Share of electricity generation from fossil fuels in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: Share of electricity generation from fossil fuels was 4.8% in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Share of electricity generation from fossil fuels in Sierra Leone, 2000–2024
Source: Ember (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, share of electricity generation from fossil fuels in Sierra Leone stood at 4.8%. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.
That represents a change of down 76.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of electricity generation from fossil fuels in Sierra Leone peaked at 100.0% in 2006 and was at its lowest, 4.8%, in 2023.
That places Sierra Leone 194th out of 213 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Share of electricity generation from fossil fuels in Sierra Leone, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 88.9% | — |
| 2001 | 92.3% | +3.8% |
| 2002 | 87.5% | -5.2% |
| 2003 | 86.7% | -1.0% |
| 2004 | 83.3% | -3.8% |
| 2005 | 75.0% | -10.0% |
| 2006 | 100.0% | +33.3% |
| 2007 | 66.7% | -33.3% |
| 2008 | 66.7% | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 66.7% | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 14.3% | -78.6% |
| 2011 | 11.8% | -17.6% |
| 2012 | 33.3% | +183.3% |
| 2013 | 37.5% | +12.5% |
| 2014 | 20.0% | -46.7% |
| 2015 | 25.0% | +25.0% |
| 2016 | 38.1% | +52.4% |
| 2017 | 39.1% | +2.7% |
| 2018 | 33.3% | -14.8% |
| 2019 | 5.0% | -85.0% |
| 2020 | 5.0% | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 5.0% | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 5.0% | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 4.8% | -4.8% |
| 2024 | 4.8% | +0.0% |
Sierra Leone compared with similar countries
- Sierra Leone's 4.8% is below the median for low income countries, which is 50.4%, 9% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Sierra Leone's 4.8% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 67.9%, 7% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Share of electricity generation from fossil fuels in Sierra Leone changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | +183.3% | 11.8% | 33.3% |
| 2019 | -85.0% | 33.3% | 5.0% |
| 2010 | -78.6% | 66.7% | 14.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 81.4% | 66.7% | 100.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 25.7% | 5.0% | 39.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.9% | 4.8% | 5.0% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Sierra Leone
More energy & mining data for Sierra Leone
- Primary energy from fossil nuclear renewables, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Fuel imports 1.1% (2018)
- Ores and metals imports 1.0% (2018)
- Fuel exports 0.1% (2018)
- Ores and metals exports 19.7% (2018)
- Gas production 0 terawatt-hours (2024)
- Fossil fuel production per person, by fuel 0 kilowatt-hours per person (2024)
- Fossil fuel production by fuel 0 terawatt-hours (2024)
- Gas production per person 0 kilowatt-hours per person (2024)
- Fossil fuel production by fuel, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of electricity generation from fossil fuels in Sierra Leone?
- Share of electricity generation from fossil fuels in Sierra Leone was 4.8% in 2024, according to Ember (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of electricity generation from fossil fuels recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The highest recorded value was 100.0% in 2006.
- What is the lowest share of electricity generation from fossil fuels recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.8% in 2023.
- How does Sierra Leone rank for share of electricity generation from fossil fuels?
- Sierra Leone ranks 194th out of 213 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of electricity generation from fossil fuels rising or falling in Sierra Leone?
- Over the last ten years it is down 76.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Sierra Leone data come from?
- The figures come from Ember (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of electricity generation from fossil fuels. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 25 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Electricity generation from coal, oil, and gas, measured as a percentage of total electricity produced in the country or region.