Sierra Leone: Gross savings (% of GDP)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, Sierra Leone's gross savings (% of GDP) rose 7.61 percentage points on 2023 (from 11.57% to 19.18%).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was +0.39 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 9.6 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.8 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 21.95 percentage points in 2010 and the biggest yearly fall was 22.44 percentage points in 2013. 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 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 9% of the movement over 10 observed years, so the value is moving around more than it is heading anywhere.

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 24th highest value of the 48 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

• Belize — 21st of 48: 20.33%
• Ethiopia — 22nd of 48: 19.67%
• Bahamas, The — 23rd of 48: 19.21%
• Guinea-Bissau — 25th of 48: 19.08%
• New Zealand — 26th of 48: 18.95%
• Tonga — 27th of 48: 18.23%

What this measures

Savings is an amount that represents the part of disposable income (adjusted for the change in pension entitlements) that is not spent on final consumption. Gross savings are calculated as gross national income less total consumption, plus net transfers. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) which is the total income earned through the production of goods and services in an economic territory during an accounting period.

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

All 48 values

Gross savings (% of GDP) in nearby economies

• Angola — 15.88% (2024)
• Benin — 30.27% (2023)
• Botswana — 28.25% (2025)
• Burkina Faso — 15.89% (2024)
• Burundi — 43.06% (2025)
• Cabo Verde — 21.14% (2025)
• Cameroon — 15.54% (2024)
• Comoros — 12.05% (2023)
• Congo, Dem. Rep. — 28.69% (2025)
• Congo, Rep. — 31.66% (2021)
• Côte d'Ivoire — 17.15% (2024)
• Eswatini

More economic policy & debt data for Sierra Leone

• GDP (current US$) — US$7.46 billion (2025)
• GDP (current LCU) — 169.12 billion (2025)
• GDP (constant 2015 US$) — US$10.28 billion (2025)
• GDP (constant LCU) — 67.92 billion (2025)
• GDP per capita (current US$) — US$846.3 (2025)
• GDP per capita (current LCU) — 19,175 (2025)
• GDP per capita (constant 2015 US$) — US$1,166 (2025)
• GDP per capita (constant LCU) — 7,701 (2025)
• Total reserves, including gold (current US$) — US$433.27 million (2024)
• Total reserves, excluding gold (current US$) — US$433.27 million (2024)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Sierra Leone's gross savings (% of GDP)?

19.18% in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1977?

It is up 8.2 percentage points from 10.98% in 1977. The highest value was 34.04% in 2010 and the lowest -9.49% in 2000.

How does Sierra Leone rank?

24th highest of 48 economies with data for 2024.

Is the latest change in gross savings (% of GDP) unusual for Sierra Leone?

In 2024, Sierra Leone's gross savings (% of GDP) rose 7.61 percentage points on 2023 (from 11.57% to 19.18%). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was +0.39 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 9.6 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.8 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 NY.GNS.ICTR.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Country official statistics, National Statistical Offices (NSOs); National Accounts data files, Central Banks; Staff estimates, World Bank (WB) 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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