Military spending per armed forces personnel in Sierra Leone

Sierra Leone: Military spending per armed forces personnel was 4,236 constant 2024 US$ in 2020. ▼ Falling

Latest (2020)
4,236 constant 2024 US$
Change on year
up 27.4%
World rank
148th
of 160 countries
All-time high
8,988 constant 2024 US$
in 2000
All-time low
745.92 constant 2024 US$
in 1997
Years of data
33
1985–2020

Military spending per armed forces personnel in Sierra Leone, 1985–2020

02.0k4.0k6.0k8.0k1985200220201985: 2.7k constant 2024 US$1989: 5.2k constant 2024 US$1990: 4.3k constant 2024 US$1991: 7.7k constant 2024 US$1992: 5.7k constant 2024 US$1993: 7.4k constant 2024 US$1994: 7.0k constant 2024 US$1995: 4.8k constant 2024 US$1996: 1.7k constant 2024 US$1997: 745.9 constant 2024 US$1998: 2.5k constant 2024 US$1999: 5.6k constant 2024 US$2000: 9.0k constant 2024 US$2001: 6.8k constant 2024 US$2002: 3.0k constant 2024 US$2003: 3.4k constant 2024 US$2004: 2.8k constant 2024 US$2005: 2.7k constant 2024 US$2006: 3.5k constant 2024 US$2007: 3.1k constant 2024 US$2008: 2.3k constant 2024 US$2009: 2.9k constant 2024 US$2010: 3.0k constant 2024 US$2011: 3.1k constant 2024 US$2012: 3.4k constant 2024 US$2013: 3.4k constant 2024 US$2014: 6.6k constant 2024 US$2015: 5.5k constant 2024 US$2016: 6.8k constant 2024 US$2017: 5.8k constant 2024 US$2018: 4.3k constant 2024 US$2019: 3.3k constant 2024 US$2020: 4.2k constant 2024 US$

Source: Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (2026); The Military Balance - International Institute for Strategic Studies, via World Bank (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in constant 2024 US$.

Analysis

The most recent figure for military spending per armed forces personnel in Sierra Leone is 4,236 constant 2024 US$, measured in 2020.

That represents a change of up 27.4% on the previous year and up 40.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, military spending per armed forces personnel in Sierra Leone peaked at 8,988 constant 2024 US$ in 2000 and was at its lowest, 745.92 constant 2024 US$, in 1997.

Sierra Leone ranks 148th of 160 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 33 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 3,955 constant 2024 US$ 2,713 constant 2024 US$ 5,198 constant 2024 US$ 2
1990s 4,744 constant 2024 US$ 745.92 constant 2024 US$ 7,733 constant 2024 US$ 10
2000s 3,939 constant 2024 US$ 2,340 constant 2024 US$ 8,988 constant 2024 US$ 10
2010s 4,538 constant 2024 US$ 3,009 constant 2024 US$ 6,798 constant 2024 US$ 10
2020s 4,236 constant 2024 US$ 4,236 constant 2024 US$ 4,236 constant 2024 US$ 1

Countries ranked near Sierra Leone

  1. 145 Gambia 4,400 constant 2024 US$ compare
  2. 146 Rwanda 4,381 constant 2024 US$ compare
  3. 147 Nepal 4,320 constant 2024 US$ compare
  4. 150 Egypt 3,872 constant 2024 US$ compare
  5. 151 Ethiopia 3,698 constant 2024 US$ compare

See the full ranking of 160 places →

More reference data data for Sierra Leone

All data for Sierra Leone →

Frequently asked questions

What is military spending per armed forces personnel in Sierra Leone?
Military spending per armed forces personnel in Sierra Leone was 4,236 constant 2024 US$ in 2020, according to Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (2026); The Military Balance - International Institute for Strategic Studies, via World Bank (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest military spending per armed forces personnel recorded in Sierra Leone?
The highest recorded value was 8,988 constant 2024 US$ in 2000.
What is the lowest military spending per armed forces personnel recorded in Sierra Leone?
The lowest recorded value was 745.92 constant 2024 US$ in 1997.
How does Sierra Leone rank for military spending per armed forces personnel?
Sierra Leone ranks 148th out of 160 countries with data for 2020.
Is military spending per armed forces personnel rising or falling in Sierra Leone?
Over the last ten years it is up 40.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Sierra Leone data come from?
The figures come from Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (2026); The Military Balance - International Institute for Strategic Studies, via World Bank (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Military spending per armed forces personnel. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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CSV · JSON — 33 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Military spending per armed forces personnel
Unit
constant 2024 US$
Source
Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (2026); The Military Balance - International Institute for Strategic Studies, via World Bank (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
160 places, 4,610 data points, 1985–2020
Last refreshed

Total military expenditure divided by armed forces personnel. 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.