Military spending, per capita in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: Military spending, per capita was 3.35 constant 2024 US$ per person in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
3.35 constant 2024 US$ per person
Change on year
down 43.6%
World rank
155th
of 161 countries
All-time high
10.91 constant 2024 US$ per person
in 1992
All-time low
2.13 constant 2024 US$ per person
in 1987
Years of data
65
1961–2025
Military spending, per capita in Sierra Leone, 1961–2025
Source: Statizoid (derived). Measured in constant 2024 US$ per person.
Analysis
In 2025, military spending, per capita in Sierra Leone stood at 3.35 constant 2024 US$ per person.
The figure is down 43.6% on the previous year and down 50.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military spending, per capita in Sierra Leone peaked at 10.91 constant 2024 US$ per person in 1992 and was at its lowest, 2.13 constant 2024 US$ per person, in 1987.
Sierra Leone ranks 155th of 161 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 65 years of available data.
Military spending, per capita in Sierra Leone, year by year
| Year | constant 2024 US$ per person | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 5.01 constant 2024 US$ per person | — |
| 1962 | 5.12 constant 2024 US$ per person | +2.1% |
| 1963 | 5.41 constant 2024 US$ per person | +5.8% |
| 1964 | 5.18 constant 2024 US$ per person | -4.2% |
| 1965 | 5.19 constant 2024 US$ per person | +0.1% |
| 1966 | 4.95 constant 2024 US$ per person | -4.6% |
| 1967 | 5.33 constant 2024 US$ per person | +7.7% |
| 1968 | 5.51 constant 2024 US$ per person | +3.3% |
| 1969 | 6.45 constant 2024 US$ per person | +17.2% |
| 1970 | 7.12 constant 2024 US$ per person | +10.4% |
| 1971 | 6.73 constant 2024 US$ per person | -5.5% |
| 1972 | 6.74 constant 2024 US$ per person | +0.1% |
| 1973 | 7.56 constant 2024 US$ per person | +12.2% |
| 1974 | 9.17 constant 2024 US$ per person | +21.2% |
| 1975 | 7.69 constant 2024 US$ per person | -16.1% |
| 1976 | 7.31 constant 2024 US$ per person | -4.9% |
| 1977 | 7.99 constant 2024 US$ per person | +9.4% |
| 1978 | 7.41 constant 2024 US$ per person | -7.3% |
| 1979 | 8.04 constant 2024 US$ per person | +8.5% |
| 1980 | 10.42 constant 2024 US$ per person | +29.5% |
| 1981 | 9.06 constant 2024 US$ per person | -13.0% |
| 1982 | 6.69 constant 2024 US$ per person | -26.1% |
| 1983 | 4.28 constant 2024 US$ per person | -36.0% |
| 1984 | 3.25 constant 2024 US$ per person | -24.2% |
| 1985 | 2.31 constant 2024 US$ per person | -28.9% |
| 1986 | 4.53 constant 2024 US$ per person | +96.2% |
| 1987 | 2.13 constant 2024 US$ per person | -53.1% |
| 1988 | 2.89 constant 2024 US$ per person | +36.1% |
| 1989 | 5.15 constant 2024 US$ per person | +78.2% |
| 1990 | 5.12 constant 2024 US$ per person | -0.7% |
| 1991 | 9.11 constant 2024 US$ per person | +77.9% |
| 1992 | 10.91 constant 2024 US$ per person | +19.8% |
| 1993 | 8.9 constant 2024 US$ per person | -18.4% |
| 1994 | 8.38 constant 2024 US$ per person | -5.9% |
| 1995 | 8.07 constant 2024 US$ per person | -3.7% |
| 1996 | 5.91 constant 2024 US$ per person | -26.8% |
| 1997 | 2.77 constant 2024 US$ per person | -53.1% |
| 1998 | 3.41 constant 2024 US$ per person | +22.9% |
| 1999 | 4.93 constant 2024 US$ per person | +44.7% |
| 2000 | 7.72 constant 2024 US$ per person | +56.6% |
| 2001 | 8.64 constant 2024 US$ per person | +12.0% |
| 2002 | 7.81 constant 2024 US$ per person | -9.6% |
| 2003 | 8.47 constant 2024 US$ per person | +8.4% |
| 2004 | 6.73 constant 2024 US$ per person | -20.6% |
| 2005 | 6.32 constant 2024 US$ per person | -6.1% |
| 2006 | 6.82 constant 2024 US$ per person | +7.9% |
| 2007 | 5.96 constant 2024 US$ per person | -12.5% |
| 2008 | 4.37 constant 2024 US$ per person | -26.8% |
| 2009 | 5.01 constant 2024 US$ per person | +14.9% |
| 2010 | 5.08 constant 2024 US$ per person | +1.3% |
| 2011 | 5.15 constant 2024 US$ per person | +1.4% |
| 2012 | 5.49 constant 2024 US$ per person | +6.7% |
| 2013 | 5.39 constant 2024 US$ per person | -1.8% |
| 2014 | 8.1 constant 2024 US$ per person | +50.1% |
