Number of people without access to electricity in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: Number of people without access to electricity was 5.25 million people in 2024. ▲ Rising
Number of people without access to electricity in Sierra Leone, 2000–2024
Source: Data compiled from multiple sources by the World Bank – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in people.
Analysis
The most recent figure for number of people without access to electricity in Sierra Leone is 5.25 million people, measured in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 3.7% on the previous year and down 5.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of people without access to electricity in Sierra Leone peaked at 5.98 million people in 2019 and was at its lowest, 4.08 million people, in 2000.
That places Sierra Leone 33rd out of 214 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 25 years of available data.
Number of people without access to electricity in Sierra Leone, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 4.08 million people | — |
| 2001 | 4.29 million people | +5.2% |
| 2002 | 4.51 million people | +5.1% |
| 2003 | 4.67 million people | +3.3% |
| 2004 | 4.46 million people | -4.5% |
| 2005 | 4.88 million people | +9.5% |
| 2006 | 4.94 million people | +1.2% |
| 2007 | 5.00 million people | +1.3% |
| 2008 | 5.18 million people | +3.6% |
| 2009 | 5.17 million people | -0.2% |
| 2010 | 5.51 million people | +6.5% |
| 2011 | 5.48 million people | -0.5% |
| 2012 | 5.42 million people | -1.0% |
| 2013 | 5.81 million people | +7.1% |
| 2014 | 5.58 million people | -3.9% |
| 2015 | 5.65 million people | +1.2% |
| 2016 | 5.74 million people | +1.6% |
| 2017 | 5.65 million people | -1.6% |
| 2018 | 5.58 million people | -1.2% |
| 2019 | 5.98 million people | +7.1% |
| 2020 | 5.83 million people | -2.4% |
| 2021 | 5.87 million people | +0.6% |
| 2022 | 5.84 million people | -0.4% |
| 2023 | 5.46 million people | -6.6% |
| 2024 | 5.25 million people | -3.7% |
Sierra Leone compared with similar countries
- Sierra Leone's 5.25 million people is below the median for low income countries, which is 11.22 million people, 47% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Sierra Leone's 5.25 million people is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 6.10 million people, 86% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 4.72 million people | 4.08 million people | 5.18 million people | 10 |
| 2010s | 5.64 million people | 5.42 million people | 5.98 million people | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.65 million people | 5.25 million people | 5.87 million people | 5 |
Countries ranked near Sierra Leone
More energy & mining data for Sierra Leone
- Fossil fuel consumption by fuel, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary energy use, annual growth rate 3.19 % change on previous year (2024)
- Coal consumption, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2024)
- Coal consumption, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary energy use, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Coal production, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2024)
- Coal production, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary energy use, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2024)
- Fuel imports 1.1% (2018)
- Ores and metals imports 1.0% (2018)
Frequently asked questions
- What is number of people without access to electricity in Sierra Leone?
- Number of people without access to electricity in Sierra Leone was 5.25 million people in 2024, according to Data compiled from multiple sources by the World Bank – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest number of people without access to electricity recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The highest recorded value was 5.98 million people in 2019.
- What is the lowest number of people without access to electricity recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.08 million people in 2000.
- How does Sierra Leone rank for number of people without access to electricity?
- Sierra Leone ranks 33rd out of 214 countries with data for 2024.
- Is number of people without access to electricity rising or falling in Sierra Leone?
- Over the last ten years it is down 5.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sierra Leone data come from?
- The figures come from Data compiled from multiple sources by the World Bank – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Number of people without access to electricity. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 25 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Access to electricity means having an electricity source that can provide very basic lighting, and charge a phone or power a radio for 4 hours per day.