Sierra Leone Demographics Profile 2013

Population

5,485,998 (July 2012 est.)

Age structure

0-14 years: 41.9% (male 1,141,091/female 1,155,542)
15-24 years: 19.2% (male 509,626/female 541,899)
25-54 years: 31.2% (male 822,671/female 886,578)
55-64 years: 4.1% (male 100,540/female 126,376)
65 years and over: 3.7% (male 88,127/female 113,548) (2012 est.)

Median age

total: 19.1 years
male: 18.6 years
female: 19.6 years (2012 est.)

Population growth rate

2.277% (2012 est.)

Birth rate

38.12 births/1,000 population (2012 est.)

Death rate

11.49 deaths/1,000 population (July 2012 est.)

Net migration rate

-3.86 migrant(s)/1,000 population
note: refugees currently in surrounding countries are slowly returning (2012 est.)

Urbanization

urban population: 38% of total population (2010)
rate of urbanization: 3.3% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)

Major cities - population

FREETOWN (capital) 875,000 (2009)

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 0.99 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female
total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2011 est.)

Infant mortality rate

total: 76.64 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 85.37 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 67.66 deaths/1,000 live births (2012 est.)

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 56.55 years
male: 54.08 years
female: 59.11 years (2012 est.)

Total fertility rate

4.9 children born/woman (2012 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

1.6% (2009 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

49,000 (2009 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths

2,800 (2009 est.)

Sanitation facility access

improved:
urban: 24% of population
rural: 6% of population
total: 13% of population
unimproved:
urban: 76% of population
rural: 94% of population
total: 87% of population

Major infectious diseases

degree of risk: very high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
vectorborne diseases: malaria and yellow fever
water contact disease: schistosomiasis
aerosolized dust or soil contact disease: Lassa fever (2009)

Nationality

noun: Sierra Leonean(s)
adjective: Sierra Leonean

Ethnic groups

Temne 35%, Mende 31%, Limba 8%, Kono 5%, Kriole 2% (descendants of freed Jamaican slaves who were settled in the Freetown area in the late-18th century; also known as Krio), Mandingo 2%, Loko 2%, other 15% (includes refugees from Liberia's recent civil war, and small numbers of Europeans, Lebanese, Pakistanis, and Indians) (2008 census)

Religions

Muslim 60%, Christian 10%, indigenous beliefs 30%

Languages

English (official, regular use limited to literate minority), Mende (principal vernacular in the south), Temne (principal vernacular in the north), Krio (English-based Creole, spoken by the descendants of freed Jamaican slaves who were settled in the Freetown area, a lingua franca and a first language for 10% of the population but understood by 95%)

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write English, Mende, Temne, or Arabic
total population: 35.1%
male: 46.9%
female: 24.4% (2004 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

total: 12 years
male: 13 years
female: 11 years (2007)

Education expenditures

4.3% of GDP (2009)

Maternal mortality rate

890 deaths/100,000 live births (2010)

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

21.3% (2008)

Health expenditures

13.1% of GDP (2009)

Physicians density

0.016 physicians/1,000 population (2008)

Hospital bed density

0.4 beds/1,000 population (2006)