Sierra Leone

republic under presidential regimeIndependence 27 April 1961 (from UK)

Sierra Leone as the 1990 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 67 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.

field in that editiontext changed from the edition beforenot in that editionthe open editionEach field below ends in its editions, 1990 to 2025. Point at a year above to follow it down.

CapitalFreetown

Area71,740 km2

Populationas each edition published it

4.17 million July 1990 · 9.33m in 2025

Population growth% a year

Not in this edition 2.61% in 1993

Median ageyears

Not in this edition 17.5 yrs in 2003

Life expectancyyears at birth

Not in this edition 45.87 yrs in 1993

Fertility ratechildren per woman

6.2 children per woman 1990 · 3.52 in 2025

Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births

154 deaths per 1,000 live births 1990 · 70.1 in 2025

GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars

Not in this edition $330 in 1993

GDP real growth% a year

Not in this edition -1% in 1993

Geography

10 fields

Land useshare of 71,740 km2

arable land 25%permanent crops 2%meadows and pastures 31%forest and woodland 29%other 13%includes NEGL% irrigated

Total area

71,740km2

land area: 71,620 km2Comparative area: slightly smaller than South Carolina

Coastline

402km

Territorial sea: 200 nm

Land boundaries

958km total

Guinea 652 km, Liberia 306 km

Climate

tropical;
hot, humid;
summer rainy season (May to December);
winter dry season (December to April)

Terrain

coastal belt of mangrove swamps, wooded hill country, upland plateau, mountains in east

Natural resources

diamonds, titanium ore, bauxite, iron ore, gold, chromite

Environment

extensive mangrove swamps hinder access to sea;
deforestation;
soil degradation

People

14 fields

Population

4,165,953

(July 1990), growth rate 2.6% (1990)

Per 1,000 population(1990)

Birth

47Death

21Net migration

Religion

Muslim 30%indigenous beliefs 30%Christian 10%other or none 30%

Labor force

1,369,000

(est.); 65% agriculture, 19% industry, 16% services (1981); only about 65,000 earn wages (1985); 55% of population of working age

Literacy

31%

(1986)

Nationality

noun--Sierra Leonean(s); adjective--Sierra Leonean

Ethnic divisions

99% native African (30% Temne, 30% Mende);
1% Creole, European, Lebanese, and Asian;
13 tribes

Language

English (official);
regular use limited to literate minority;
principal vernaculars are Mende in south and Temne in north;
Krio is the language of the resettled ex-slave population of the Freetown area and is lingua franca

Government

Republic under presidential regime

17 fields

House of Representatives, 105 seats, elected 30 May 1986one dot, one seat

(127 total, 105 elected) APC 105

Administrative divisions

4 provinces; Eastern, Northern, Southern, Western

Legal system

based on English law and customary laws indigenous to local tribes; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Supreme Court Chief of State and Head of Government--President Gen. Joseph Saidu MOMOH (since 28 November 1985); First Vice President Abu Bakar KAMARA (since 4 April 1987); Second Vice President Salia JUSU-SHERIFF (since 4 April 1987)

Political parties and leaders

only party--All People's Congress (APC), Gen. Joseph Saidu Momoh

Suffrage

universal at age 21 President--last held 1 October 1985 (next to be held October 1992); results--Gen. Joseph Saidu Momoh was elected without opposition; House of Representatives--last held 30 May 1986 (next to be held May 1991); results--APC is the only party; seats--(127 total, 105 elected) APC 105

Communists

no party, although there are a few Communists and a slightly larger number of sympathizers

Member of

ACP, AfDB, Commonwealth, ECA, ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBA, IBRD, ICAO, ICO, IDA, IDB--Islamic Development Bank, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTERPOL, IPU, IRC, ITU, Mano River Union, NAM, OAU, OIC, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation

Ambassador George CAREW;
Chancery at 1701 19th Street NW, Washington DC 20009;
telephone (202) 939-9261;
US--Ambassador Johnny YOUNG;
Embassy at the corner of Walpole and Siaka Stevens Street, Freetown;
telephone 26481

Flag

three equal horizontal bands of light green (top), white, and light blue

Economy

The economic and social infrastructure is not well developed.

16 fields

GDP, purchasing power parity

$965million

per capita $250; real growth rate 1.8% (FY87)

Inflation, consumer prices

42%

(September 1988)

External debt

$805million

(1989 est.)

Exports $106 million (f.o.b., 1988)commodities, where a share is given

rutile

50%bauxite

17%cocoa

11%diamonds

3%coffee

; partners--US, UK, Belgium, FRG, other Western Europe

Imports $167 million (c.i.f., 1988)

capital goods

40%food

32%petroleum

12%consumer goods

also light industrial goods; partners--US, EC, Japan, China, Nigeria

Budget

Revenues

$86 millionExpenditures

$128 million

expenditures, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY90 est.)

Overview

The economic and social infrastructure is not well developed. Subsistence agriculture dominates the economy, generating about one-third of GDP and employing about two-thirds of the working population. Manufacturing accounts for less than 10% of GDP, consisting mainly of the processing of raw materials and of light manufacturing for the domestic market.

Diamond mining provides an important source of hard currency. The economy suffers from high unemployment, rising inflation, large trade deficits, and a growing dependency on foreign assistance.

Unemployment rate

NA%

Industrial production

growth rate - 19% (FY88 est.)

Electricity

83,000 kW capacity; 180 million kWh produced, 45 kWh per capita (1989)

Industries

mining (diamonds, bauxite, rutile), small-scale manufacturing (beverages, textiles, cigarettes, footwear), petroleum refinery

Agriculture

accounts for over 30% of GDP and two-thirds of the labor force;
largely subsistence farming;
cash crops--coffee, cocoa, palm kernels;
harvests of food staple rice meets 80% of domestic needs;
annual fish catch averages 53,000 metric tons

Aid

US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-88), $149 million;
Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $698 million;
OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $18 million;
Communist countries (1970-88), $101 million