People using improved drinking water sources in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: People using improved drinking water sources was 1.36 million people in 2024. ▲ Rising
People using improved drinking water sources 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
In 2024, people using improved drinking water sources in Sierra Leone stood at 1.36 million people. That is the highest value across all 25 years on record.
That represents a change of up 1.7% on the previous year and up 22.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, people using improved drinking water sources in Sierra Leone peaked at 1.36 million people in 2024 and was at its lowest, 717,471 people, in 2000.
That places Sierra Leone 41st out of 231 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 25 years of available data.
People using improved drinking water sources in Sierra Leone, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 717,471 people | — |
| 2001 | 756,456 people | +5.4% |
| 2002 | 802,972 people | +6.1% |
| 2003 | 837,822 people | +4.3% |
| 2004 | 868,101 people | +3.6% |
| 2005 | 892,805 people | +2.8% |
| 2006 | 913,335 people | +2.3% |
| 2007 | 934,031 people | +2.3% |
| 2008 | 957,862 people | +2.6% |
| 2009 | 984,017 people | +2.7% |
| 2010 | 1.01 million people | +2.7% |
| 2011 | 1.04 million people | +2.6% |
| 2012 | 1.06 million people | +2.5% |
| 2013 | 1.09 million people | +2.4% |
| 2014 | 1.11 million people | +2.3% |
| 2015 | 1.14 million people | +2.2% |
| 2016 | 1.16 million people | +2.2% |
| 2017 | 1.19 million people | +2.2% |
| 2018 | 1.22 million people | +2.1% |
| 2019 | 1.24 million people | +2.1% |
| 2020 | 1.27 million people | +2.0% |
| 2021 | 1.29 million people | +2.0% |
| 2022 | 1.32 million people | +1.9% |
| 2023 | 1.34 million people | +1.8% |
| 2024 | 1.36 million people | +1.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 866,487 people | 717,471 people | 984,017 people | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.13 million people | 1.01 million people | 1.24 million people | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.31 million people | 1.27 million people | 1.36 million 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)
- Sawnwood, non-coniferous — Production, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2024)
- Sawnwood, non-coniferous — Production, per unit of GDP 0 m3 per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Sawnwood, non-coniferous — Production, per capita 0.0035 m3 per person (2024)
- Sawnwood, non-coniferous — Import quantity, annual growth rate 700 % change on previous year (2024)
- Sawnwood, non-coniferous — Import quantity, per unit of GDP 0 m3 per US$ of GDP (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is people using improved drinking water sources in Sierra Leone?
- People using improved drinking water sources in Sierra Leone was 1.36 million 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 people using improved drinking water sources recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The highest recorded value was 1.36 million people in 2024.
- What is the lowest people using improved drinking water sources recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The lowest recorded value was 717,471 people in 2000.
- How does Sierra Leone rank for people using improved drinking water sources?
- Sierra Leone ranks 41st out of 231 countries with data for 2024.
- Is people using improved drinking water sources rising or falling in Sierra Leone?
- Over the last ten years it is up 22.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- 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 People using improved drinking water sources. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 25 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Number of people using only unimproved drinking water sources.