Do more people live in urban or rural areas? in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: Do more people live in urban or rural areas? was 45.9% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Do more people live in urban or rural areas? in Sierra Leone, 1000–2025
Source: HYDE (2023); United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for do more people live in urban or rural areas? in Sierra Leone is 45.9%, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 108 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.2% on the previous year and up 12.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, do more people live in urban or rural areas? in Sierra Leone peaked at 45.9% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1000.
That places Sierra Leone 173rd out of 238 countries with data for 2025, 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
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1000s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 1 |
| 1100s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 1 |
| 1200s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 1 |
| 1300s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 1 |
| 1400s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 1 |
| 1500s | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 1 |
| 1600s | 0.4% | 0.4% | 0.4% | 1 |
| 1700s | 1.2% | 1.2% | 1.2% | 1 |
| 1710s | 1.4% | 1.4% | 1.4% | 1 |
| 1720s | 1.5% | 1.5% | 1.5% | 1 |
| 1730s | 1.6% | 1.6% | 1.6% | 1 |
| 1740s | 1.8% | 1.8% | 1.8% | 1 |
| 1750s | 2.0% | 2.0% | 2.0% | 1 |
| 1760s | 2.1% | 2.1% | 2.1% | 1 |
| 1770s | 2.3% | 2.3% | 2.3% | 1 |
| 1780s | 2.6% | 2.6% | 2.6% | 1 |
| 1790s | 2.8% | 2.8% | 2.8% | 1 |
| 1800s | 3.1% | 3.1% | 3.1% | 1 |
| 1810s | 3.4% | 3.4% | 3.4% | 1 |
| 1820s | 3.7% | 3.7% | 3.7% | 1 |
| 1830s | 4.0% | 4.0% | 4.0% | 1 |
| 1840s | 4.4% | 4.4% | 4.4% | 1 |
| 1850s | 4.8% | 4.8% | 4.8% | 1 |
| 1860s | 5.3% | 5.3% | 5.3% | 1 |
| 1870s | 5.8% | 5.8% | 5.8% | 1 |
| 1880s | 6.4% | 6.4% | 6.4% | 1 |
| 1890s | 7.0% | 7.0% | 7.0% | 1 |
| 1900s | 7.6% | 7.6% | 7.6% | 1 |
| 1910s | 8.4% | 8.4% | 8.4% | 1 |
| 1920s | 9.2% | 9.2% | 9.2% | 1 |
| 1930s | 10.0% | 10.0% | 10.0% | 1 |
| 1940s | 11.0% | 11.0% | 11.0% | 1 |
| 1950s | 14.6% | 12.4% | 16.9% | 10 |
| 1960s | 20.2% | 17.4% | 23.5% | 10 |
| 1970s | 27.3% | 24.4% | 29.8% | 10 |
| 1980s | 31.8% | 30.2% | 33.2% | 10 |
| 1990s | 34.4% | 33.5% | 35.3% | 10 |
| 2000s | 36.8% | 35.5% | 38.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 40.6% | 38.6% | 42.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 44.6% | 43.2% | 45.9% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Sierra Leone
- 170 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 48.0% compare
- 171 Turkmenistan 47.1% compare
- 172 Guinea-Bissau 46.7% compare
- 174 Zambia 45.9% compare
- 175 Seychelles 45.5% compare
- 176 Democratic Republic of Congo 45.1% compare
More reference data data for Sierra Leone
- Spring temperature anomalies 0.1247 °C (2026)
- Summer temperature anomalies 0.8874 °C (2026)
- Temperature anomalies by month 0.2824 °C (2026)
- Universal right to vote in practice 2 (2025)
- Autumn temperature anomalies 0.1314 °C (2025)
- Winter temperature anomalies 0.1178 °C (2025)
- Consumer price index 771.75 2010 = 100 (2025)
- Universal right to vote 2 (2025)
- Competitive elections 0 (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote 1 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is do more people live in urban or rural areas? in Sierra Leone?
- Do more people live in urban or rural areas? in Sierra Leone was 45.9% in 2025, according to HYDE (2023); United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest do more people live in urban or rural areas? recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The highest recorded value was 45.9% in 2025.
- What is the lowest do more people live in urban or rural areas? recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1000.
- How does Sierra Leone rank for do more people live in urban or rural areas??
- Sierra Leone ranks 173rd out of 238 countries with data for 2025.
- Is do more people live in urban or rural areas? rising or falling in Sierra Leone?
- Over the last ten years it is up 12.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Sierra Leone data come from?
- The figures come from HYDE (2023); United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Do more people live in urban or rural areas?. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 108 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Share of the population living in urban areas, combining UN estimates with modelled historical data.