Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in South in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in South was 12.5% in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in South in Sierra Leone, 1960–2023
Source: Staff estimates, World Bank (WB). Measured in % of total merchandise imports.
Analysis
In 2023, merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in south in Sierra Leone stood at 12.5%. That is the highest value across all 59 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 36.2% on the previous year and up 73.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in south in Sierra Leone peaked at 12.5% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 0.3%, in 1983.
Sierra Leone ranks 13th of 205 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in South in Sierra Leone, year by year
| Year | % of total merchandise imports | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 3.1% | — |
| 1961 | 2.4% | -23.2% |
| 1962 | 2.1% | -8.8% |
| 1963 | 2.0% | -9.1% |
| 1964 | 2.3% | +15.6% |
| 1965 | 2.4% | +5.2% |
| 1966 | 2.2% | -8.1% |
| 1967 | 1.5% | -33.2% |
| 1968 | 1.6% | +11.7% |
| 1969 | 2.7% | +65.0% |
| 1970 | 2.9% | +7.7% |
| 1971 | 2.0% | -30.9% |
| 1972 | 2.3% | +12.7% |
| 1973 | 3.3% | +48.3% |
| 1974 | 6.9% | +106.1% |
| 1975 | 2.8% | -58.8% |
| 1976 | 1.8% | -36.7% |
| 1977 | 2.8% | +58.1% |
| 1981 | 2.8% | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 1.3% | -53.5% |
| 1983 | 0.3% | -77.6% |
| 1984 | 0.4% | +32.6% |
| 1987 | 0.4% | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 0.4% | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 0.4% | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 0.3% | -24.3% |
| 1991 | 3.7% | +1155.0% |
| 1992 | 1.6% | -56.9% |
| 1993 | 1.5% | -9.4% |
| 1994 | 2.0% | +37.3% |
| 1995 | 10.6% | +429.6% |
| 1996 | 1.8% | -83.2% |
| 1997 | 1.8% | -1.2% |
| 1998 | 1.2% | -32.9% |
| 1999 | 1.9% | +65.3% |
| 2000 | 2.3% | +18.8% |
| 2001 | 2.5% | +8.9% |
| 2002 | 10.0% | +296.7% |
| 2003 | 9.7% | -2.6% |
| 2004 | 8.8% | -9.9% |
| 2005 | 9.6% | +10.0% |
| 2006 | 8.8% | -8.9% |
| 2007 | 8.4% | -4.0% |
| 2008 | 5.3% | -37.4% |
| 2009 | 3.8% | -27.8% |
| 2010 | 4.6% | +21.8% |
| 2011 | 5.0% | +6.8% |
| 2012 | 8.3% | +66.2% |
| 2013 | 7.2% | -13.0% |
| 2014 | 2.6% | -63.4% |
| 2015 | 3.1% | +16.6% |
| 2016 | 11.1% | +262.2% |
| 2017 | 11.8% | +5.9% |
| 2018 | 10.0% | -15.0% |
| 2019 | 9.4% | -6.1% |
| 2020 | 9.6% | +2.3% |
| 2021 | 9.4% | -1.6% |
| 2022 | 9.2% | -3.0% |
| 2023 | 12.5% | +36.2% |
Sierra Leone compared with similar countries
- Sierra Leone's 12.5% is above the median for low income countries, which is 7.4%, 1.7× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Sierra Leone's 12.5% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 7.0%, 1.8× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in South in Sierra Leone changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | +1155.0% | 0.3% | 3.7% |
| 1995 | +429.6% | 2.0% | 10.6% |
| 2002 | +296.7% | 2.5% | 10.0% |
| 2016 | +262.2% | 3.1% | 11.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 2.2% | 1.5% | 3.1% | 10 |
| 1970s | 3.1% | 1.8% | 6.9% | 8 |
| 1980s | 0.9% | 0.3% | 2.8% | 7 |
| 1990s | 2.6% | 0.3% | 10.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 6.9% | 2.3% | 10.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 7.3% | 2.6% | 11.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 10.2% | 9.2% | 12.5% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Sierra Leone
More private sector data for Sierra Leone
- Merchandise trade 45.9% (2025)
- Food imports 32.3% (2018)
- Manufactures imports 63.9% (2018)
- Merchandise imports 1.89 billion current US$ (2025)
- 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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in south in Sierra Leone?
- Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in south in Sierra Leone was 12.5% in 2023, according to Staff estimates, World Bank (WB).
- What is the highest merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in south recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The highest recorded value was 12.5% in 2023.
- What is the lowest merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in south recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.3% in 1983.
- How does Sierra Leone rank for merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in south?
- Sierra Leone ranks 13th out of 205 countries with data for 2023.
- Is merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in south rising or falling in Sierra Leone?
- Over the last ten years it is up 73.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Sierra Leone data come from?
- The figures come from Staff estimates, World Bank (WB), published as part of Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in South Asia (% of total merchandise imports). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 59 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in South Asia are the sum of merchandise imports by the reporting economy from low- and middle-income economies in the South Asia region according to the World Bank classification of economies. Data are expressed as a percentage of total merchandise imports by the economy. Data are computed only if at least half of the economies in the partner country group had non-missing data.