Municipal water as a share of total water withdrawals in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: Municipal water as a share of total water withdrawals was 52.3% in 2022. ▲ Rising
Municipal water as a share of total water withdrawals in Sierra Leone, 1987–2022
Source: AQUASTAT - FAO's Global Information System on Water and Agriculture, FAO, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of total freshwater withdrawal.
Analysis
Sierra Leone recorded 52.3% for municipal water as a share of total water withdrawals in 2022. That is the highest value across all 36 years on record.
That represents a change of unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, municipal water as a share of total water withdrawals in Sierra Leone peaked at 52.3% in 2005 and was at its lowest, 7.0%, in 1987.
That places Sierra Leone 36th out of 180 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 36 years of available data.
Municipal water as a share of total water withdrawals in Sierra Leone, year by year
| Year | % of total freshwater withdrawal | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1987 | 7.0% | — |
| 1988 | 9.8% | +38.9% |
| 1989 | 13.5% | +38.0% |
| 1990 | 18.8% | +39.6% |
| 1991 | 27.1% | +44.2% |
| 1992 | 41.8% | +54.4% |
| 1993 | 43.4% | +3.7% |
| 1994 | 44.7% | +3.1% |
| 1995 | 46.0% | +2.7% |
| 1996 | 47.1% | +2.4% |
| 1997 | 48.1% | +2.1% |
| 1998 | 49.0% | +1.9% |
| 1999 | 49.8% | +1.7% |
| 2000 | 50.6% | +1.5% |
| 2001 | 50.9% | +0.8% |
| 2002 | 51.3% | +0.7% |
| 2003 | 51.7% | +0.7% |
| 2004 | 52.0% | +0.6% |
| 2005 | 52.3% | +0.6% |
| 2006 | 52.3% | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 52.3% | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 52.3% | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 52.3% | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 52.3% | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 52.3% | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 52.3% | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 52.3% | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 52.3% | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 52.3% | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 52.3% | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 52.3% | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 52.3% | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 52.3% | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 52.3% | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 52.3% | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 52.3% | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 10.1% | 7.0% | 13.5% | 3 |
| 1990s | 41.6% | 18.8% | 49.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 51.8% | 50.6% | 52.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 52.3% | 52.3% | 52.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 52.3% | 52.3% | 52.3% | 3 |
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)
- Plywood and LVL — Import quantity, annual growth rate -11.78 % change on previous year (2024)
- Plywood and LVL — Import quantity, per unit of GDP 0 m3 per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Plywood and LVL — Import quantity, per capita 0.0004 m3 per person (2024)
- Plywood and LVL — Import value, annual growth rate -32.48 % change on previous year (2024)
- Plywood and LVL — Import value, per unit of GDP 0 1000 USD per US$ of GDP (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is municipal water as a share of total water withdrawals in Sierra Leone?
- Municipal water as a share of total water withdrawals in Sierra Leone was 52.3% in 2022, according to AQUASTAT - FAO's Global Information System on Water and Agriculture, FAO, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest municipal water as a share of total water withdrawals recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The highest recorded value was 52.3% in 2005.
- What is the lowest municipal water as a share of total water withdrawals recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.0% in 1987.
- How does Sierra Leone rank for municipal water as a share of total water withdrawals?
- Sierra Leone ranks 36th out of 180 countries with data for 2022.
- Is municipal water as a share of total water withdrawals rising or falling in Sierra Leone?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sierra Leone data come from?
- The figures come from AQUASTAT - FAO's Global Information System on Water and Agriculture, FAO, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Municipal water as a share of total water withdrawals. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Municipal (domestic) water withdrawals as a percentage of total water withdrawals (which is the sum of water used for agriculture, industry, and municipal purposes).