Fertility rate: births per woman in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: Fertility rate: births per woman was 3.79 live births per woman in 2023. ▼ Falling
Fertility rate: births per woman in Sierra Leone, 1950–2023
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in live births per woman.
Analysis
The most recent figure for fertility rate: births per woman in Sierra Leone is 3.79 live births per woman, measured in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 74 years on record.
The figure is down 2.2% on the previous year and down 22.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, fertility rate: births per woman in Sierra Leone peaked at 6.61 live births per woman in 1987 and was at its lowest, 3.79 live births per woman, in 2023.
Sierra Leone ranks 36th of 236 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 74 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 6.08 live births per woman | 6 live births per woman | 6.15 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1960s | 6.3 live births per woman | 6.17 live births per woman | 6.39 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1970s | 6.51 live births per woman | 6.41 live births per woman | 6.59 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1980s | 6.58 live births per woman | 6.55 live births per woman | 6.61 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1990s | 6.54 live births per woman | 6.42 live births per woman | 6.57 live births per woman | 10 |
| 2000s | 5.91 live births per woman | 5.45 live births per woman | 6.36 live births per woman | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.71 live births per woman | 4.19 live births per woman | 5.33 live births per woman | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.93 live births per woman | 3.79 live births per woman | 4.08 live births per woman | 4 |
Countries ranked near Sierra Leone
More reference data data for Sierra Leone
- Number of child deaths per woman 0.3376 under-five deaths per woman (2024)
- Fertility rate vs. Human Development Index 3.79 live births per woman (2023)
- Fertility rate: births per woman 3.79 live births per woman (2023)
- Human Development Index 0.467 (2023)
- Rule of Law - Governance estimate -0.8386 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 (2024)
- Rule of Law - Governance score 42.53 0-100 (2024)
- Voice and Accountability - Governance score 47.87 0-100 (2024)
- Voice and Accountability - Governance estimate -0.5129 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 (2024)
- Political Stability - Governance score 58.2 0-100 (2024)
- Political Stability - Governance estimate -0.4502 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is fertility rate: births per woman in Sierra Leone?
- Fertility rate: births per woman in Sierra Leone was 3.79 live births per woman in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest fertility rate: births per woman recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The highest recorded value was 6.61 live births per woman in 1987.
- What is the lowest fertility rate: births per woman recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.79 live births per woman in 2023.
- How does Sierra Leone rank for fertility rate: births per woman?
- Sierra Leone ranks 36th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is fertility rate: births per woman rising or falling in Sierra Leone?
- Over the last ten years it is down 22.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sierra Leone data come from?
- The figures come from UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Fertility rate: births per woman. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 74 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
The total fertility rate: the average number of children a woman would have if she experienced the year's age-specific birth rates throughout her childbearing years.