Sierra Leone: Import unit value index (2015 = 100)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2025, Sierra Leone's import unit value index (2015 = 100) fell 3.3 on 2024 (from 124.7 to 121.4).

Across the 24 yearly changes before that (2001 to 2024), the average change was +2.76 and a typical year strayed about 8.24 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.7 standard deviations below 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 18.1 in 2008 and the biggest yearly fall was 17.2 in 2015. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2016 to 2025 the straight-line trend is upward, about 3.38 a year. A straight line explains 90% 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 2025, Sierra Leone had the 158th highest value of the 204 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 2025 ranking

• Gabon — 155th of 204: 122.3
• St. Lucia — 156th of 204: 122.2
• Faroe Islands — 157th of 204: 122
• Marshall Islands — 159th of 204: 121.2
• Cameroon — 160th of 204: 120.8
• Guatemala — 161st of 204: 120.3

What this measures

Import unit value indices come from UNCTAD's trade database. Unit value indices are based on data reported by countries that demonstrate consistency under UNCTAD quality controls, supplemented by UNCTAD’s estimates using the previous year’s trade values at the Standard International Trade Classification three-digit level as weights. To improve data coverage, especially for the latest periods, UNCTAD constructs a set of average prices indexes at the three-digit product classification of the Standard International Trade Classification revision 3 using UNCTAD’s Commodity Price Statistics, international and national sources, and UNCTAD secretariat estimates. This indicator is an index series where 2015=100.

All 26 values

Import unit value index (2015 = 100) in nearby economies

• Angola — 124.4 (2025)
• Benin — 125.9 (2025)
• Botswana — 119.3 (2025)
• Burkina Faso — 140.9 (2025)
• Burundi — 132.2 (2025)
• Cabo Verde — 120 (2025)
• Cameroon — 120.8 (2025)
• Central African Republic — 117.2 (2025)
• Chad — 119 (2025)
• Comoros — 138.4 (2025)
• Congo, Dem. Rep. — 124.4 (2025)

More private sector & trade data for Sierra Leone

• Merchandise trade (% of GDP) — 45.91% (2025)
• Merchandise imports (current US$) — US$1.89 billion (2025)
• Merchandise exports (current US$) — US$1.53 billion (2025)
• Merchandise exports to high-income economies (% of total merchandise exports) — 13.74% (2023)
• Merchandise exports by the reporting economy, residual (% of total merchandise exports) — 0.00395% (2023)
• Merchandise exports by the reporting economy (current US$) — US$513.99 million (2023)
• Merchandise imports from economies in the Arab World (% of total merchandise imports) — 10.91% (2023)
• Merchandise imports from high-income economies (% of total merchandise imports)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Sierra Leone's import unit value index (2015 = 100)?

121.4 in 2025, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 2000?

It is up 107.52% from 58.5 in 2000 (2.96% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 124.7 in 2024 and the lowest 54.5 in 2002.

How does Sierra Leone rank?

158th highest of 204 economies with data for 2025.

Is the latest change in import unit value index (2015 = 100) unusual for Sierra Leone?

In 2025, Sierra Leone's import unit value index (2015 = 100) fell 3.3 on 2024 (from 124.7 to 121.4). Across the 24 yearly changes before that (2001 to 2024), the average change was +2.76 and a typical year strayed about 8.24 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.7 standard deviations below 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 TM.UVI.MRCH.XD.WD, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Handbook of Statistics and data files., UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), uri: http://unctadstat.unctad.org 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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