Share of electricity generation from hydropower in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: Share of electricity generation from hydropower was 85.7% in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Share of electricity generation from hydropower 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 hydropower in Sierra Leone stood at 85.7%.
That represents a change of up 7.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of electricity generation from hydropower in Sierra Leone peaked at 90.0% in 2019 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 2006.
That places Sierra Leone 14th out of 213 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Share of electricity generation from hydropower in Sierra Leone, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 11.1% | — |
| 2001 | 7.7% | -30.8% |
| 2002 | 12.5% | +62.5% |
| 2003 | 13.3% | +6.7% |
| 2004 | 16.7% | +25.0% |
| 2005 | 25.0% | +50.0% |
| 2006 | 0.0% | -100.0% |
| 2007 | 33.3% | — |
| 2008 | 33.3% | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 33.3% | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 85.7% | +157.1% |
| 2011 | 88.2% | +2.9% |
| 2012 | 66.7% | -24.4% |
| 2013 | 62.5% | -6.3% |
| 2014 | 80.0% | +28.0% |
| 2015 | 75.0% | -6.2% |
| 2016 | 61.9% | -17.5% |
| 2017 | 56.5% | -8.7% |
| 2018 | 63.0% | +11.4% |
| 2019 | 90.0% | +42.9% |
| 2020 | 90.0% | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 90.0% | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 90.0% | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 85.7% | -4.8% |
| 2024 | 85.7% | +0.0% |
Sierra Leone compared with similar countries
- Sierra Leone's 85.7% is above the median for low income countries, which is 46.0%, 1.9× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Sierra Leone's 85.7% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 29.3%, 2.9× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Share of electricity generation from hydropower 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | +157.1% | 33.3% | 85.7% |
| 2006 | -100.0% | 25.0% | 0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 18.6% | 0.0% | 33.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 73.0% | 56.5% | 90.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 88.3% | 85.7% | 90.0% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Sierra Leone
- 11 Norway 90.0% compare
- 12 Zambia 86.2% compare
- 13 Uganda 86.1% compare
- 15 Kyrgyzstan 84.7% compare
- 16 Democratic Republic of Congo 84.2% compare
- 17 Mozambique 82.4% compare
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)
- Primary energy use, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (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)
- Fossil fuel consumption by fuel, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2024)
- Fuel imports 1.1% (2018)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of electricity generation from hydropower in Sierra Leone?
- Share of electricity generation from hydropower in Sierra Leone was 85.7% 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 hydropower recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The highest recorded value was 90.0% in 2019.
- What is the lowest share of electricity generation from hydropower recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 2006.
- How does Sierra Leone rank for share of electricity generation from hydropower?
- Sierra Leone ranks 14th out of 213 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of electricity generation from hydropower rising or falling in Sierra Leone?
- Over the last ten years it is up 7.1%. 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 hydropower. 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
Measured as a percentage of total electricity produced in the country or region.