Sierra Leone8.62° N, 11.76° W
Life expectancy here is 59.4 years — the 220th lowest of 224 countries.
life expectancy 59.4 years · 220th/224
CIA World Factbook · 2026-02-01 · ranks computed across the countries in this atlas that carry the value
geometry: Natural Earth 1:50m · EPSG:6933 equal-area
Each line is every country in this atlas that carries the value, ordered smallest to largest. The line down the middle is the world median; the mark on each line is this country.
Portuguese explorer Pedro de Sintra is usually credited with naming the country "Serra da Leao" ("Lion Mountains") in 1462. Venetian explorer Alvise Ca' da Mosto recorded "Serre-Lionne" in 1457, referring to the rumbling of thunder over the mountains.
Source: CIA World Factbook · 2026-02-01 · text generated from this source, approved by a person
Dense jungle helped protect the area now known as Sierra Leone from invading West African empires. Traders introduced Islam, which occupies a central role in Sierra Leonean culture and history. In the 17th century, the British established a trading post near present-day Freetown, first handling timber and ivory before expanding into enslaved people. After the American Revolution, Sierra Leone became a destination for Black British loyalists from the new United States in 1787. Britain’s abolition of the slave trade in 1807 brought thousands of liberated Africans by ship, while the colony expanded inland during the 19th century. Sierra Leone became independent of the UK in 1961.
Although Sierra Leone held free and fair elections in 1962 and 1967, Siaka Stevens quickly reverted to authoritarian tendencies, outlawing most political parties and ruling from 1967 to 1985. In 1991, Sierra Leonean soldiers launched a civil war against Stevens’ ruling party. A Nigerian-led West African coalition military force intervened in 1998 and installed Tejan Kabbah, originally elected in 1996, as prime minister. Kabbah announced the war’s end in 2002. Since 1998, democratic elections have been dominated by the Sierra Leone People’s Party and the All People’s Congress party. In 2018, Julius Maada Bio of the Sierra Leone People’s Party won the presidential election despite some allegations of voter intimidation. Bio won again in June 2023, although irregularities called the integrity of the results into question. In October 2023, the Government of Sierra Leone and the All People’s Congress signed the Agreement for National Unity to boost cooperation and begin reforming the country’s electoral system.
Source: CIA World Factbook · 2026-02-01 · text generated from this source, approved by a person
Temne, Mende, Limba, Kono, Korankoh, Fullah, Mandingo, Loko, Sherbro, and Creole are among the country's ethnic groups. Creole, also known as Krio, are descendants of freed Jamaican slaves who were settled in the Freetown area.
The country's religious communities include Muslims and Christians. Population clusters are found in the lower elevations of the south and west, while northern areas are less populated.
Source: CIA World Factbook · 2026-02-01 · text generated from this source, approved by a person
CIA World Factbook
Values from the CIA World Factbook archive. Each carries the year it describes; open a year for the exact source field.
Natural Earth outlines · features with a Wikidata ID
Population · Natural Earth