Welcome to the United Nations
Portal accessibility toolbar
Increase contrast
Increase font size
Decrease font size
Reset page style

Sierra leone

Location

  • Geographical region: Sub-Saharan Africa, Africa
  • SDG region: SDG Sub-Saharan Africa
  • Least Developed Countries

Land

  • Total area: --- km2
  • Land area: 72,180 km(2020)
  • Land use by sector: 55% agriculture, 35% forest and 10% other (2018 - 2020)

People

  • Total population: 8,605,718 people (2022)
  • Population density: 111 people per km2 (2020)  
  • Urbanisation: 40% lives in urban areas and 53% lives in rural areas (2020)  

Economy

  • Total GDP: 13,060,690,599 USD per year (2020)
  • GDP per capita: 1,518 USD per year (2020)
  • Value added by sector: 57% from agriculture, 31% from services and 6% from industry (2020 - 2021)
×

Download snapshot

Format:

Resolution:

SDG 6 snapshot in Sierra Leone

  • Drinking water

    10 % of the population in Sierra Leone uses a safely managed drinking water service (SDG indicator 6.1.1, 2022)
  • Sanitation

    15 % of the population in Sierra Leone uses a safely managed sanitation service (SDG indicator 6.2.1a, 2022)
  • Hygiene

    18 % of the population in Sierra Leone has a handwashing facility with soap and water available at home (SDG indicator 6.2.1b, 2022)
  • Wastewater

    15 % of domestic wastewater in Sierra Leone is safely treated (SDG indicator 6.3.1, 2022)
  • Water quality

    42 % of monitored water bodies in Sierra Leone has good ambient water quality (SDG indicator 6.3.2, 2020)
  • Efficiency

    8 $/m<sup>3</sup> is the value added from the use of water by people and the economy in Sierra Leone (SDG indicator 6.4.1, 2020)
  • Water stress

    1 % of the renewable water resources in Sierra Leone is being withdrawn, after taking into account environmental flow requirements (SDG indicator 6.4.2, 2020)
  • Water management

    36 % is the degree of implementation of integrated water resources management in Sierra Leone (SDG indicator 6.5.1, 2020) 
  • Transboundary

    7 % of transboundary basin area has an operational arrangement for water cooperation (SDG indicator 6.5.2, 2020)
  • Ecosystems

    22 % of the water basins in Sierra Leone is experiencing rapid changes in the area covered by surface waters (SDG 6 indicator 6.6.1, 2020)
  • Cooperation

    20 m$ is the amount of water- and sanitation-related official development assistance received by Sierra Leone in 2021 (SDG indicator 6.a.1)
  • Participation

    + is the number of sub-sectors (out of 6) with a high level of participation by communities in Sierra Leone (SDG indicator 6.b.1, 2021)

Drinking water

6.1.1 Proportion of population using safely managed drinking water services in Sierra Leone, progress over time

6.1.1 Proportion of population using safely managed drinking water services in Sierra Leone, by service level and location (2022)

Sanitation and hygiene

6.2.1a Proportion of population using safely managed sanitation services in Sierra Leone, progress over time

6.2.1a Proportion of population using safely managed sanitation services in Sierra Leone, by service level and location (2022)

6.2.1b Proportion of population with a handwashing facility with soap and water available at home in Sierra Leone, by service level and location (2022)

Water quality and wastewater

6.3.1 Proportion of wastewater flow (safely) treated > Domestic in Sierra Leone (2022), compared to other countries (and areas) in the region

6.3.1 Proportion of wastewater flow (safely) treated in Sierra Leone, by source (2022)

6.3.2 Level 1 Proportion of bodies of water with good ambient water quality in Sierra Leone (2017-2020), compared to other countries (and areas) in the region

Water use and scarcity

Water resources and withdrawal in Sierra Leone, total and per capita

Long-term average annual precipitation in depth: 2,526 (mm/year) (2020)

Renewable water resources: 21,172 m3 per capita (2017)

Water withdrawal: 35 m3 per capita (2005)

Environmental flow requirements: % of the renewable water resources ()

6.4.2 Level of water stress: freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of available freshwater resources in Sierra Leone, change over time, compared to other countries (and areas) in the region

6.4.1 Change in water-use efficiency over time in Sierra Leone, by sector (2020)

Water-use efficiency for ‘Agriculture, forestry and fishing’ only takes into account the proportion of gross value added that comes from irrigated agriculture, since that activity is associated with water withdrawal (other activities are rain-fed).

6.4.1 Change in water-use efficiency over time in Sierra Leone, progress over time, compared to other countries (and areas) in the region

Water resources management

6.5.1 Degree of integrated water resources management implementation (0-100) in Sierra Leone, progress over time, by dimension

Very low (0-10) – Low (11-30) – Medium-low (31-50) – Medium-high (51-70) – High (71-90) – Very high (91-100)

6.5.2 Proportion of transboundary basin area with an operational arrangement for water cooperation in Sierra Leone, progress over time, by component

Very low (0-10) – Low (11-30) – Medium-low (31-50) – Medium-high (51-70) – High (71-90) – Very high (91-100)

International cooperation and capacity-building

6.a.1 Amount of water- and sanitation-related official development assistance received by Sierra Leone, over time

6.a.1 Amount of water- and sanitation-related official development assistance received by Sierra Leone in 2021, by sub-sector

Water and sanitation-related official development assistance includes water sector policy and governance, water supply, sanitation, water sector policy, water resources conservation, river basins development, waste management/disposal, education and training, agricultural water resources and hydroelectric power.

Annual expenditure for drinking water, sanitation and hygiene in Sierra Leone, by funding source

Community participation

6.b.1 Procedures in law or policy for participation by users/communities and level of participation in Sierra Leone (2021)

6.b.1 Level of participation by users/communities in Sierra Leone, progress over time, by sub-sector