Sierra Leone: Death rate, crude (per 1,000 people)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, Sierra Leone's death rate, crude (per 1,000 people) fell 0.08 on 2023 (from 8.29 to 8.21).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was −0.46 and a typical year strayed about 0.53 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.7 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 1.21 in 1991 and the biggest yearly fall was 2.43 in 2000. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2015 to 2024 the straight-line trend is downward, about 0.36 a year. A straight line explains 95% of the movement over 10 observed years.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

In 2024, Sierra Leone had the 78th highest value of the 217 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to Sierra Leone in the 2024 ranking

• Congo, Dem. Rep. — 75th of 217: 8.42
• Armenia — 76th of 217: 8.4
• Sint Maarten (Dutch part) — 77th of 217: 8.3
• Jamaica — 79th of 217: 8.21
• Faroe Islands — 80th of 217: 8.2
• Liberia — 81st of 217: 8.02

What this measures

Crude death rate indicates the number of deaths occurring during the year, per 1,000 population estimated at midyear. Subtracting the crude death rate from the crude birth rate provides the rate of natural increase, which is equal to the rate of population change in the absence of migration.

Limitations: Vital registers are the preferred source for these data, but in many developing countries systems for registering births and deaths are absent or incomplete because of deficiencies in the coverage of events or geographic areas. Many developing countries carry out special household surveys that ask respondents about recent births and deaths. Estimates derived in this way are subject to sampling errors and recall errors.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average.

All 65 values

Death rate, crude (per 1,000 people) in nearby economies

• Angola — 6.84 (2024)
• Benin — 8.71 (2024)
• Botswana — 5.74 (2024)
• Burkina Faso — 7.92 (2024)
• Burundi — 6.67 (2024)
• Cabo Verde — 5.1 (2024)
• Cameroon — 7.03 (2024)
• Central African Republic — 9.38 (2024)
• Chad — 11.08 (2024)
• Comoros — 7.12 (2024)
• Congo, Dem. Rep.

More health data for Sierra Leone

• Population ages 00-04, female (% of female population) — 13.22% (2025)
• Population ages 00-04, male (% of male population) — 13.55% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, female — 1.65 million (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, female (% of female population) — 37.28% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, male — 1.67 million (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, male (% of male population) — 38.03% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, total — 3.32 million (2025)
• Population ages 0-14 (% of total population) — 37.65% (2025)
• Population ages 05-09, female (% of female population) — 12.34% (2025)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
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Questions people ask

What is Sierra Leone's death rate, crude (per 1,000 people)?

8.21 in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1960?

It is down 73.65% from 31.16 in 1960 (2.06% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 31.16 in 1960 and the lowest 8.21 in 2024.

How does Sierra Leone rank?

78th highest of 217 economies with data for 2024.

Is the latest change in death rate, crude (per 1,000 people) unusual for Sierra Leone?

In 2024, Sierra Leone's death rate, crude (per 1,000 people) fell 0.08 on 2023 (from 8.29 to 8.21). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was −0.46 and a typical year strayed about 0.53 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.7 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SP.DYN.CDRT.IN, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Population Division; Statistical databases and publications from national statistical offices, National Statistical Offices (NSOs); Demographic Statistics, Eurostat (ESTAT); Population and Vital Statistics Report (various years), United… Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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