et al. – Global Military Spending Dataset (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in constant 2022 US$.
Analysis
The most recent figure for military spending in Sierra Leone is 28.24 million constant 2022 US$, measured in 2023.
That represents a change of up 2.0% on the previous year and up 38.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military spending in Sierra Leone peaked at 56.17 million constant 2022 US$ in 1994 and was at its lowest, 9.72 million constant 2022 US$, in 1987.
Sierra Leone ranks 165th of 172 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 63 years of available data.
Military spending in Sierra Leone, year by year
| Year | constant 2022 US$ | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 14.20 million constant 2022 US$ | — |
| 1962 | 14.73 million constant 2022 US$ | +3.8% |
| 1963 | 15.15 million constant 2022 US$ | +2.8% |
| 1964 | 14.91 million constant 2022 US$ | -1.6% |
| 1965 | 16.21 million constant 2022 US$ | +8.7% |
| 1966 | 15.23 million constant 2022 US$ | -6.0% |
| 1967 | 14.21 million constant 2022 US$ | -6.7% |
| 1968 | 14.07 million constant 2022 US$ | -1.0% |
| 1969 | 16.69 million constant 2022 US$ | +18.6% |
| 1970 | 17.65 million constant 2022 US$ | +5.7% |
| 1971 | 19.26 million constant 2022 US$ | +9.2% |
| 1972 | 19.41 million constant 2022 US$ | +0.8% |
| 1973 | 21.67 million constant 2022 US$ | +11.7% |
| 1974 | 22.03 million constant 2022 US$ | +1.7% |
| 1975 | 21.35 million constant 2022 US$ | -3.1% |
| 1976 | 22.13 million constant 2022 US$ | +3.6% |
| 1977 | 24.86 million constant 2022 US$ | +12.4% |
| 1978 | 28.11 million constant 2022 US$ | +13.1% |
| 1979 | 32.60 million constant 2022 US$ | +16.0% |
| 1980 | 29.22 million constant 2022 US$ | -10.4% |
| 1981 | 25.66 million constant 2022 US$ | -12.2% |
| 1982 | 22.18 million constant 2022 US$ | -13.5% |
| 1983 | 16.63 million constant 2022 US$ | -25.0% |
| 1984 | 13.07 million constant 2022 US$ | -21.4% |
| 1985 | 10.25 million constant 2022 US$ | -21.5% |
| 1986 | 11.20 million constant 2022 US$ | +9.2% |
| 1987 | 9.72 million constant 2022 US$ | -13.2% |
| 1988 | 9.85 million constant 2022 US$ | +1.3% |
| 1989 | 12.08 million constant 2022 US$ | +22.7% |
| 1990 | 11.35 million constant 2022 US$ | -6.1% |
| 1991 | 25.47 million constant 2022 US$ | +124.4% |
| 1992 | 33.02 million constant 2022 US$ | +29.7% |
| 1993 | 27.01 million constant 2022 US$ | -18.2% |
| 1994 | 56.17 million constant 2022 US$ | +108.0% |
| 1995 | 52.60 million constant 2022 US$ | -6.3% |
| 1996 | 43.92 million constant 2022 US$ | -16.5% |
| 1997 | 41.74 million constant 2022 US$ | -5.0% |
| 1998 | 25.93 million constant 2022 US$ | -37.9% |
| 1999 | 18.78 million constant 2022 US$ | -27.6% |
| 2000 | 25.81 million constant 2022 US$ | +37.4% |
| 2001 | 31.16 million constant 2022 US$ | +20.8% |
| 2002 | 36.71 million constant 2022 US$ | +17.8% |
| 2003 | 37.06 million constant 2022 US$ | +0.9% |
| 2004 | 35.17 million constant 2022 US$ | -5.1% |
| 2005 | 32.33 million constant 2022 US$ | -8.1% |
| 2006 | 32.31 million constant 2022 US$ | -0.1% |
| 2007 | 27.70 million constant 2022 US$ | -14.3% |
| 2008 | 21.14 million constant 2022 US$ | -23.7% |
| 2009 | 18.32 million constant 2022 US$ | -13.3% |
| 2010 | 18.55 million constant 2022 US$ | +1.3% |
| 2011 | 17.95 million constant 2022 US$ | -3.2% |
| 2012 | 18.94 million constant 2022 US$ | +5.5% |
| 2013 | 20.47 million constant 2022 US$ | +8.0% |
| 2014 | 21.65 million constant 2022 US$ | +5.8% |
| 2015 | 22.64 million constant 2022 US$ | +4.6% |
