Sierra Leone: Travel services (% of service exports, BoP)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, Sierra Leone's travel services (% of service exports, BoP) rose 6.66 percentage points on 2023 (from 46.49% to 53.14%).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was −0.28 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 23.85 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.3 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 71.56 percentage points in 2002 and the biggest yearly fall was 40.31 percentage points in 2023. 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 16% 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 6th highest value of the 29 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

• Bhutan — 3rd of 29: 69.1%
• Tanzania — 4th of 29: 57.01%
• Rwanda — 5th of 29: 53.6%
• Fiji — 7th of 29: 53.08%
• Mauritius — 8th of 29: 48.07%
• Marshall Islands — 9th of 29: 46.82%

What this measures

Travel services cover goods and services for own use or to give away acquired from an economy by nonresidents during visits to that economy, or acquired from other economies by residents during visits to these other economies. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of service exports which are services provided by residents to non-residents.

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

All 48 values

Travel services (% of service exports, BoP) in nearby economies

• Angola — 13.7% (2025)
• Benin — 54.43% (2023)
• Botswana — 55.17% (2025)
• Burkina Faso — 20.08% (2024)
• Burundi — 2.18% (2025)
• Cabo Verde — 78.29% (2025)
• Cameroon — 12.51% (2024)
• Comoros — 72.9% (2023)
• Congo, Dem. Rep. — 51.49% (2025)
• Congo, Rep. — 3.14% (2021)

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
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• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Sierra Leone's travel services (% of service exports, BoP)?

53.14% in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1977?

It is up 25.5 percentage points from 27.64% in 1977. The highest value was 98.98% in 2002 and the lowest 12.66% in 1989.

How does Sierra Leone rank?

6th highest of 29 economies with data for 2024.

Is the latest change in travel services (% of service exports, BoP) unusual for Sierra Leone?

In 2024, Sierra Leone's travel services (% of service exports, BoP) rose 6.66 percentage points on 2023 (from 46.49% to 53.14%). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was −0.28 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 23.85 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.3 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 BX.GSR.TRVL.ZS, 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.

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