Personal remittances and foreign aid received in Sierra Leone

Sierra Leone: Personal remittances and foreign aid received was 183.79 million current US$ in 2021. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2021)
183.79 million current US$
Change on year
up 3.8%
World rank
143rd
of 193 countries
All-time high
183.79 million current US$
in 2021
All-time low
27,072 current US$
in 1990
Years of data
42
1980–2021

Personal remittances and foreign aid received in Sierra Leone, 1980–2021

050.0M100.0M150.0M200.0M1980200020211980: 95.3k current US$1981: 88.0k current US$1982: 80.7k current US$1983: 53.0k current US$1984: 79.7k current US$1985: 39.3k current US$1986: 57.8k current US$1987: 76.4k current US$1988: 80.0k current US$1989: 51.8k current US$1990: 27.1k current US$1991: 27.8k current US$1992: 65.7k current US$1993: 57.8k current US$1994: 55.9k current US$1995: 23.7M current US$1996: 25.2M current US$1997: 6.0M current US$1998: 20.3M current US$1999: 22.5M current US$2000: 7.1M current US$2001: 6.2M current US$2002: 21.8M current US$2003: 25.9M current US$2004: 24.7M current US$2005: 2.4M current US$2006: 15.6M current US$2007: 42.0M current US$2008: 22.6M current US$2009: 35.9M current US$2010: 44.2M current US$2011: 58.8M current US$2012: 64.5M current US$2013: 69.7M current US$2014: 62.4M current US$2015: 48.2M current US$2016: 58.2M current US$2017: 63.6M current US$2018: 73.2M current US$2019: 177.5M current US$2020: 177.0M current US$2021: 183.8M current US$

Source: World Bank based on International Monetary Fund balance of payments data (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in current US$.

Analysis

Sierra Leone recorded 183.79 million current US$ for personal remittances and foreign aid received in 2021. That is the highest value across all 42 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 3.8% on the previous year and up 212.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, personal remittances and foreign aid received in Sierra Leone peaked at 183.79 million current US$ in 2021 and was at its lowest, 27,072 current US$, in 1990.

That places Sierra Leone 143rd out of 193 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the middle of the range.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 70,196 current US$ 39,261 current US$ 95,256 current US$ 10
1990s 9.79 million current US$ 27,072 current US$ 25.25 million current US$ 10
2000s 20.43 million current US$ 2.44 million current US$ 41.97 million current US$ 10
2010s 72.03 million current US$ 44.22 million current US$ 177.49 million current US$ 10
2020s 180.41 million current US$ 177.03 million current US$ 183.79 million current US$ 2

Countries ranked near Sierra Leone

  1. 140 Mozambique 201.87 million current US$ compare
  2. 141 Vanuatu 199.83 million current US$ compare
  3. 142 Iceland 193.32 million current US$ compare
  4. 145 Burundi 168.00 million current US$ compare
  5. 146 Faroe Islands 158.41 million current US$ compare

See the full ranking of 193 places →

More reference data data for Sierra Leone

All data for Sierra Leone →

Frequently asked questions

What is personal remittances and foreign aid received in Sierra Leone?
Personal remittances and foreign aid received in Sierra Leone was 183.79 million current US$ in 2021, according to World Bank based on International Monetary Fund balance of payments data (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest personal remittances and foreign aid received recorded in Sierra Leone?
The highest recorded value was 183.79 million current US$ in 2021.
What is the lowest personal remittances and foreign aid received recorded in Sierra Leone?
The lowest recorded value was 27,072 current US$ in 1990.
How does Sierra Leone rank for personal remittances and foreign aid received?
Sierra Leone ranks 143rd out of 193 countries with data for 2021.
Is personal remittances and foreign aid received rising or falling in Sierra Leone?
Over the last ten years it is up 212.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Sierra Leone data come from?
The figures come from World Bank based on International Monetary Fund balance of payments data (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Personal remittances and foreign aid received. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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About this data

Indicator
Personal remittances and foreign aid received
Unit
current US$
Source
World Bank based on International Monetary Fund balance of payments data (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
193 places, 6,518 data points, 1970–2021
Last refreshed

Remittances are financial transfers from non-residents to residents of a country, such as a worker abroad sending money to family and friends. Foreign aid is measured as official development assistance. Both are measured in current US$.