Liberia vs Sierra Leone
Liberia vs Sierra Leone: Population growth
Population growth in 2023: 2.2% a year in Liberia and 2.18% a year in Sierra Leone, by UN estimates. In 2023 the value was higher in Liberia, by 0.01 percentage points, or 1.01 times that in Sierra Leone.
% a year · UN
What the numbers say
- Liberia has been higher since 2022, when it overtook Sierra Leone.
- In 2023, Liberia ranked 41 and Sierra Leone ranked 42 of 229 countries, counting from the highest.
- The UN projection (medium variant) puts Liberia at 0.19% a year and Sierra Leone at -0.14% a year in 2100.
- The world as a whole: 0.87% a year in 2023.
Every year
% a year · UN
| Year | Liberia | Sierra Leone | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 2.2 | 2.18 | 0.87 |
| 2022 | 2.21 | 2.21 | 0.88 |
| 2021 | 2.08 | 2.25 | 0.8 |
| 2020 | 2.15 | 2.3 | 0.9 |
| 2019 | 2 | 2.31 | 1.03 |
| 2018 | 1.96 | 2.33 | 1.07 |
| 2017 | 1.95 | 2.37 | 1.13 |
| 2016 | 1.94 | 2.41 | 1.17 |
| 2015 | 2.15 | 2.3 | 1.18 |
| 2014 | 1.97 | 2.34 | 1.22 |
| 2013 | 2.2 | 2.44 | 1.23 |
| 2012 | 2.2 | 2.47 | 1.27 |
| 2011 | 4.92 | 2.6 | 1.26 |
| 2010 | 2.89 | 2.63 | 1.27 |
| 2009 | 2.91 | 2.82 | 1.28 |
| 2008 | 3.39 | 2.56 | 1.28 |
| 2007 | 4.76 | 2.43 | 1.28 |
| 2006 | 5.22 | 1.96 | 1.28 |
| 2005 | 5.99 | 2.46 | 1.27 |
| 2004 | 2.88 | 2.92 | 1.28 |
| 2003 | -0.51 | 3.85 | 1.29 |
| 2002 | 2.12 | 4.29 | 1.3 |
| 2001 | 3.1 | 7.34 | 1.33 |
| 2000 | 2.77 | 4.38 | 1.35 |
| 1999 | 4.67 | 0.4 | 1.35 |
| 1998 | 6.42 | 0.63 | 1.37 |
| 1997 | 14.24 | 1.34 | 1.39 |
| 1996 | 0.83 | 1.24 | 1.42 |
| 1995 | 4.97 | -0.29 | 1.45 |
| 1994 | -3.22 | 0.58 | 1.47 |
| 1993 | 2.73 | 0.19 | 1.52 |
| 1992 | 5.14 | -0.63 | 1.57 |
| 1991 | 6.42 | -3.14 | 1.63 |
| 1990 | -29.89 | 5.54 | 1.76 |
| 1989 | 2.84 | 2.31 | 1.78 |
| 1988 | 2.88 | 2.69 | 1.79 |
| 1987 | 2.9 | 2.71 | 1.84 |
| 1986 | 2.97 | 2.65 | 1.83 |
| 1985 | 3.01 | 2.23 | 1.8 |
| 1984 | 3.08 | 2.2 | 1.8 |
| 1983 | 3.11 | 2.18 | 1.78 |
| 1982 | 2.87 | 2.09 | 1.86 |
| 1981 | 2.91 | 2.02 | 1.82 |
| 1980 | 2.98 | 2.03 | 1.8 |
| 1979 | 2.97 | 1.96 | 1.79 |
| 1978 | 2.93 | 1.94 | 1.74 |
| 1977 | 2.9 | 1.92 | 1.75 |
| 1976 | 2.72 | 1.78 | 1.78 |
| 1975 | 2.72 | 1.83 | 1.8 |
| 1974 | 2.68 | 1.85 | 1.88 |
| 1973 | 2.65 | 1.85 | 1.94 |
| 1972 | 2.59 | 1.85 | 1.97 |
| 1971 | 2.48 | 1.82 | 1.97 |
| 1970 | 2.56 | 1.9 | 2.06 |
