Labour · Sub-Saharan Africa · Low income
Sierra Leone: the labour market
Labour force is 2.9m (2025), 111th of 187 in the world and 30th of 47 in Sub-Saharan Africa. Participation rate is 53.4% (2025), 146th of 187 in the world and 38th of 47 in Sub-Saharan Africa. Women's participation is 51.6% (2025), 108th of 187 in the world and 32nd of 47 in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Labour force
Sierra Leone
Participation rate
Sierra LeoneSub-Saharan AfricaLow incomeWorld
13 indicators
Labour: Sierra Leone in detail
Latest reported value, world rank and rank within Sub-Saharan Africa; values around 2000, 2010, 2020; group and world columns are World Bank aggregates.
| Indicator | Latest | World rank | In region | ~2000 | ~2010 | ~2020 | 10-year change | Region | Income group | World | Since 2000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour forceLabour force, total | 2.9m2025 | 111/187 | 30/47 | 1.6m | 2.1m | 2.5m | +28%since 2015 | 527m | 267m | 3.7bn | |
| Participation rateLabour force participation, % of 15+ | 53.4%2025 | 146/187 | 38/47 | 64.6% | 60.7% | 53.3% | −2.8 ppsince 2015 | 70.3% | 64.4% | 61.0% | |
| Women's participationFemale labour force participation, % of women 15+ | 51.6%2025 | 108/187 | 32/47 | 64.7% | 60.3% | 51.1% | −3.5 ppsince 2015 | 65.2% | 54.7% | 48.9% | |
| Employment rateEmployment to population ratio, 15+ (ILO) | 51.7%2025 | 132/187 | 34/47 | 61.9% | 58.1% | 51.4% | −2.0 ppsince 2015 | 66.3% | 61.2% | 58.1% | |
| UnemploymentUnemployment, % of labour force (ILO) | 3.1%2025 | 143/187 | 32/47 | 4.1% | 4.3% | 3.5% | −1.3 ppsince 2015 | 5.7% | 4.9% | 4.8% | |
| Female unemploymentFemale unemployment, % of female labour force (ILO) | 2.1%2025 | 170/187 | 41/47 | 3.2% | 3.3% | 2.3% | −1.4 ppsince 2015 | 6.3% | 4.7% | 4.9% | |
| Youth unemploymentYouth unemployment, ages 15–24 (ILO) | 3.7%2025 | 173/187 | 38/47 | 7.5% | 7.8% | 4.1% | −4.4 ppsince 2015 | 10.1% | 10.1% | 13.4% | |
| Youth NEET rateYouth not in education, employment or training, % | 25.9%2018 | 43/170 | 21/44 | · | · | 25.9%2018 | +4.8 ppsince 2003 | — | — | — | |
| Wage workersWage and salaried workers, % of total employment | 11.2%2025 | 185/187 | 45/47 | 7.0% | 9.3% | 9.9% | +0.4 ppsince 2015 | 22.3% | 21.1% | 53.6% | |
| Vulnerable employmentVulnerable employment, % of total employment (ILO) | 86.0%2025 | 2/187 | 2/47 | 90.4% | 88.0% | 87.5% | −0.5 ppsince 2015 | 71.0% | 76.1% | 42.4% | |
| Jobs in agricultureEmployment in agriculture, % of total employment | 44.5%2025 | 32/187 | 24/47 | 66.9% | 64.9% | 47.1% | −12.4 ppsince 2015 | 49.3% | 59.4% | 25.8% | |
| Jobs in industryEmployment in industry, % of total employment | 11.5%2025 | 160/187 | 30/47 | 6.8% | 5.1% | 10.6% | +5.0 ppsince 2015 | 12.2% | 10.2% | 23.7% | |
| Jobs in servicesEmployment in services, % of total employment | 44.0%2025 | 149/187 | 21/47 | 26.3% | 30.0% | 42.3% | +7.4 ppsince 2015 | 38.5% | 30.4% | 50.6% |
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0)“·” — no value reported within two years of that date. World rank counts countries with a recent value.
Better than ten years ago
- Unemployment−1.3 pp3.1% in 2025
- Female unemployment−1.4 pp2.1% in 2025
- Youth unemployment−4.4 pp3.7% in 2025
- Wage workers+0.4 pp11.2% in 2025
Worse than ten years ago
- Women's participation−3.5 pp51.6% in 2025
- Employment rate−2.0 pp51.7% in 2025
- Youth NEET rate+4.8 pp25.9% in 2018
Only indicators where higher or lower is clearly better are rated (for example, unemployment down is better, life expectancy up is better).
neighbours
Sierra Leone and its neighbours
Countries sharing a land border with Sierra Leone. Latest values since 2005; the highest in each row is marked.
| Indicator | Sierra Leone | Guinea | Liberia |
|---|---|---|---|
| Labour force | 2.9m2025 | 4.7m2025 | 2.7m2025 |
| Participation rate | 53.4%2025 | 52.6%2025 | 76.6%2025 |
| Women's participation | 51.6%2025 | 42.6%2025 | 72.0%2025 |
| Employment rate | 51.7%2025 | 49.9%2025 | 74.4%2025 |
| Unemployment | 3.1%2025 | 5.2%2025 | 2.9%2025 |
| Female unemployment | 2.1%2025 | 5.0%2025 | 2.2%2025 |
| Youth unemployment | 3.7%2025 | 7.0%2025 | 2.3%2025 |
| Youth NEET rate | 25.9%2018 | 34.3%2019 | 39.9%2017 |
| Wage workers | 11.2%2025 | 18.1%2025 | 21.7%2025 |