Population, GDP, natural resources, leaders and history of Sierra Leone: the Magna Factbook country file, with its Magna grade (MCC, ranked #158 of 195).
Sierra Leone is a presidential republic in Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea and Liberia. The country's capital is Freetown; it covers 71,740 sq km. Independence: 27 April 1961 (from the UK). Terrain: coastal belt of mangrove swamps, wooded hill country, upland plateau, mountains in east. Climate: tropical; hot, humid; summer rainy season (May to December); winter dry season (December to April). Population: 9.3 million (2025 estimate). Population growth: +2.24% per year. Median age: 19.7 years. Life expectancy: 59.4 years (2024 est.). Languages: English (official, regular use limited to literate minority), Mende (principal vernacular in the south), Temne (pr…
| Capital | Freetown |
|---|---|
| Population | 9,331,203 (2025 est.) |
| GDP (PPP) | $26.728 billion (2024 est.) |
| GDP per capita (PPP) | $3,100 (2024 est.) |
| Real GDP growth | 4% (2024 est.) |
| Inflation | 28.6% |
| Unemployment | 3.2% |
| Public debt | 54.9% of GDP (2016 est.) |
| Exports | $1.382 billion (2023 est.) |
| Imports | $2.264 billion (2023 est.) |
| Life expectancy | 59.4 years (2024 est.) |
| Median age | 19.7 |
| Urbanization | 44.3% of total population (2023) |
| Government | presidential republic |
| Independence | 27 April 1961 (from the UK) |
| Languages | English (official, regular use limited to literate minority), Mende (principal vernacular in the south), Temne (principal vernacular in the north), Krio (English-based Creole, spoken by the descendants of freed Jamaican slaves; a first language for 10% of the population but understood by 95%) |
MCC · 40/100 — The Magna grade is our 0–100 composite of structural national power — five dimensions, 100+ indicators. It is the Bureau's own assessment, not a mirror of World Bank or CIA figures.
Momentum 0 — Quarterly momentum: the Bureau's read on the country's trajectory over the last quarter, from −10 (deteriorating fast) to +10 (accelerating).
Nothing in Jul–Sep 2026 moved the needle. The institutions functioned, the economy ran its course, and the world looked elsewhere.
That is the honest note: a quarter of normalcy, scored as such.
Diamonds, Titanium, Bauxite, Iron ore, Gold.
Julius Maada Bio — President. President Julius Maada BIO (since 27 June 2023)
Sierra Leone maintains 22 embassies and 1 consulates abroad, hosts 18 foreign diplomatic missions, holds permanent missions to UN New York, AU Addis Ababa. The breadth of a diplomatic network is a direct measure of diplomatic power — it shows how far a country’s influence, alliances and interests reach.
| Embassies abroad | 22 |
|---|---|
| Consulates abroad | 1 |
| Foreign missions hosted | 18 |
| Multilateral missions | UN New York, AU Addis Ababa |
Source: Consular Affairs Center, Diplomatic and Consular Networks Database and Rankings, January 2026 (Zenodo, CC BY 4.0). https://zenodo.org/records/18109976
Transport networks are economic power made physical — ports, runways, railways and pipelines decide what a country can move, sell and defend.
| Sea access | Coastal — 402 km of coastline. |
|---|---|
| Airports (total) | 8 + 3 heliports (registration prefix 9L) |
| Major seaports | Bonthe, Freetown, Pepel |
Lungi International Airport (FNA) — Freetown (Lungi-Town).
Sources: OurAirports public-domain extract (2026-10-02); per-entry Wikipedia links included; CIA World Factbook via cia_factbook snapshot (2026-09-28); theodora.com CIA mirror (CIA World Factbook Transportation section), scraped 2026-10-02
| Political system | presidential republic |
|---|---|
| Next election | No election currently scheduled. |
MCC · 40 Ranked #158 of 195 countries in the Magna Country Rankings. Full ranking breakdown for Sierra Leone.
Historical timeline of Sierra Leone