| 2016 | 21.64 million constant 2022 US$ | -4.4% |
| 2017 | 23.10 million constant 2022 US$ | +6.7% |
| 2018 | 21.54 million constant 2022 US$ | -6.8% |
| 2019 | 21.26 million constant 2022 US$ | -1.3% |
| 2020 | 21.47 million constant 2022 US$ | +1.0% |
| 2021 | 26.27 million constant 2022 US$ | +22.3% |
| 2022 | 27.68 million constant 2022 US$ | +5.4% |
| 2023 | 28.24 million constant 2022 US$ | +2.0% |
Sierra Leone compared with similar countries
- Sierra Leone's 28.24 million constant 2022 US$ is below the median for low income countries, which is 387.93 million constant 2022 US$, 7% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Sierra Leone's 28.24 million constant 2022 US$ is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 350.64 million constant 2022 US$, 8% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Military spending in Sierra Leone changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | +124.4% | 11.35 million constant 2022 US$ | 25.47 million constant 2022 US$ |
| 1994 | +108.0% | 27.01 million constant 2022 US$ | 56.17 million constant 2022 US$ |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 15.05 million constant 2022 US$ | 14.07 million constant 2022 US$ | 16.69 million constant 2022 US$ | 9 |
| 1970s | 22.91 million constant 2022 US$ | 17.65 million constant 2022 US$ | 32.60 million constant 2022 US$ | 10 |
| 1980s | 15.99 million constant 2022 US$ | 9.72 million constant 2022 US$ | 29.22 million constant 2022 US$ | 10 |
| 1990s | 33.60 million constant 2022 US$ | 11.35 million constant 2022 US$ | 56.17 million constant 2022 US$ | 10 |
| 2000s | 29.77 million constant 2022 US$ | 18.32 million constant 2022 US$ | 37.06 million constant 2022 US$ | 10 |
| 2010s | 20.77 million constant 2022 US$ | 17.95 million constant 2022 US$ | 23.10 million constant 2022 US$ | 10 |
| 2020s | 25.91 million constant 2022 US$ | 21.47 million constant 2022 US$ | 28.24 million constant 2022 US$ | 4 |
Countries ranked near Sierra Leone
- 162 Bhutan 31.32 million constant 2022 US$ compare
- 163 Guinea-Bissau 29.97 million constant 2022 US$ compare
- 164 Mauritius 28.93 million constant 2022 US$ compare
- 166 Laos 26.46 million constant 2022 US$ compare
- 167 Gambia 18.64 million constant 2022 US$ compare
- 168 Haiti 16.61 million constant 2022 US$ 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 military spending in Sierra Leone?
- Military spending in Sierra Leone was 28.24 million constant 2022 US$ in 2023, according to Barnum et al. – Global Military Spending Dataset (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest military spending recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The highest recorded value was 56.17 million constant 2022 US$ in 1994.
- What is the lowest military spending recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The lowest recorded value was 9.72 million constant 2022 US$ in 1987.
- How does Sierra Leone rank for military spending?
- Sierra Leone ranks 165th out of 172 countries with data for 2023.
- Is military spending rising or falling in Sierra Leone?
- Over the last ten years it is up 38.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sierra Leone data come from?
- The figures come from Barnum et al. – Global Military Spending Dataset (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Military spending. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 63 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
This data is expressed in US dollars. It is adjusted for inflation but does not account for differences in the cost of living between countries.