| 2015 | 6.69 constant 2024 US$ per person | -17.3% |
| 2016 | 8.02 constant 2024 US$ per person | +19.8% |
| 2017 | 7.11 constant 2024 US$ per person | -11.3% |
| 2018 | 4.85 constant 2024 US$ per person | -31.7% |
| 2019 | 3.87 constant 2024 US$ per person | -20.2% |
| 2020 | 4.82 constant 2024 US$ per person | +24.5% |
| 2021 | 5.91 constant 2024 US$ per person | +22.8% |
| 2022 | 5.9 constant 2024 US$ per person | -0.3% |
| 2023 | 5.53 constant 2024 US$ per person | -6.2% |
| 2024 | 5.94 constant 2024 US$ per person | +7.4% |
| 2025 | 3.35 constant 2024 US$ per person | -43.6% |
Sierra Leone compared with similar countries
- Sierra Leone's 3.35 constant 2024 US$ per person is below the median for low income countries, which is 10.78 constant 2024 US$ per person, 31% of the median. (22 countries reporting)
- Sierra Leone's 3.35 constant 2024 US$ per person is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 18.2 constant 2024 US$ per person, 18% of the median. (45 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 5.35 constant 2024 US$ per person | 4.95 constant 2024 US$ per person | 6.45 constant 2024 US$ per person | 9 |
| 1970s | 7.58 constant 2024 US$ per person | 6.73 constant 2024 US$ per person | 9.17 constant 2024 US$ per person | 10 |
| 1980s | 5.07 constant 2024 US$ per person | 2.13 constant 2024 US$ per person | 10.42 constant 2024 US$ per person | 10 |
| 1990s | 6.75 constant 2024 US$ per person | 2.77 constant 2024 US$ per person | 10.91 constant 2024 US$ per person | 10 |
| 2000s | 6.78 constant 2024 US$ per person | 4.37 constant 2024 US$ per person | 8.64 constant 2024 US$ per person | 10 |
| 2010s | 5.98 constant 2024 US$ per person | 3.87 constant 2024 US$ per person | 8.1 constant 2024 US$ per person | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.24 constant 2024 US$ per person | 3.35 constant 2024 US$ per person | 5.94 constant 2024 US$ per person | 6 |
Countries ranked near Sierra Leone
- 152 Malawi 5.76 constant 2024 US$ per person compare
- 153 Gambia 5.19 constant 2024 US$ per person compare
- 154 Madagascar 3.38 constant 2024 US$ per person compare
- 156 Laos 3.3 constant 2024 US$ per person compare
- 157 Haiti 2.55 constant 2024 US$ per person compare
- 158 Afghanistan 0.6412 constant 2024 US$ per person 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, per capita in Sierra Leone?
- Military spending, per capita in Sierra Leone was 3.35 constant 2024 US$ per person in 2025, according to Statizoid (derived).
- What is the highest military spending, per capita recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The highest recorded value was 10.91 constant 2024 US$ per person in 1992.
- What is the lowest military spending, per capita recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.13 constant 2024 US$ per person in 1987.
- How does Sierra Leone rank for military spending, per capita?
- Sierra Leone ranks 155th out of 161 countries with data for 2025.
- Is military spending, per capita rising or falling in Sierra Leone?
- Over the last ten years it is down 50.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sierra Leone data come from?
- The figures come from Statizoid (derived), published as part of Military spending, per capita. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 65 observations, free to reuse under Derived by Statizoid from the sources named on the page.
How this figure is calculated
Military spending divided by Population, total, matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.
Military spending ÷ Population, total
Computed from
- Military spending Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
- Population, total World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN)
Statizoid computes this series; the underlying measurements belong to the publishers named above. The arithmetic is applied to every country and year where both inputs report, and nothing is estimated unless the page says so.
About this data
Military spending divided by Population, total, matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.