Agricultural land use in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: Agricultural land use was 3.95 million hectares in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
3.95 million hectares
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
98th
of 227 countries
All-time high
4.03 million hectares
in 2006
All-time low
2.61 million hectares
in 1961
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Agricultural land use in Sierra Leone, 1961–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
In 2023, agricultural land use in Sierra Leone stood at 3.95 million hectares.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, agricultural land use in Sierra Leone peaked at 4.03 million hectares in 2006 and was at its lowest, 2.61 million hectares, in 1961.
That places Sierra Leone 98th out of 227 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 63 years of available data.
Agricultural land use in Sierra Leone, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 2.61 million hectares | — |
| 1962 | 2.62 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 1963 | 2.62 million hectares | +0.3% |
| 1964 | 2.63 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 1965 | 2.63 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 1966 | 2.64 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 1967 | 2.64 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 1968 | 2.65 million hectares | +0.4% |
| 1969 | 2.66 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 1970 | 2.66 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 1971 | 2.67 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 1972 | 2.67 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 1973 | 2.68 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 1974 | 2.68 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 1975 | 2.69 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 1976 | 2.69 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 1977 | 2.70 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 1978 | 2.71 million hectares | +0.4% |
| 1979 | 2.72 million hectares | +0.4% |
| 1980 | 2.72 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 1981 | 2.73 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 1982 | 2.74 million hectares | +0.5% |
| 1983 | 2.75 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 1984 | 2.76 million hectares | +0.5% |
| 1985 | 2.81 million hectares | +1.8% |
| 1986 | 2.82 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 1987 | 2.82 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 1988 | 2.83 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 2.83 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 2.83 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 2.83 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 2.81 million hectares | -0.4% |
| 1993 | 2.81 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 1994 | 2.81 million hectares | -0.0% |
| 1995 | 2.81 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 2.81 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 2.81 million hectares | -0.0% |
| 1998 | 2.81 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 2.80 million hectares | -0.2% |
| 2000 | 2.81 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 2001 | 3.00 million hectares | +6.8% |
| 2002 | 3.23 million hectares | +7.6% |
| 2003 | 3.57 million hectares | +10.4% |
| 2004 | 3.77 million hectares | +5.8% |
| 2005 | 3.81 million hectares | +1.0% |
| 2006 | 4.03 million hectares | +5.7% |
| 2007 | 3.62 million hectares | -10.1% |
| 2008 | 3.71 million hectares | +2.4% |
| 2009 | 3.80 million hectares | +2.4% |
| 2010 | 3.93 million hectares | +3.4% |
| 2011 | 4.02 million hectares | +2.2% |
| 2012 | 3.84 million hectares | -4.5% |
| 2013 | 3.95 million hectares | +2.9% |
| 2014 | 3.95 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 3.95 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 3.95 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 3.95 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 3.95 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 3.95 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 3.95 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 3.95 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 3.95 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 3.95 million hectares | +0.0% |
Sierra Leone compared with similar countries
- Sierra Leone's 3.95 million hectares is below the median for low income countries, which is 14.61 million hectares, 27% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Sierra Leone's 3.95 million hectares is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 13.51 million hectares, 29% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 2.63 million hectares | 2.61 million hectares | 2.66 million hectares | 9 |
| 1970s | 2.69 million hectares | 2.66 million hectares | 2.72 million hectares | 10 |
| 1980s | 2.78 million hectares | 2.72 million hectares | 2.83 million hectares | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.81 million hectares | 2.80 million hectares | 2.83 million hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.54 million hectares | 2.81 million hectares | 4.03 million hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.94 million hectares | 3.84 million hectares | 4.02 million hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.95 million hectares | 3.95 million hectares | 3.95 million hectares | 4 |
Countries ranked near Sierra Leone
More agriculture & rural data for Sierra Leone
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 8.47 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.2954 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 250 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 1 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0006 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.5407 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 29.5% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 29.5% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 9.4% (2018)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.6% (2018)
Frequently asked questions
- What is agricultural land use in Sierra Leone?
- Agricultural land use in Sierra Leone was 3.95 million hectares in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest agricultural land use recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The highest recorded value was 4.03 million hectares in 2006.
- What is the lowest agricultural land use recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.61 million hectares in 1961.
- How does Sierra Leone rank for agricultural land use?
- Sierra Leone ranks 98th out of 227 countries with data for 2023.
- Is agricultural land use rising or falling in Sierra Leone?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.0%. 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 (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Agricultural land use. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 63 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Land used for cultivation of crops and animal husbandry. The total of areas under cropland and permanent meadows and pastures.