Total debt service (% of GDP) in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: Total debt service (% of GDP) was 0.7% in 2011. ◆ Volatile
Total debt service in Sierra Leone, 1970–2011
Source: World Bank, Global Development Finance. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
Sierra Leone recorded 0.7% for total debt service in 2011.
The figure is up 51.1% on the previous year and down 92.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, total debt service in Sierra Leone peaked at 17.3% in 1994 and was at its lowest, 0.2%, in 2008.
Sierra Leone ranks 30th of 50 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.
Total debt service (% of GDP) in Sierra Leone, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 1.4% | — |
| 1971 | 2.0% | +45.9% |
| 1972 | 2.3% | +12.8% |
| 1973 | 2.2% | -2.8% |
| 1974 | 2.5% | +11.4% |
| 1975 | 2.3% | -8.1% |
| 1976 | 3.7% | +61.8% |
| 1977 | 2.5% | -33.1% |
| 1978 | 4.5% | +80.8% |
| 1979 | 4.9% | +8.9% |
| 1980 | 6.9% | +41.4% |
| 1981 | 6.8% | -1.1% |
| 1982 | 3.2% | -53.5% |
| 1983 | 3.4% | +7.0% |
| 1984 | 4.1% | +20.0% |
| 1985 | 2.8% | -31.7% |
| 1986 | 12.4% | +344.7% |
| 1987 | 2.3% | -81.1% |
| 1988 | 1.7% | -25.5% |
| 1989 | 0.8% | -54.5% |
| 1990 | 3.3% | +309.3% |
| 1991 | 2.0% | -39.3% |
| 1992 | 5.0% | +153.3% |
| 1993 | 4.0% | -19.8% |
| 1994 | 17.3% | +332.5% |
| 1995 | 9.4% | -45.6% |
| 1996 | 6.9% | -26.6% |
| 1997 | 1.8% | -74.4% |
| 1998 | 3.8% | +115.5% |
| 1999 | 4.6% | +19.9% |
| 2000 | 7.5% | +64.3% |
| 2001 | 8.9% | +18.9% |
| 2002 | 1.3% | -85.8% |
| 2003 | 1.4% | +8.5% |
| 2004 | 1.5% | +12.6% |
| 2005 | 1.1% | -27.2% |
| 2006 | 1.3% | +17.5% |
| 2007 | 0.5% | -62.0% |
| 2008 | 0.2% | -52.2% |
| 2009 | 0.3% | +38.0% |
| 2010 | 0.5% | +38.4% |
| 2011 | 0.7% | +51.1% |
Sierra Leone compared with similar countries
- Sierra Leone's 0.7% is above the median for low income countries, which is 0.6%, 1.2× the median. (20 countries reporting)
- Sierra Leone's 0.7% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.8%, 83% of the median. (45 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Total debt service (% of GDP) 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | +344.7% | 2.8% | 12.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 2.8% | 1.4% | 4.9% | 10 |
| 1980s | 4.4% | 0.8% | 12.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | 5.8% | 1.8% | 17.3% | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.4% | 0.2% | 8.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.6% | 0.5% | 0.7% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Sierra Leone
More external debt data for Sierra Leone
- Net financial flows, IBRD -284,000 NFL, current US$ (2000)
- 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)
- 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, IDA (NFL, current US$), per square kilometre 136.55 NFL, current US$ per square kilometre (2023)
- Use of IMF credit 897.42 million DOD, current US$ (2025)
- External debt stocks, public and publicly guaranteed (PPG) 1.31 billion DOD, current US$ (2025)
- External debt stocks, long-term 1.31 billion DOD, current US$ (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is total debt service in Sierra Leone?
- Total debt service in Sierra Leone was 0.7% in 2011, according to World Bank, Global Development Finance.
- What is the highest total debt service recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The highest recorded value was 17.3% in 1994.
- What is the lowest total debt service recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.2% in 2008.
- How does Sierra Leone rank for total debt service?
- Sierra Leone ranks 30th out of 50 countries with data for 2011.
- Is total debt service rising or falling in Sierra Leone?
- Over the last ten years it is down 92.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Sierra Leone data come from?
- The figures come from World Bank, Global Development Finance, published as part of Total debt service (% of GDP). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Total debt service is the sum of principal repayments and interest actually paid in currency, goods, or services on long-term debt, interest paid on short-term debt, and repayments (repurchases and charges) to the IMF.