Rice production in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: Rice production was 1.39 million tonnes in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2024)
1.39 million tonnes
Change on year
up 5.7%
World rank
37th
of 143 countries
All-time high
1.98 million tonnes
in 2021
All-time low
199,134 tonnes
in 2000
Years of data
64
1961–2024
Rice production in Sierra Leone, 1961–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
Sierra Leone recorded 1.39 million tonnes for rice production in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 5.7% on the previous year and up 15.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rice production in Sierra Leone peaked at 1.98 million tonnes in 2021 and was at its lowest, 199,134 tonnes, in 2000.
Sierra Leone ranks 37th of 143 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Rice production in Sierra Leone, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 264,000 tonnes | — |
| 1962 | 314,976 tonnes | +19.3% |
| 1963 | 331,000 tonnes | +5.1% |
| 1964 | 373,000 tonnes | +12.7% |
| 1965 | 399,000 tonnes | +7.0% |
| 1966 | 434,000 tonnes | +8.8% |
| 1967 | 468,000 tonnes | +7.8% |
| 1968 | 426,100 tonnes | -9.0% |
| 1969 | 507,000 tonnes | +19.0% |
| 1970 | 450,000 tonnes | -11.2% |
| 1971 | 464,000 tonnes | +3.1% |
| 1972 | 479,000 tonnes | +3.2% |
| 1973 | 479,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 518,700 tonnes | +8.3% |
| 1975 | 570,600 tonnes | +10.0% |
| 1976 | 580,000 tonnes | +1.6% |
| 1977 | 600,000 tonnes | +3.4% |
| 1978 | 620,000 tonnes | +3.3% |
| 1979 | 500,000 tonnes | -19.4% |
| 1980 | 513,000 tonnes | +2.6% |
| 1981 | 500,000 tonnes | -2.5% |
| 1982 | 523,500 tonnes | +4.7% |
| 1983 | 460,200 tonnes | -12.1% |
| 1984 | 504,137 tonnes | +9.5% |
| 1985 | 430,000 tonnes | -14.7% |
| 1986 | 524,989 tonnes | +22.1% |
| 1987 | 465,675 tonnes | -11.3% |
| 1988 | 493,000 tonnes | +5.9% |
| 1989 | 517,800 tonnes | +5.0% |
| 1990 | 503,700 tonnes | -2.7% |
| 1991 | 503,700 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 478,515 tonnes | -5.0% |
| 1993 | 486,300 tonnes | +1.6% |
| 1994 | 405,200 tonnes | -16.7% |
| 1995 | 355,500 tonnes | -12.3% |
| 1996 | 391,700 tonnes | +10.2% |
| 1997 | 411,300 tonnes | +5.0% |
| 1998 | 328,310 tonnes | -20.2% |
| 1999 | 247,235 tonnes | -24.7% |
| 2000 | 199,134 tonnes | -19.5% |
| 2001 | 300,000 tonnes | +50.7% |
| 2002 | 422,066 tonnes | +40.7% |
| 2003 | 445,633 tonnes | +5.6% |
| 2004 | 542,000 tonnes | +21.6% |
| 2005 | 738,000 tonnes | +36.2% |
| 2006 | 1.06 million tonnes | +43.9% |
| 2007 | 588,004 tonnes | -44.6% |
| 2008 | 680,097 tonnes | +15.7% |
| 2009 | 888,417 tonnes | +30.6% |
| 2010 | 1.03 million tonnes | +15.6% |
| 2011 | 1.13 million tonnes | +10.0% |
| 2012 | 1.14 million tonnes | +1.1% |
| 2013 | 1.26 million tonnes | +10.0% |
| 2014 | 1.20 million tonnes | -4.1% |
| 2015 | 871,693 tonnes | -27.6% |
| 2016 | 875,304 tonnes | +0.4% |
| 2017 | 897,087 tonnes | +2.5% |
| 2018 | 918,713 tonnes | +2.4% |
| 2019 | 947,464 tonnes | +3.1% |
| 2020 | 1.05 million tonnes | +10.8% |
| 2021 | 1.98 million tonnes | +88.5% |
| 2022 | 1.40 million tonnes | -29.4% |
| 2023 | 1.32 million tonnes | -5.8% |
| 2024 | 1.39 million tonnes | +5.7% |
Sierra Leone compared with similar countries
- Sierra Leone's 1.39 million tonnes is above the median for low income countries, which is 243,900 tonnes, 5.7× the median. (23 countries reporting)
- Sierra Leone's 1.39 million tonnes is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 212,050 tonnes, 6.6× the median. (40 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Rice production 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | +88.5% | 1.05 million tonnes | 1.98 million tonnes |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 390,786 tonnes | 264,000 tonnes | 507,000 tonnes | 9 |
| 1970s | 526,130 tonnes | 450,000 tonnes | 620,000 tonnes | 10 |
| 1980s | 493,230 tonnes | 430,000 tonnes | 524,989 tonnes | 10 |
| 1990s | 411,146 tonnes | 247,235 tonnes | 503,700 tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 586,567 tonnes | 199,134 tonnes | 1.06 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.03 million tonnes | 871,693 tonnes | 1.26 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.43 million tonnes | 1.05 million tonnes | 1.98 million tonnes | 5 |
Countries ranked near Sierra Leone
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 rice production in Sierra Leone?
- Rice production in Sierra Leone was 1.39 million tonnes in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest rice production recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The highest recorded value was 1.98 million tonnes in 2021.
- What is the lowest rice production recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The lowest recorded value was 199,134 tonnes in 2000.
- How does Sierra Leone rank for rice production?
- Sierra Leone ranks 37th out of 143 countries with data for 2024.
- Is rice production rising or falling in Sierra Leone?
- Over the last ten years it is up 15.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Sierra Leone data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Rice production. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 64 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Rice production is measured in tonnes.