Share of population living in urban and rural areas in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: Share of population living in urban and rural areas was 57.7% in 2020. ▲ Rising
Share of population living in urban and rural areas in Sierra Leone, 1950–2020
Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of population living in urban and rural areas in Sierra Leone is 57.7%, measured in 2020. That is the highest value across all 15 years on record.
That represents a change of up 10.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population living in urban and rural areas in Sierra Leone peaked at 57.7% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 45.6%, in 1990.
Sierra Leone ranks 189th of 236 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.
Share of population living in urban and rural areas in Sierra Leone, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 48.5% | — |
| 1955 | 48.6% | +0.2% |
| 1960 | 48.9% | +0.7% |
| 1965 | 49.8% | +1.7% |
| 1970 | 50.9% | +2.3% |
| 1975 | 52.1% | +2.3% |
| 1980 | 48.5% | -6.9% |
| 1985 | 46.6% | -4.0% |
| 1990 | 45.6% | -2.0% |
| 1995 | 46.8% | +2.5% |
| 2000 | 47.9% | +2.3% |
| 2005 | 50.9% | +6.3% |
| 2010 | 52.4% | +3.0% |
| 2015 | 54.9% | +4.7% |
| 2020 | 57.7% | +5.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 48.6% | 48.5% | 48.6% | 2 |
| 1960s | 49.4% | 48.9% | 49.8% | 2 |
| 1970s | 51.5% | 50.9% | 52.1% | 2 |
| 1980s | 47.5% | 46.6% | 48.5% | 2 |
| 1990s | 46.2% | 45.6% | 46.8% | 2 |
| 2000s | 49.4% | 47.9% | 50.9% | 2 |
| 2010s | 53.7% | 52.4% | 54.9% | 2 |
| 2020s | 57.7% | 57.7% | 57.7% | 1 |
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 share of population living in urban and rural areas in Sierra Leone?
- Share of population living in urban and rural areas in Sierra Leone was 57.7% in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of population living in urban and rural areas recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The highest recorded value was 57.7% in 2020.
- What is the lowest share of population living in urban and rural areas recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The lowest recorded value was 45.6% in 1990.
- How does Sierra Leone rank for share of population living in urban and rural areas?
- Sierra Leone ranks 189th out of 236 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of population living in urban and rural areas rising or falling in Sierra Leone?
- Over the last ten years it is up 10.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sierra Leone data come from?
- The figures come from European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population living in urban and rural areas. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Estimated share of the population living in urban areas (the sum of cities and towns and suburbs). Urban areas are identified using satellite imagery and population data, applying the same definitions across countries.