Merchandise imports in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: Merchandise imports was 1.89 billion current US$ in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
1.89 billion current US$
Change on year
down 7.6%
World rank
167th
of 206 countries
All-time high
2.15 billion current US$
in 2020
All-time low
74.00 million current US$
in 1960
Years of data
66
1960–2025
Merchandise imports in Sierra Leone, 1960–2025
Source: World Trade Organization (WTO). Measured in current US$.
Analysis
The most recent figure for merchandise imports in Sierra Leone is 1.89 billion current US$, measured in 2025.
The figure is down 7.6% on the previous year and up 23.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, merchandise imports in Sierra Leone peaked at 2.15 billion current US$ in 2020 and was at its lowest, 74.00 million current US$, in 1960.
Sierra Leone ranks 167th of 206 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Merchandise imports in Sierra Leone, year by year
| Year | current US$ | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 74.00 million current US$ | — |
| 1961 | 91.00 million current US$ | +23.0% |
| 1962 | 85.00 million current US$ | -6.6% |
| 1963 | 84.00 million current US$ | -1.2% |
| 1964 | 99.00 million current US$ | +17.9% |
| 1965 | 108.00 million current US$ | +9.1% |
| 1966 | 100.00 million current US$ | -7.4% |
| 1967 | 90.00 million current US$ | -10.0% |
| 1968 | 90.00 million current US$ | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 112.00 million current US$ | +24.4% |
| 1970 | 116.00 million current US$ | +3.6% |
| 1971 | 113.00 million current US$ | -2.6% |
| 1972 | 119.00 million current US$ | +5.3% |
| 1973 | 155.00 million current US$ | +30.3% |
| 1974 | 222.00 million current US$ | +43.2% |
| 1975 | 185.00 million current US$ | -16.7% |
| 1976 | 153.00 million current US$ | -17.3% |
| 1977 | 181.00 million current US$ | +18.3% |
| 1978 | 279.00 million current US$ | +54.1% |
| 1979 | 316.00 million current US$ | +13.3% |
| 1980 | 427.00 million current US$ | +35.1% |
| 1981 | 328.00 million current US$ | -23.2% |
| 1982 | 298.00 million current US$ | -9.1% |
| 1983 | 160.00 million current US$ | -46.3% |
| 1984 | 157.00 million current US$ | -1.9% |
| 1985 | 151.00 million current US$ | -3.8% |
| 1986 | 132.00 million current US$ | -12.6% |
| 1987 | 137.00 million current US$ | +3.8% |
| 1988 | 156.00 million current US$ | +13.9% |
| 1989 | 183.00 million current US$ | +17.3% |
| 1990 | 149.00 million current US$ | -18.6% |
| 1991 | 163.00 million current US$ | +9.4% |
| 1992 | 146.00 million current US$ | -10.4% |
| 1993 | 147.00 million current US$ | +0.7% |
| 1994 | 150.00 million current US$ | +2.0% |
| 1995 | 133.00 million current US$ | -11.3% |
| 1996 | 211.00 million current US$ | +58.6% |
| 1997 | 93.00 million current US$ | -55.9% |
| 1998 | 95.00 million current US$ | +2.2% |
| 1999 | 81.00 million current US$ | -14.7% |
| 2000 | 149.00 million current US$ | +84.0% |
| 2001 | 182.00 million current US$ | +22.1% |
| 2002 | 264.00 million current US$ | +45.1% |
| 2003 | 303.00 million current US$ | +14.8% |
| 2004 | 286.00 million current US$ | -5.6% |
| 2005 | 345.00 million current US$ | +20.6% |
| 2006 | 389.00 million current US$ | +12.8% |
| 2007 | 445.00 million current US$ | +14.4% |
| 2008 | 534.00 million current US$ | +20.0% |
| 2009 | 520.00 million current US$ | -2.6% |
| 2010 | 770.00 million current US$ | +48.1% |
| 2011 | 1.72 billion current US$ | +123.0% |
| 2012 | 1.60 billion current US$ | -6.6% |
| 2013 | 1.78 billion current US$ | +11.0% |
| 2014 | 1.57 billion current US$ | -11.9% |
| 2015 | 1.53 billion current US$ | -2.4% |
| 2016 | 1.07 billion current US$ | -30.2% |
| 2017 | 1.30 billion current US$ | +21.8% |
| 2018 | 1.35 billion current US$ | +4.1% |
| 2019 | 1.50 billion current US$ | +10.9% |
| 2020 | 2.15 billion current US$ | +42.9% |
| 2021 | 1.80 billion current US$ | -16.0% |
| 2022 | 1.97 billion current US$ | +9.0% |
| 2023 | 1.92 billion current US$ | -2.2% |
| 2024 | 2.05 billion current US$ | +6.6% |
| 2025 | 1.89 billion current US$ | -7.6% |
Sierra Leone compared with similar countries
- Sierra Leone's 1.89 billion current US$ is below the median for low income countries, which is 3.66 billion current US$, 52% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Sierra Leone's 1.89 billion current US$ is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 5.46 billion current US$, 35% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 93.30 million current US$ | 74.00 million current US$ | 112.00 million current US$ | 10 |
| 1970s | 183.90 million current US$ | 113.00 million current US$ | 316.00 million current US$ | 10 |
| 1980s | 212.90 million current US$ | 132.00 million current US$ | 427.00 million current US$ | 10 |
| 1990s | 136.80 million current US$ | 81.00 million current US$ | 211.00 million current US$ | 10 |
| 2000s | 341.70 million current US$ | 149.00 million current US$ | 534.00 million current US$ | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.42 billion current US$ | 770.00 million current US$ | 1.78 billion current US$ | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.96 billion current US$ | 1.80 billion current US$ | 2.15 billion current US$ | 6 |
Countries ranked near Sierra Leone
- 164 Cayman Islands 2.11 billion current US$ compare
- 165 Eswatini 2.09 billion current US$ compare
- 166 Cape Verde 2.04 billion current US$ compare
- 168 Lesotho 1.88 billion current US$ compare
- 169 Equatorial Guinea 1.70 billion current US$ compare
- 170 Faroe Islands 1.67 billion current US$ compare
More private sector data for Sierra Leone
- Merchandise trade 45.9% (2025)
- Food imports 32.3% (2018)
- Manufactures imports 63.9% (2018)
- Food exports 45.6% (2018)
- Manufactures exports 25.1% (2018)
- Merchandise exports 1.53 billion current US$ (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per capita 173.93 current US$ per person (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.2055 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), annual growth rate 6.75 % change on previous year (2025)
- Merchandise imports (current US$), per capita 214.63 current US$ per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is merchandise imports in Sierra Leone?
- Merchandise imports in Sierra Leone was 1.89 billion current US$ in 2025, according to World Trade Organization (WTO).
- What is the highest merchandise imports recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The highest recorded value was 2.15 billion current US$ in 2020.
- What is the lowest merchandise imports recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The lowest recorded value was 74.00 million current US$ in 1960.
- How does Sierra Leone rank for merchandise imports?
- Sierra Leone ranks 167th out of 206 countries with data for 2025.
- Is merchandise imports rising or falling in Sierra Leone?
- Over the last ten years it is up 23.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Sierra Leone data come from?
- The figures come from World Trade Organization (WTO), published as part of Merchandise imports (current US$). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Merchandise imports includes goods whose economic ownership is changed from a non-resident to a resident and that are not included in the following specific categories: goods under merchanting, non-monetary gold, and parts of travel, construction, and government goods and services n.i.e. This indicator is expressed in current prices, meaning no adjustment has been made to account for price changes over time. This indicator is expressed in United States dollars.