Real interest rate in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: Real interest rate was 18.3% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Real interest rate in Sierra Leone, 1965–2025
Source: International Financial Statistics database, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for real interest rate in Sierra Leone is 18.3%, measured in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 99.2% on the previous year and up 25.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, real interest rate in Sierra Leone peaked at 27.2% in 2002 and was at its lowest, -53.6%, in 2001.
That places Sierra Leone 6th out of 148 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 3.7% | -5.4% | 14.7% | 5 |
| 1970s | -0.7% | -12.4% | 16.0% | 10 |
| 1980s | -15.5% | -51.6% | 18.1% | 10 |
| 1990s | -0.5% | -31.7% | 21.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 5.9% | -53.6% | 27.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 7.0% | -0.1% | 14.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.8% | -7.4% | 18.3% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Sierra Leone
- 3 Brazil 37.5% compare
- 4 Tajikistan 19.2% compare
- 5 Mozambique 18.7% compare
- 7 Guyana 17.6% compare
- 8 Liberia 16.3% compare
- 9 East Timor 15.8% compare
More financial sector data for Sierra Leone
- Domestic credit to private sector 5.5% (2025)
- Net domestic credit 41.83 billion current LCU (2025)
- Total reserves in months of imports 1.75 (2024)
- Net foreign assets 417.37 million current LCU (2025)
- Domestic credit to private sector by banks 5.5% (2025)
- Claims on central government, etc. 19.2% (2025)
- Monetary Sector credit to private sector 5.5% (2025)
- Broad money 22.6% (2025)
- Official exchange rate 21.3 LCU per US$, period average (2023)
- Net migration -11,309 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is real interest rate in Sierra Leone?
- Real interest rate in Sierra Leone was 18.3% in 2025, according to International Financial Statistics database, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
- What is the highest real interest rate recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The highest recorded value was 27.2% in 2002.
- What is the lowest real interest rate recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The lowest recorded value was -53.6% in 2001.
- How does Sierra Leone rank for real interest rate?
- Sierra Leone ranks 6th out of 148 countries with data for 2025.
- Is real interest rate rising or falling in Sierra Leone?
- Over the last ten years it is up 25.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Sierra Leone data come from?
- The figures come from International Financial Statistics database, International Monetary Fund (IMF), published as part of Real interest rate (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
An interest rate is the amount charged, expressed as a percentage of the principal over a period of time, by the owners of certain kinds of financial assets for putting the financial assets at the disposal of another institutional unit. The real interest rate is the lending interest rate adjusted for inflation as measured by the GDP deflator. The terms and conditions attached to lending rates differ by country, however, limiting their comparability. This indicator is expressed as a percentage (a÷b)*100.