Distribution of Democracy Index in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: Distribution of Democracy Index was 17 in 2018. ◆ Volatile
Distribution of Democracy Index in Sierra Leone, 1961–2018
Source: Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
Sierra Leone recorded 17 for distribution of democracy index in 2018. That is the highest value across all 58 years on record.
That represents a change of unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, distribution of democracy index in Sierra Leone peaked at 17 in 2007 and was at its lowest, 3, in 1967.
That places Sierra Leone 70th out of 168 countries with data for 2018, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Distribution of Democracy Index in Sierra Leone, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 16 | — |
| 1962 | 16 | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 16 | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 16 | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 16 | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 16 | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 3 | -81.2% |
| 1968 | 11 | +266.7% |
| 1969 | 11 | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 11 | +0.0% |
| 1971 | 4 | -63.6% |
| 1972 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 3 | -25.0% |
| 1979 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 4 | +33.3% |
| 1992 | 3 | -25.0% |
| 1993 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 14 | +366.7% |
| 1997 | 10 | -28.6% |
| 1998 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 12 | +20.0% |
| 2002 | 15 | +25.0% |
| 2003 | 15 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 15 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 15 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 15 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 17 | +13.3% |
| 2008 | 17 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 17 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 17 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 17 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 17 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 17 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 17 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 17 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 17 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 17 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 17 | +0.0% |
Sierra Leone compared with similar countries
- Sierra Leone's 17 is above the median for low income countries, which is 11, 1.5× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Sierra Leone's 17 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 14.5, 1.2× the median. (46 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 13.44 | 3 | 16 | 9 |
| 1970s | 4.5 | 3 | 11 | 10 |
| 1980s | 3 | 3 | 3 | 10 |
| 1990s | 6.3 | 3 | 14 | 10 |
| 2000s | 14.8 | 10 | 17 | 10 |
| 2010s | 17 | 17 | 17 | 9 |
Countries ranked near Sierra Leone
- 70 Armenia 17 compare
- 70 Benin 17 compare
- 70 Bhutan 17 compare
- 70 Bolivia 17 compare
- 70 Colombia 17 compare
- 70 Dominican Republic 17 compare
- 70 Georgia 17 compare
- 70 Guyana 17 compare
- 70 Honduras 17 compare
- 70 Liberia 17 compare
- 70 Malaysia 17 compare
- 70 Nepal 17 compare
- 70 Nigeria 17 compare
- 70 Pakistan 17 compare
- 70 Senegal 17 compare
- 70 Tunisia 17 compare
More social development data for Sierra Leone
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 8,925 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 4 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 0 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 4 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.001 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 8,925 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is distribution of democracy index in Sierra Leone?
- Distribution of democracy index in Sierra Leone was 17 in 2018, according to Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest distribution of democracy index recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The highest recorded value was 17 in 2007.
- What is the lowest distribution of democracy index recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The lowest recorded value was 3 in 1967.
- How does Sierra Leone rank for distribution of democracy index?
- Sierra Leone ranks 70th out of 168 countries with data for 2018.
- Is distribution of democracy index rising or falling in Sierra Leone?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Sierra Leone data come from?
- The figures come from Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Distribution of Democracy Index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 58 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
It combines information on the extent to which open, multi-party, and competitive elections choose a chief executive who faces comprehensive institutional constraints, and political participation is competitive. It ranges from 0 to 20 (fully democratic).