Sierra Leone: Portfolio investment, net (current US$, BoP)

Key figures

Over five years it is up 81.19% from −US$18.22 million in 2010. Since 1978 it is down 43.51% from −US$2.39 million in 1978. The World Bank has no value for 26 of the years in between; the chart leaves those gaps open rather than joining across them.

What the numbers say

In 2015, Sierra Leone's portfolio investment, net (current US$, BoP) fell US$3.21 million on 2014 (from −US$214,272 to −US$3.43 million).

Across the 8 yearly changes before that (1979 to 2014), the average change was +US$648,069 and a typical year strayed about US$30.21 million from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.1 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 US$51.35 million in 2012 and the biggest yearly fall was US$41.71 million in 2011. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2008 to 2015 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains less than 1% of the movement over 8 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.

Closest to Sierra Leone in the 2015 ranking

• Gabon — 2nd of 2: −US$141.3 million

What this measures

Portfolio investment includes cross-border flows and positions involving debt or equity securities, other than those included in direct investment or reserve assets. This indicator is expressed in current prices, meaning no adjustment has been made to account for price changes over time. This indicator is expressed in United States dollars.

All 12 values

Portfolio investment, net (current US$, BoP) in nearby economies

• Angola — US$887.53 million (2025)
• Benin — −US$187.92 million (2023)
• Botswana — US$279.96 million (2025)
• Burkina Faso — −US$540.51 million (2024)
• Burundi — −US$19.22 million (2025)
• Cabo Verde — US$881,897 (2025)
• Cameroon — −US$122.45 million (2024)
• Congo, Dem. Rep. — US$67.47 million (2025)
• Congo, Rep. — US$34.28 million (2021)
• Côte d'Ivoire — −US$1.61 billion (2024)

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

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
• Data analysis examples: 6 worked from one dataset — 3 min read
• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Sierra Leone's portfolio investment, net (current US$, BoP)?

−US$3.43 million in 2015, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1978?

It is down 43.51% from −US$2.39 million in 1978. The highest value was US$20.33 million in 2009 and the lowest −US$59.92 million in 2011.

Is the latest change in portfolio investment, net (current US$, BoP) unusual for Sierra Leone?

In 2015, Sierra Leone's portfolio investment, net (current US$, BoP) fell US$3.21 million on 2014 (from −US$214,272 to −US$3.43 million). Across the 8 yearly changes before that (1979 to 2014), the average change was +US$648,069 and a typical year strayed about US$30.21 million from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.1 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Where does this data come from?

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator BN.KLT.PTXL.CD, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF) 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.

Want to ask your own questions of data like this? Try AnalyzeIt: upload a file or ask about public data in plain words, and every figure comes with its working.