Percentage of population using at least basic drinking water services in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: Percentage of population using at least basic drinking water services was 68 % in 2024. ▲ Rising
Percentage of population using at least basic drinking water services in Sierra Leone, 2000–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in %.
Analysis
Sierra Leone recorded 68 % for percentage of population using at least basic drinking water services in 2024. That is the highest value across all 25 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.5% on the previous year and up 21.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, percentage of population using at least basic drinking water services in Sierra Leone peaked at 68 % in 2024 and was at its lowest, 41 %, in 2000.
Sierra Leone ranks 166th of 186 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 25 years of available data.
Percentage of population using at least basic drinking water services in Sierra Leone, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 41 % | — |
| 2001 | 41 % | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 42 % | +2.4% |
| 2003 | 44 % | +4.8% |
| 2004 | 45 % | +2.3% |
| 2005 | 46 % | +2.2% |
| 2006 | 47 % | +2.2% |
| 2007 | 48 % | +2.1% |
| 2008 | 49 % | +2.1% |
| 2009 | 50 % | +2.0% |
| 2010 | 52 % | +4.0% |
| 2011 | 53 % | +1.9% |
| 2012 | 54 % | +1.9% |
| 2013 | 55 % | +1.9% |
| 2014 | 56 % | +1.8% |
| 2015 | 58 % | +3.6% |
| 2016 | 59 % | +1.7% |
| 2017 | 60 % | +1.7% |
| 2018 | 61 % | +1.7% |
| 2019 | 62 % | +1.6% |
| 2020 | 63 % | +1.6% |
| 2021 | 65 % | +3.2% |
| 2022 | 66 % | +1.5% |
| 2023 | 67 % | +1.5% |
| 2024 | 68 % | +1.5% |
Sierra Leone compared with similar countries
- Sierra Leone's 68 % is above the median for low income countries, which is 64 %, 1.1× the median. (22 countries reporting)
- Sierra Leone's 68 % is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 72 %, 94% of the median. (44 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 45.3 % | 41 % | 50 % | 10 |
| 2010s | 57 % | 52 % | 62 % | 10 |
| 2020s | 65.8 % | 63 % | 68 % | 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 percentage of population using at least basic drinking water services in Sierra Leone?
- Percentage of population using at least basic drinking water services in Sierra Leone was 68 % in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
- What is the highest percentage of population using at least basic drinking water services recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The highest recorded value was 68 % in 2024.
- What is the lowest percentage of population using at least basic drinking water services recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The lowest recorded value was 41 % in 2000.
- How does Sierra Leone rank for percentage of population using at least basic drinking water services?
- Sierra Leone ranks 166th out of 186 countries with data for 2024.
- Is percentage of population using at least basic drinking water services rising or falling in Sierra Leone?
- Over the last ten years it is up 21.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sierra Leone data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, published as part of Percentage of population using at least basic drinking water services (percent) — Value. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 25 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO).
About this data
The Suite of Food Security Indicators presents the core set of food security indicators. Following the recommendation of experts gathered in the Committee on World Food Security (CFS) Round Table on hunger measurement, hosted at FAO headquarters in September 2011, an initial set of indicators aiming to capture various aspects of food insecurity is presented here. The choice of the indicators has been informed by expert judgement and the availability of data with sufficient coverage to enable comparisons across regions and over time. Many of these indicators are produced and published elsewhere by FAO and other international organizations. They are reported here in a single database with the aim of building a wide food security information system. More indicators will be added to this set as more data will become available. Indicators are classified along the four dimensions of food security -- availability, access, utilization and stability.