| 1969 | 2.56 | 1.89 | 2.06 |
| 1968 | 2.55 | 1.89 | 2.09 |
| 1967 | 2.55 | 1.91 | 2 |
| 1966 | 2.52 | 1.85 | 2.04 |
| 1965 | 2.56 | 1.84 | 2.09 |
| 1964 | 2.53 | 1.78 | 2.16 |
| 1963 | 2.52 | 1.72 | 2.28 |
| 1962 | 2.5 | 1.66 | 2.11 |
| 1961 | 2.47 | 1.61 | 1.67 |
| 1960 | 2.42 | 1.53 | 1.58 |
| 1959 | 2.37 | 1.43 | 1.73 |
| 1958 | 2.24 | 1.29 | 2 |
| 1957 | 2.28 | 1.32 | 2.07 |
| 1956 | 2.25 | 1.29 | 1.98 |
| 1955 | 2.18 | 1.25 | 2.01 |
| 1954 | 2.12 | 1.2 | 1.99 |
| 1953 | 2.03 | 1.13 | 1.9 |
| 1952 | 2 | 1.17 | 1.94 |
| 1951 | 1.93 | 1.18 | 1.75 |
| 1950 | 1.84 | 1.17 | 1.74 |
UN projection (medium variant) · 2024–2100
| Year | Liberia | Sierra Leone | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 2.12-6.7–9.79 | 2.06-0.24–4.37 | 0.86 |
| 2025 | 2.06-7.1–9.74 | 2.01-0.57–4.49 | 0.84 |
| 2026 | 2.18-6.79–9.85 | 1.96-0.94–4.64 | 0.83 |
| 2027 | 2.31-6.7–10.3 | 1.95-1.01–4.42 | 0.81 |
| 2028 | 2.06-6.94–9.58 | 1.81-0.94–4.29 | 0.8 |
| 2029 | 2.03-6.86–9.95 | 1.83-0.93–4.4 | 0.78 |
| 2030 | 1.82-7.05–9.92 | 1.79-0.92–4.41 | 0.76 |
| 2031 | 1.93-7.4–9.81 | 1.79-1.08–4.51 | 0.75 |
| 2032 | 1.96-7.78–10.09 | 1.76-1.17–4.46 | 0.73 |
| 2033 | 1.95-7.68–9.68 | 1.67-1.34–4.26 | 0.72 |
| 2034 | 1.83-7.11–9.56 | 1.64-1.12–4.18 | 0.7 |
| 2035 | 1.91-7.64–10.56 | 1.64-1.08–4.33 | 0.69 |
| 2036 | 2.01-7.63–9.83 | 1.58-1.34–4.19 | 0.67 |
| 2037 | 1.78-7.33–9.98 | 1.53-1.29–4.17 | 0.65 |
| 2038 | 1.76-7.08–9.91 | 1.46-1.21–4.11 | 0.64 |
| 2039 | 1.89-7.43–9.94 | 1.49-1.42–4.22 | 0.62 |
| 2040 | 1.69-7.18–9.59 | 1.49-1.29–4.23 | 0.61 |
| 2041 | 1.81-8–9.79 | 1.43-1.27–4.18 | 0.59 |
| 2042 | 1.67-7.4–9.32 | 1.36-1.45–4.15 | 0.57 |
| 2043 | 1.4-8.28–9.52 | 1.34-1.52–3.97 | 0.56 |
| 2044 | 1.47-7.42–9.78 | 1.36-1.48–4 | 0.54 |
| 2045 | 1.35-7.91–9.54 | 1.27-1.5–3.86 | 0.52 |
| 2046 | 1.48-7.54–9.99 | 1.25-1.6–3.94 | 0.5 |
| 2047 | 1.43-7.88–9.64 | 1.15-1.63–3.73 | 0.48 |
| 2048 | 1.41-8.09–9.31 | 1.18-1.49–3.92 | 0.46 |
| 2049 | 1.39-8.42–9.28 | 1.11-1.81–3.78 | 0.44 |
| 2050 | 1.21-7.99–9.78 | 1.12-1.7–3.89 | 0.42 |
| 2051 | 1.24-9.2–9.61 | 1.11-1.73–3.75 | 0.4 |
| 2052 | 1.21-8.24–9.42 | 1.06-1.84–3.67 | 0.38 |
| 2053 | 1.26-8.1–9.21 | 1-1.98–3.82 | 0.36 |
| 2054 | 1.11-8.44–9.51 | 0.93-2.2–3.67 | 0.34 |
| 2055 | 1.23-8.33–9.55 | 0.94-2–3.64 | 0.33 |
| 2056 | 1.25-8.21–9.61 | 0.9-2.22–3.75 | 0.31 |
