Share of employment in agriculture, industry, and services in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: Share of employment in agriculture, industry, and services was 44.5% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Share of employment in agriculture, industry, and services in Sierra Leone, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Sierra Leone recorded 44.5% for share of employment in agriculture, industry, and services in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 35 years on record.
That represents a change of down 1.3% on the previous year and down 21.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of employment in agriculture, industry, and services in Sierra Leone peaked at 68.6% in 2001 and was at its lowest, 44.5%, in 2025.
That places Sierra Leone 32nd out of 186 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Share of employment in agriculture, industry, and services in Sierra Leone, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 64.3% | — |
| 1992 | 65.6% | +1.9% |
| 1993 | 65.4% | -0.3% |
| 1994 | 65.5% | +0.3% |
| 1995 | 66.3% | +1.1% |
| 1996 | 66.1% | -0.2% |
| 1997 | 66.9% | +1.1% |
| 1998 | 66.9% | -0.1% |
| 1999 | 67.1% | +0.4% |
| 2000 | 66.9% | -0.3% |
| 2001 | 68.6% | +2.5% |
| 2002 | 67.2% | -2.1% |
| 2003 | 66.8% | -0.6% |
| 2004 | 68.5% | +2.5% |
| 2005 | 68.3% | -0.3% |
| 2006 | 68.0% | -0.4% |
| 2007 | 67.1% | -1.2% |
| 2008 | 66.5% | -0.9% |
| 2009 | 66.1% | -0.7% |
| 2010 | 64.9% | -1.7% |
| 2011 | 63.9% | -1.6% |
| 2012 | 61.6% | -3.6% |
| 2013 | 59.2% | -4.0% |
| 2014 | 57.6% | -2.5% |
| 2015 | 56.9% | -1.2% |
| 2016 | 52.9% | -7.1% |
| 2017 | 49.2% | -7.0% |
| 2018 | 46.2% | -6.0% |
| 2019 | 45.4% | -1.6% |
| 2020 | 47.1% | +3.6% |
| 2021 | 47.3% | +0.4% |
| 2022 | 46.6% | -1.4% |
| 2023 | 45.6% | -2.3% |
| 2024 | 45.1% | -1.0% |
| 2025 | 44.5% | -1.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 66.0% | 64.3% | 67.1% | 9 |
| 2000s | 67.4% | 66.1% | 68.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 55.8% | 45.4% | 64.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 46.0% | 44.5% | 47.3% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Sierra Leone
- 29 Cote d'Ivoire 45.4% compare
- 30 Myanmar 45.0% compare
- 31 Vanuatu 44.5% compare
- 33 Bangladesh 44.3% compare
- 34 Tajikistan 43.3% compare
- 35 Solomon Islands 42.5% compare
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 share of employment in agriculture, industry, and services in Sierra Leone?
- Share of employment in agriculture, industry, and services in Sierra Leone was 44.5% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of employment in agriculture, industry, and services recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The highest recorded value was 68.6% in 2001.
- What is the lowest share of employment in agriculture, industry, and services recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The lowest recorded value was 44.5% in 2025.
- How does Sierra Leone rank for share of employment in agriculture, industry, and services?
- Sierra Leone ranks 32nd out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of employment in agriculture, industry, and services rising or falling in Sierra Leone?
- Over the last ten years it is down 21.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sierra Leone data come from?
- The figures come from ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of employment in agriculture, industry, and services. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Share of total employment working in the agriculture sector.