Drinking water usage in urban areas in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: Drinking water usage in urban areas was 41,709 people in 2024. ▼ Falling
Drinking water usage in urban areas in Sierra Leone, 2000–2024
Source: WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in people.
Analysis
Sierra Leone recorded 41,709 people for drinking water usage in urban areas in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 20.3% on the previous year and down 64.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, drinking water usage in urban areas in Sierra Leone peaked at 146,003 people in 2003 and was at its lowest, 41,709 people, in 2024.
That places Sierra Leone 31st out of 188 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 25 years of available data.
Drinking water usage in urban areas in Sierra Leone, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 137,285 people | — |
| 2001 | 141,269 people | +2.9% |
| 2002 | 144,959 people | +2.6% |
| 2003 | 146,003 people | +0.7% |
| 2004 | 145,803 people | -0.1% |
| 2005 | 144,639 people | -0.8% |
| 2006 | 142,731 people | -1.3% |
| 2007 | 140,518 people | -1.6% |
| 2008 | 138,415 people | -1.5% |
| 2009 | 136,238 people | -1.6% |
| 2010 | 133,725 people | -1.8% |
| 2011 | 130,673 people | -2.3% |
| 2012 | 127,110 people | -2.7% |
| 2013 | 123,017 people | -3.2% |
| 2014 | 118,395 people | -3.8% |
| 2015 | 113,222 people | -4.4% |
| 2016 | 107,604 people | -5.0% |
| 2017 | 101,521 people | -5.7% |
| 2018 | 94,873 people | -6.5% |
| 2019 | 87,644 people | -7.6% |
| 2020 | 79,815 people | -8.9% |
| 2021 | 71,339 people | -10.6% |
| 2022 | 62,178 people | -12.8% |
| 2023 | 52,317 people | -15.9% |
| 2024 | 41,709 people | -20.3% |
Sierra Leone compared with similar countries
- Sierra Leone's 41,709 people is above the median for low income countries, which is 16,882 people, 2.5× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Sierra Leone's 41,709 people is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 10,146 people, 4.1× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 141,786 people | 136,238 people | 146,003 people | 10 |
| 2010s | 113,778 people | 87,644 people | 133,725 people | 10 |
| 2020s | 61,472 people | 41,709 people | 79,815 people | 5 |
Countries ranked near Sierra Leone
More environment data for Sierra Leone
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -5.4 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -5.39 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.232 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.28 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 1.72 % change on previous year (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per unit 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), annual growth rate 1.11 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per unit of GDP 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is drinking water usage in urban areas in Sierra Leone?
- Drinking water usage in urban areas in Sierra Leone was 41,709 people in 2024, according to WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest drinking water usage in urban areas recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The highest recorded value was 146,003 people in 2003.
- What is the lowest drinking water usage in urban areas recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The lowest recorded value was 41,709 people in 2024.
- How does Sierra Leone rank for drinking water usage in urban areas?
- Sierra Leone ranks 31st out of 188 countries with data for 2024.
- Is drinking water usage in urban areas rising or falling in Sierra Leone?
- Over the last ten years it is down 64.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sierra Leone data come from?
- The figures come from WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Drinking water usage in urban areas. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 25 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Number of people using drinking water directly collected from surface waters.