| 2057 | 1.14-8.9–9.64 | 0.86-2.22–3.57 | 0.3 |
| 2058 | 1.04-9.07–9.95 | 0.83-1.98–3.75 | 0.28 |
| 2059 | 1.31-8.2–9.3 | 0.79-2.09–3.62 | 0.27 |
| 2060 | 1.07-8.52–9.14 | 0.78-2.12–3.34 | 0.25 |
| 2061 | 1.06-8.23–9.43 | 0.73-2.19–3.44 | 0.24 |
| 2062 | 1.04-8.87–9.74 | 0.77-2.27–3.38 | 0.23 |
| 2063 | 1-9.21–9.06 | 0.67-2.31–3.44 | 0.22 |
| 2064 | 0.91-8.98–8.76 | 0.66-2.38–3.42 | 0.21 |
| 2065 | 0.98-9.38–9.52 | 0.66-2.19–3.44 | 0.2 |
| 2066 | 0.86-9.28–9.74 | 0.65-2.15–3.44 | 0.19 |
| 2067 | 0.96-10.12–9.21 | 0.64-2.31–3.36 | 0.18 |
| 2068 | 0.76-9.41–9.06 | 0.58-2.54–3.31 | 0.17 |
| 2069 | 0.87-9.66–9.13 | 0.53-2.5–3.38 | 0.16 |
| 2070 | 0.81-9.27–8.63 | 0.5-2.37–3.23 | 0.15 |
| 2071 | 0.9-9.04–9.95 | 0.47-2.64–3.24 | 0.14 |
| 2072 | 0.76-9.4–9.74 | 0.45-2.4–3.35 | 0.13 |
| 2073 | 0.84-9.48–9.22 | 0.44-2.71–3.42 | 0.12 |
| 2074 | 0.89-10.44–9.21 | 0.35-2.86–3.42 | 0.1 |
| 2075 | 0.74-9.68–9.21 | 0.38-2.89–3.4 | 0.09 |
| 2076 | 0.76-9.76–9.28 | 0.35-2.79–3.15 | 0.08 |
| 2077 | 0.66-11.87–9.45 | 0.32-2.97–3.17 | 0.07 |
| 2078 | 0.64-9.96–9.66 | 0.31-2.9–3.14 | 0.06 |
| 2079 | 0.65-9.99–9.15 | 0.26-3.04–3.17 | 0.05 |
| 2080 | 0.65-10.02–9.09 | 0.24-2.91–3.09 | 0.04 |
| 2081 | 0.56-10.47–9.4 | 0.25-2.9–3.09 | 0.03 |
| 2082 | 0.34-10.47–9.17 | 0.23-2.93–2.92 | 0.02 |
| 2083 | 0.45-10.21–9.28 | 0.21-3.12–3.22 | 0.01 |
| 2084 | 0.39-11.4–9.1 | 0.15-3.32–3.15 | -0 |
| 2085 | 0.53-11.78–9.45 | 0.13-2.97–2.97 | -0.01 |
| 2086 | 0.51-11.43–9.24 | 0.17-3.26–2.97 | -0.02 |
| 2087 | 0.28-11.36–9.16 | 0.1-3.08–2.99 | -0.03 |
| 2088 | 0.25-10.89–9.01 | 0.09-3.23–3 | -0.04 |
| 2089 | 0.42-12.47–9.3 | 0.07-3.19–2.98 | -0.05 |
| 2090 | 0.36-12.27–9.31 | 0.06-3.16–2.85 | -0.05 |
| 2091 | 0.2-11.74–9.1 | 0.04-3.28–3.07 | -0.06 |
| 2092 | 0.2-12.62–9.88 | 0.02-3.64–3.1 | -0.07 |
| 2093 | 0.3-12.78–9.13 | -0.03-3.52–3 | -0.07 |
| 2094 | 0.2-13.2–9.91 | 0-3.67–2.85 | -0.08 |
| 2095 | 0.2-13.87–9.81 | -0.05-3.73–2.89 | -0.09 |
| 2096 | 0.26-13.54–9.45 | -0.07-3.71–3.01 | -0.1 |
| 2097 | 0.23-12.64–9.18 | -0.09-3.54–3.05 | -0.11 |
| 2098 | 0.15-13.14–9.32 | -0.08-3.71–2.81 | -0.11 |
| 2099 | 0.1-13.58–9.83 | -0.09-3.72–2.85 | -0.12 |
| 2100 | 0.19-13.12–10.5 | -0.14-3.65–2.97 | -0.13 |
Each country on its own
Good to know
- How fast the population grew or shrank in a year: births minus deaths, plus people moving in minus people moving out.
