Public and publicly guaranteed debt service in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: Public and publicly guaranteed debt service was 4.2% in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Public and publicly guaranteed debt service in Sierra Leone, 1977–2024
Source: International Debt Statistics, World Bank (WB). Measured in % of exports of goods, services and primary income.
Analysis
Sierra Leone recorded 4.2% for public and publicly guaranteed debt service in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 16.5% on the previous year and up 185.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, public and publicly guaranteed debt service in Sierra Leone peaked at 59.9% in 1995 and was at its lowest, 1.0%, in 2013.
Sierra Leone ranks 87th of 120 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.
Public and publicly guaranteed debt service in Sierra Leone, year by year
| Year | % of exports of goods, services and primary income | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1977 | 10.5% | — |
| 1978 | 17.8% | +69.4% |
| 1979 | 18.3% | +3.0% |
| 1980 | 20.7% | +13.2% |
| 1981 | 30.1% | +45.1% |
| 1982 | 20.4% | -32.4% |
| 1983 | 17.9% | -12.2% |
| 1984 | 15.9% | -11.3% |
| 1985 | 9.7% | -39.0% |
| 1986 | 9.2% | -4.7% |
| 1987 | 7.5% | -18.8% |
| 1988 | 11.1% | +48.9% |
| 1989 | 3.2% | -71.0% |
| 1990 | 7.8% | +142.2% |
| 1991 | 3.3% | -58.2% |
| 1992 | 12.8% | +291.0% |
| 1993 | 11.9% | -6.9% |
| 1994 | 18.5% | +55.3% |
| 1995 | 59.9% | +223.8% |
| 1996 | 54.6% | -8.8% |
| 1997 | 29.0% | -46.9% |
| 1998 | 42.4% | +46.3% |
| 1999 | 44.0% | +3.6% |
| 2000 | 29.6% | -32.5% |
| 2001 | 20.3% | -31.6% |
| 2002 | 11.3% | -44.4% |
| 2003 | 8.7% | -22.5% |
| 2004 | 8.8% | +0.2% |
| 2005 | 5.2% | -40.8% |
| 2006 | 5.8% | +11.1% |
| 2007 | 2.5% | -56.3% |
| 2008 | 1.5% | -39.3% |
| 2009 | 1.9% | +21.9% |
| 2010 | 2.1% | +10.8% |
| 2011 | 2.4% | +15.3% |
| 2012 | 1.1% | -54.6% |
| 2013 | 1.0% | -11.4% |
| 2014 | 1.5% | +55.2% |
| 2015 | 2.8% | +85.9% |
| 2016 | 4.4% | +58.7% |
| 2017 | 4.5% | +2.2% |
| 2018 | 4.8% | +8.2% |
| 2019 | 6.8% | +39.7% |
| 2020 | 9.3% | +36.9% |
| 2021 | 6.2% | -33.1% |
| 2022 | 5.6% | -10.0% |
| 2023 | 5.1% | -9.0% |
| 2024 | 4.2% | -16.5% |
Sierra Leone compared with similar countries
- Sierra Leone's 4.2% is below the median for low income countries, which is 5.2%, 81% of the median. (21 countries reporting)
- Sierra Leone's 4.2% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 5.7%, 75% of the median. (43 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Public and publicly guaranteed debt service 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | +291.0% | 3.3% | 12.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 15.5% | 10.5% | 18.3% | 3 |
| 1980s | 14.6% | 3.2% | 30.1% | 10 |
| 1990s | 28.4% | 3.3% | 59.9% | 10 |
| 2000s | 9.6% | 1.5% | 29.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.1% | 1.0% | 6.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 6.1% | 4.2% | 9.3% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Sierra Leone
- 84 Togo 4.4% compare
- 85 Botswana 4.3% compare
- 86 Bosnia and Herzegovina 4.2% compare
- 88 Tajikistan 4.2% compare
- 89 Burkina Faso 4.2% compare
- 90 Saint Lucia 4.1% compare
More external debt data for Sierra Leone
- IFC, private nonguaranteed 9.00 million NFL, US$ (2024)
- IFC, private nonguaranteed (NFL, US$), per capita 1.04 NFL, US$ per person (2024)
- IFC, private nonguaranteed (NFL, US$), per unit of GDP 0.0013 NFL, US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- IFC, private nonguaranteed (NFL, US$), per square kilometre 0 NFL, US$ per square kilometre (2023)
- Public and publicly guaranteed debt service 1.0% (2024)
- Net financial flows, IDA -4.82 million NFL, current US$ (2024)
- Net financial flows, IDA (NFL, current US$), per capita -0.5577 NFL, current US$ per person (2024)
- Net financial flows, IDA (NFL, current US$), per unit of GDP -0.0007 NFL, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Net financial flows, IBRD -284,000 NFL, current US$ (2000)
- Net financial flows, IDA (NFL, current US$), per square kilometre 136.55 NFL, current US$ per square kilometre (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is public and publicly guaranteed debt service in Sierra Leone?
- Public and publicly guaranteed debt service in Sierra Leone was 4.2% in 2024, according to International Debt Statistics, World Bank (WB).
- What is the highest public and publicly guaranteed debt service recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The highest recorded value was 59.9% in 1995.
- What is the lowest public and publicly guaranteed debt service recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.0% in 2013.
- How does Sierra Leone rank for public and publicly guaranteed debt service?
- Sierra Leone ranks 87th out of 120 countries with data for 2024.
- Is public and publicly guaranteed debt service rising or falling in Sierra Leone?
- Over the last ten years it is up 185.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Sierra Leone data come from?
- The figures come from International Debt Statistics, World Bank (WB), published as part of Public and publicly guaranteed debt service (% of exports of goods, services and primary income). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Public and publicly guaranteed debt service to exports of goods, services, and income. Public and publicly guaranteed debt service is the sum of principal repayments and interest actually paid in currency, goods, or services on long-term obligations of public debtors and long-term private obligations guaranteed by a public entity. Exports of goods, services and primary income is the sum of goods (merchandise) exports, exports of (nonfactor) services and income (factor) receipts.