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| Basic Facts |
| Official name |
Republic of Sierra Leone |
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| Capital |
Freetown |
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| Area |
71,740 sq km |
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27,699 sq mi |
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 |
| Sierra Leone: Flag and Anthem |
 Expand |
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| People |
| Population |
6,144,562 (2007 estimate) |
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| Population growth |
| Population growth rate |
2.29 percent (2007 estimate) |
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| Projected population in 2025 |
9,140,077 (2007 estimate) |
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| Projected population in 2050 |
13,998,936 (2007 estimate) |
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| Population density |
86 persons per sq km (2007 estimate) |
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222 persons per sq mi (2007 estimate) |
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| Urban/rural distribution |
| Share urban |
38 percent (2003 estimate) |
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| Share rural |
62 percent (2003 estimate) |
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| Largest cities, with population |
| Freetown |
920,717 (2003 estimate) |
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| Bo |
269,000 (1994 estimate) |
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| Ethnic groups |
| Black Africans, including the Mende, Temne, and Limba; Krio (Creoles); Lebanese |
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| Languages |
| English (official), Krio, Mende, Temne |
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| Religious affiliations |
| Muslim |
46 percent |
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| Indigenous beliefs |
40 percent |
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| Christian |
10 percent |
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| Other |
4 percent |
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| Health and Education |
| Life expectancy |
| Total |
40.6 years (2007 estimate) |
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| Female |
42.9 years (2007 estimate) |
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| Male |
38.4 years (2007 estimate) |
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| Infant mortality rate |
158 deaths per 1,000 live births (2007 estimate) |
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| Population per physician |
13,699 people (2004) |
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| Population per hospital bed |
Not available |
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| Literacy rate |
| Total |
36.3 percent (2000) |
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| Female |
22.6 percent (2000) |
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| Male |
50.7 percent (2000) |
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| Education expenditure as a share of gross national product (GNP) |
1 percent (1998-1999) |
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| Number of years of compulsory schooling |
Not available |
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| Number of students per teacher, primary school |
30 students per teacher (1999-2000) |
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| Government |
| Form of government |
| A military coup toppled the civilian government (elected in February 1996) in May 1997; civilian rule returned in February 1998. |
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| Voting qualifications |
Universal at age 18 |
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| Constitution |
| 1 October 1991; suspended in 1992, reinstated in 1996 |
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| Armed forces |
| Total number of military personnel |
13,000 (2004) |
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| Military expenditures as a share of gross domestic product (GDP) |
2.2 percent (2003) |
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| Economy |
| Gross domestic product (GDP, in U.S.$) |
$1,193 million (2005) |
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| GDP per capita (U.S.$) |
$215.80 (2005) |
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| GDP by economic sector |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing |
46.1 percent (2005) |
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| Industry |
24.4 percent (2005) |
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| Services |
29.5 percent (2005) |
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| Employment |
| Number of workers |
2,357,038 (2005) |
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| Workforce share of economic sector |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing |
67 percent (1990) |
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| Industry |
15 percent (1990) |
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| Services |
17 percent (1990) |
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| Unemployment rate |
Not available |
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| National budget (U.S.$) |
| Total revenue |
$47.57 million (1999) |
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| Total expenditure |
$140.2 million (1999) |
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| Monetary unit |
| 1 leone (Le), consisting of 100 cents |
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| Major trade partners for exports |
| Belgium, United States, United Kingdom, Germany, and Japan |
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| Major trade partners for imports |
| United Kingdom, Netherlands, United States, Germany, and Côte d’Ivoire |
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| Energy, Communications, and Transportation |
| Electricity production |
| Electricity from thermal sources |
100 percent (2003 estimate) |
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| Electricity from hydroelectric sources |
0 percent (2003 estimate) |
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| Electricity from nuclear sources |
0 percent (2003 estimate) |
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| Electricity from geothermal, solar, and wind sources |
0 percent (2003 estimate) |
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| Number of radios per 1,000 people |
246 (1998 estimate) |
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| Number of telephones per 1,000 people |
5 (2002) |
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| Number of televisions per 1,000 people |
12 (2000 estimate) |
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| Number of Internet hosts per 10,000 people |
0.56 (2003) |
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| Daily newspaper circulation per 1,000 people |
5 (1996) |
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| Number of motor vehicles per 1,000 people |
3.6 (2002) |
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| Paved road as a share of total roads |
8 percent (2002) |
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| Sources |
| Basic Facts and People sections |
| Area data are from the statistical bureaus of individual countries. Population, population growth rate, and population projections are from the United States Census Bureau, International Programs Center, International Data Base (IDB) (www.census.gov). Urban and rural population data are from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations (UN), FAOSTAT database (www.fao.org). Largest cities population data and political divisions data are from the statistical bureaus of individual countries. Ethnic divisions and religion data are largely from the latest Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) World Factbook and from various country censuses and reports. Language data are largely from the Ethnologue, Languages of the World, Summer Institute of Linguistics International (www.sil.org). |
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| Health and Education section |
| Life expectancy and infant mortality data are from the United States Census Bureau, International Programs Center, International database (IDB) (www.census.gov). Population per physician and population per hospital bed data are from the World Health Organization (WHO) (www.who.int). Education data are from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) database (www.unesco.org). |
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| Government section |
| Government, independence, legislature, constitution, highest court, and voting qualifications data are largely from various government Web sites, the latest Europa World Yearbook, and the latest Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) World Factbook. The armed forces data is from Military Balance. |
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| Economy section |
| Gross domestic product (GDP), GDP per capita, GDP by economic sectors, employment, and national budget data are from the World Bank database (www.worldbank.org). Monetary unit, agriculture, mining, manufacturing, exports, imports, and major trade partner information is from the statistical bureaus of individual countries, latest Europa World Yearbook, and various United Nations and International Monetary Fund (IMF) publications. |
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| Energy, Communication, and Transportation section |
| Electricity information is from the Energy Information Administration (EIA) database (www.eia.doe.gov). Radio, telephone, television, and newspaper information is from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) database (www.unesco.org). Internet hosts, motor vehicles, and road data are from the World Bank database (www.worldbank.org). |
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| Note |
| Figures may not total 100 percent due to rounding. |
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