Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents was 22.4% in 2020. ◆ Volatile
Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Sierra Leone, 1950–2020
Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2020, share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Sierra Leone stood at 22.4%. That is the highest value across all 15 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 21.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Sierra Leone peaked at 22.4% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1950.
That places Sierra Leone 58th out of 180 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Sierra Leone, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 0.0% | — |
| 1955 | 0.0% | — |
| 1960 | 0.0% | — |
| 1965 | 0.0% | — |
| 1970 | 0.0% | — |
| 1975 | 0.0% | — |
| 1980 | 0.0% | — |
| 1985 | 0.0% | — |
| 1990 | 0.0% | — |
| 1995 | 0.0% | — |
| 2000 | 0.0% | — |
| 2005 | 0.0% | — |
| 2010 | 18.4% | — |
| 2015 | 19.4% | +5.3% |
| 2020 | 22.4% | +15.1% |
Sierra Leone compared with similar countries
- Sierra Leone's 22.4% is above the median for low income countries, which is 12.2%, 1.8× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Sierra Leone's 22.4% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 12.2%, 1.8× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 1960s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 1970s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 1980s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 1990s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 2000s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 2010s | 18.9% | 18.4% | 19.4% | 2 |
| 2020s | 22.4% | 22.4% | 22.4% | 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 cities with more than 1 million residents in Sierra Leone?
- Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Sierra Leone was 22.4% in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The highest recorded value was 22.4% in 2020.
- What is the lowest share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1950.
- How does Sierra Leone rank for share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents?
- Sierra Leone ranks 58th out of 180 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents rising or falling in Sierra Leone?
- Over the last ten years it is up 21.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Sierra Leone data come from?
- The figures come from European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Percentage of the total population living in cities with 1 million or more people. City boundaries are defined using a consistent global approach based on satellite imagery and population data.