Share of land area used for agriculture in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: Share of land area used for agriculture was 54.7% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Share of land area used for agriculture in Sierra Leone, 1961–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of land area.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of land area used for agriculture in Sierra Leone is 54.7%, measured in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of land area used for agriculture in Sierra Leone peaked at 55.8% in 2006 and was at its lowest, 36.2%, in 1961.
That places Sierra Leone 51st out of 209 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 63 years of available data.
Share of land area used for agriculture in Sierra Leone, year by year
| Year | % of land area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 36.2% | — |
| 1962 | 36.3% | +0.2% |
| 1963 | 36.4% | +0.3% |
| 1964 | 36.4% | +0.2% |
| 1965 | 36.5% | +0.2% |
| 1966 | 36.6% | +0.2% |
| 1967 | 36.6% | +0.2% |
| 1968 | 36.8% | +0.4% |
| 1969 | 36.8% | +0.2% |
| 1970 | 36.9% | +0.2% |
| 1971 | 37.0% | +0.2% |
| 1972 | 37.0% | +0.2% |
| 1973 | 37.1% | +0.2% |
| 1974 | 37.2% | +0.2% |
| 1975 | 37.3% | +0.2% |
| 1976 | 37.3% | +0.2% |
| 1977 | 37.4% | +0.2% |
| 1978 | 37.5% | +0.4% |
| 1979 | 37.7% | +0.4% |
| 1980 | 37.7% | +0.2% |
| 1981 | 37.8% | +0.2% |
| 1982 | 38.0% | +0.5% |
| 1983 | 38.1% | +0.2% |
| 1984 | 38.3% | +0.5% |
| 1985 | 39.0% | +1.8% |
| 1986 | 39.1% | +0.2% |
| 1987 | 39.1% | +0.2% |
| 1988 | 39.1% | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 39.1% | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 39.1% | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 39.1% | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 39.0% | -0.4% |
| 1993 | 38.9% | -0.1% |
| 1994 | 38.9% | -0.0% |
| 1995 | 38.9% | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 38.9% | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 38.9% | -0.0% |
| 1998 | 38.9% | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 38.8% | -0.2% |
| 2000 | 38.9% | +0.2% |
| 2001 | 41.6% | +6.8% |
| 2002 | 44.8% | +7.6% |
| 2003 | 49.4% | +10.4% |
| 2004 | 52.3% | +5.8% |
| 2005 | 52.8% | +1.0% |
| 2006 | 55.8% | +5.7% |
| 2007 | 50.2% | -10.1% |
| 2008 | 51.4% | +2.4% |
| 2009 | 52.7% | +2.4% |
| 2010 | 54.5% | +3.4% |
| 2011 | 55.7% | +2.2% |
| 2012 | 53.2% | -4.5% |
| 2013 | 54.7% | +2.9% |
| 2014 | 54.7% | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 54.7% | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 54.7% | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 54.7% | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 54.7% | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 54.7% | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 54.7% | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 54.7% | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 54.7% | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 54.7% | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 36.5% | 36.2% | 36.8% | 9 |
| 1970s | 37.2% | 36.9% | 37.7% | 10 |
| 1980s | 38.5% | 37.7% | 39.1% | 10 |
| 1990s | 39.0% | 38.8% | 39.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 49.0% | 38.9% | 55.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 54.6% | 53.2% | 55.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 54.7% | 54.7% | 54.7% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Sierra Leone
- 48 Ghana 55.4% compare
- 49 Dominican Republic 55.4% compare
- 50 Romania 55.3% compare
- 52 Paraguay 54.1% compare
- 53 Kyrgyzstan 54.0% compare
- 54 Netherlands 53.5% 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 land area used for agriculture in Sierra Leone?
- Share of land area used for agriculture in Sierra Leone was 54.7% in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of land area used for agriculture recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The highest recorded value was 55.8% in 2006.
- What is the lowest share of land area used for agriculture recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The lowest recorded value was 36.2% in 1961.
- How does Sierra Leone rank for share of land area used for agriculture?
- Sierra Leone ranks 51st out of 209 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of land area used for agriculture 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 (FAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of land area used for agriculture. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
The share of land area used for agriculture, measured as a percentage of total land area. Agricultural land refers to the share of land area that is arable, under permanent crops, and under permanent pastures.