- Source: UN DESA, World Population Prospects 2024.
- The dashed line is the UN projection (medium variant), a scenario rather than a forecast; the band is its 95% prediction interval.
- Ranks count the 229 countries with a value in 2023, highest first.
- The faint line is the world as a whole, as the same source counts it.
How the layers work, where their data comes from and what they can’t tell you: Countries through time
Liberia vs Sierra Leone
Health
- Life expectancyLiberia: 62.2 years in 2023Sierra Leone: 61.8 years in 2023
- Child mortalityLiberia: 8.6 per 100 live births in 2024Sierra Leone: 9.1 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalityLiberia: 55.9 per 1,000 live births in 2023Sierra Leone: 71.6 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- DepressionLiberia: 3.8% in 2017Sierra Leone: 3.58% in 2017
- Suicide rateLiberia: 13.2 per 100,000 people in 2017Sierra Leone: 9.9 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationLiberia: 5.49 million people in 2023Sierra Leone: 8.46 million people in 2023
- Fertility rateLiberia: 3.95 births per woman in 2023Sierra Leone: 3.79 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationLiberia: 56.1% in 2025Sierra Leone: 45.9% in 2025
- Median ageLiberia: 18.4 years in 2023Sierra Leone: 19.3 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overLiberia: 3.3% in 2023Sierra Leone: 3.2% in 2023
- Net migration rateLiberia: -0.9 per 1,000 people in 2023Sierra Leone: -0.5 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spendingLiberia: 0.85% of GDP in 2025Sierra Leone: 0.37% of GDP in 2025
- Military spending in US dollarsLiberia: $40.3M in 2025Sierra Leone: $29.5M in 2025
- Military spending per personLiberia: $8 in 2025Sierra Leone: $4 in 2025
- Military share of state spendingLiberia: 3.9% of government spending in 2025Sierra Leone: 2.5% of government spending in 2025
- Armed forces personnelLiberia: 2,000 people in 2020Sierra Leone: 9,000 people in 2020
- National powerLiberia: 0.03% of world capability in 2022Sierra Leone: 0.04% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersLiberia: 0.09% of the labour force in 2020Sierra Leone: 0.35% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsLiberia: 0 TIV in 2025Sierra Leone: 2 million TIV in 2016