Sierra Leone: People & Society#
| Population | 6,018,888 (July 2016 est.) |
|---|---|
| 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) |
| 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%) |
| Religions | Muslim 60%, Christian 10%, indigenous beliefs 30% |
| Demographic profile | Sierra Leone’s youthful and growing population is driven by its high total fertility rate (TFR) of almost 5 children per woman, which has declined little over the last two decades. Its elevated TFR is sustained by the continued desire for large families, the low level of contraceptive use, and the early start of childbearing. Despite its high TFR, Sierra Leone’s population growth is somewhat tempered by high infant, child, and maternal mortality rates that are among the world’s highest and are a result of poverty, a lack of potable water and sanitation, poor nutrition, limited access to quality health care services, and the prevalence of female genital cutting. Sierra Leone’s large youth cohort – about 60% of the population is under the age of 25 – continues to struggle with high levels of unemployment, which was one of the major causes of the country’s 1991-2002 civil war and remains a threat to stability today. Its estimated 60% youth unemployment rate is attributed to high levels of illiteracy and unskilled labor, a lack of private sector jobs, and low pay. Sierra Leone has been a source of and destination for refugees. Sierra Leone’s civil war internally displaced as many as 2 million people, or almost half the population, and forced almost another half million to seek refuge in neighboring countries (370,000 Sierra Leoneans fled to Guinea and 120,000 to Liberia). The UNHCR has helped almost 180,000 Sierra Leoneans to return home, while more than 90,000 others have repatriated on their own. Of the more than 65,000 Liberians who took refuge in Sierra Leone during their country’s civil war (1989-2003), about 50,000 have been voluntarily repatriated by the UNHCR and others have returned home independently. As of 2015, less than 1,000 Liberians still reside in Sierra Leone. |
| Age structure | 0-14 years: 41.9% (male 1,257,997/female 1,263,961) 15-24 years: 18.57% (male 542,975/female 574,669) 25-54 years: 32.04% (male 924,331/female 1,003,895) 55-64 years: 3.74% (male 104,415/female 120,953) 65 years and over: 3.75% (male 94,520/female 131,172) (2016 est.) |
| Dependency ratios | total dependency ratio: 81.9% youth dependency ratio: 77.1% elderly dependency ratio: 4.9% potential support ratio: 20.6% (2015 est.) |
| Median age | total: 19 years male: 18.4 years female: 19.6 years (2016 est.) |
| Population growth rate | 2.36% (2016 est.) |
| Birth rate | 36.7 births/1,000 population (2016 est.) |
| Death rate | 10.6 deaths/1,000 population (2016 est.) |
| Net migration rate | -2.4 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2016 est.) |
| Urbanization | urban population: 39.9% of total population (2015) rate of urbanization: 2.75% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.) |
| Major urban areas - population | FREETOWN (capital) 1.007 million (2015) |
| Sex ratio | at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female 0-14 years: 1 male(s)/female 15-24 years: 0.94 male(s)/female 25-54 years: 0.92 male(s)/female 55-64 years: 0.86 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.73 male(s)/female total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2016 est.) |
| Mother's mean age at first birth | 19.2 note: median age at first birth among women 25-29 (2013 est.) |
| Maternal mortality rate | 1,360 deaths/100,000 live births (2015 est.) |
| Infant mortality rate | total: 70 deaths/1,000 live births male: 78.4 deaths/1,000 live births female: 61.4 deaths/1,000 live births (2016 est.) |
| Life expectancy at birth | total population: 58.2 years male: 55.6 years female: 60.9 years (2016 est.) |
| Total fertility rate | 4.76 children born/woman (2016 est.) |
| Contraceptive prevalence rate | 16.6% (2013) |
| Health expenditures | 11.1% of GDP (2014) |
| Physicians density | 0.02 physicians/1,000 population (2010) |
| Hospital bed density | 0.4 beds/1,000 population (2006) |
| Drinking water source | improved: urban: 84.9% of population rural: 47.8% of population total: 62.6% of population unimproved: urban: 15.1% of population rural: 52.2% of population total: 37.4% of population (2015 est.) |
| Sanitation facility access | improved: urban: 22.8% of population rural: 6.9% of population total: 13.3% of population unimproved: urban: 77.2% of population rural: 93.1% of population total: 86.7% of population (2015 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate | 1.34% (2015 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS | 51,100 (2015 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - deaths | 2,500 (2015 est.) |
| Major infectious diseases | degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: malaria, dengue fever, and yellow fever water contact disease: schistosomiasis animal contact disease: rabies aerosolized dust or soil contact disease: Lassa fever (2016) |
| Obesity - adult prevalence rate | 6.6% (2014) |
| Children under the age of 5 years underweight | 18.1% (2013) |
| Education expenditures | 2.7% of GDP (2014) |
| Literacy | definition: age 15 and over can read and write English, Mende, Temne, or Arabic total population: 48.1% male: 58.7% female: 37.7% (2015 est.) |
| Child labor - children ages 5-14 | total number: 573,287 percentage: 48% (2005 est.) |