Demographics of Sierra Leone

The demographics of Sierra Leone are made up of an indigenous population from 18 ethnic groups. The Temne in the north and the Mende in the south are the largest. About 60,000 are Krio, the descendants of freed slaves who returned to Sierra Leone from Great Britain, North America and slave ships captured on the high seas.

In the past, some Sierra Leoneans were noted for their educational achievements, trading activity, entrepreneurial skills, and arts and crafts work, particularly woodcarving. Many are part of larger ethnic networks extending into several countries, which link West African states in the area. Their level of education and infrastructure have declined sharply over the last 30 years.

Population

According to the total population was in , compared to only 1 895 000 in 1950. The proportion of children below the age of 15 in 2010 was 43%, 55.1% was between 15 and 65 years of age, while 1.9% was 65 years or older .

Population Estimates by Sex and Age Group (01.VII.2020) (Estimates or projections based on the 2015 population census.):

Vital statistics

Registration of vital events is in Sierra Leone not complete. The website Our World in Data prepared the following estimates based on statistics from the Population Department of the United Nations.

Demographic and Health Surveys

Total Fertility Rate (TFR) (Wanted Fertility Rate) and Crude Birth Rate (CBR):

Ethnic groups

18 native African tribes 90% (Temne 30.5%, Mende 29.2%, Fula 12.4% Limba 6.4%, Kono 4.4%, Mandingo 2.4, Creole 1.2%, other 13.5%)

Creole (descendants of freed Jamaican slaves who were settled in the Freetown area in the late-18th century)

Refugees from Liberia's recent civil war

Small numbers of Lebanese

Languages

English (official, regular use limited to literate minority)

Mende (principal vernacular in the south)

Temne (principal vernacular in the north)

Fula (principal language in Sierra Leone, it is also strongly and widely spoken across West Africa and beyond...)

Krio (English-based Creole, spoken by the descendants of freed American and West Indian slaves and Liberated Africans who were settled in the Freetown area, a lingua franca and a first language for 10% of the population but understood by 95%)

Religion

Muslim 77.1%, Christian 22.9% (2019 est.)