Agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: Agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals was 21.5% in 2022. ◆ Volatile
Agricultural 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 21.5% for agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals in 2022. That is the lowest value across all 36 years on record.
That represents a change of unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals in Sierra Leone peaked at 88.9% in 1987 and was at its lowest, 21.5%, in 2005.
Sierra Leone ranks 132nd of 180 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals in Sierra Leone, year by year
| Year | % of total freshwater withdrawal | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1987 | 88.9% | — |
| 1988 | 84.8% | -4.6% |
| 1989 | 79.2% | -6.6% |
| 1990 | 71.1% | -10.2% |
| 1991 | 58.6% | -17.7% |
| 1992 | 36.3% | -38.1% |
| 1993 | 34.1% | -5.9% |
| 1994 | 32.2% | -5.5% |
| 1995 | 30.5% | -5.3% |
| 1996 | 29.0% | -5.0% |
| 1997 | 27.6% | -4.8% |
| 1998 | 26.4% | -4.5% |
| 1999 | 25.2% | -4.3% |
| 2000 | 24.2% | -4.2% |
| 2001 | 23.6% | -2.4% |
| 2002 | 23.1% | -2.4% |
| 2003 | 22.5% | -2.3% |
| 2004 | 22.0% | -2.2% |
| 2005 | 21.5% | -2.2% |
| 2006 | 21.5% | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 21.5% | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 21.5% | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 21.5% | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 21.5% | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 21.5% | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 21.5% | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 21.5% | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 21.5% | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 21.5% | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 21.5% | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 21.5% | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 21.5% | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 21.5% | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 21.5% | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 21.5% | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 21.5% | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 84.3% | 79.2% | 88.9% | 3 |
| 1990s | 37.1% | 25.2% | 71.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 22.3% | 21.5% | 24.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 21.5% | 21.5% | 21.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 21.5% | 21.5% | 21.5% | 3 |
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 water as a share of total water withdrawals in Sierra Leone?
- Agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals in Sierra Leone was 21.5% 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 agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The highest recorded value was 88.9% in 1987.
- What is the lowest agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The lowest recorded value was 21.5% in 2005.
- How does Sierra Leone rank for agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals?
- Sierra Leone ranks 132nd out of 180 countries with data for 2022.
- Is agricultural 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 volatile.
- 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 Agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 36 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Agricultural water withdrawals as a percentage of total water withdrawals (which is the sum of water used for agriculture, industry and domestic purposes). Agricultural water is defined as the annual quantity of self-supplied water withdrawn for irrigation, livestock and aquaculture purposes.