Freedom Score in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: Freedom Score was 61 in 2025. ▬ Flat
Freedom Score in Sierra Leone, 2002–2025
Source: Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
Sierra Leone recorded 61 for freedom score in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 3.4% on the previous year and down 6.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, freedom score in Sierra Leone peaked at 70 in 2012 and was at its lowest, 57, in 2002.
That places Sierra Leone 101st out of 197 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
Freedom Score in Sierra Leone, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 57 | — |
| 2003 | 59 | +3.5% |
| 2004 | 58 | -1.7% |
| 2005 | 60 | +3.4% |
| 2006 | 60 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 63 | +5.0% |
| 2008 | 64 | +1.6% |
| 2009 | 64 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 64 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 67 | +4.7% |
| 2012 | 70 | +4.5% |
| 2013 | 67 | -4.3% |
| 2014 | 65 | -3.0% |
| 2015 | 65 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 66 | +1.5% |
| 2017 | 66 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 65 | -1.5% |
| 2019 | 65 | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 65 | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 65 | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 63 | -3.1% |
| 2023 | 60 | -4.8% |
| 2024 | 59 | -1.7% |
| 2025 | 61 | +3.4% |
Sierra Leone compared with similar countries
- Sierra Leone's 61 is above the median for low income countries, which is 18, 3.4× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Sierra Leone's 61 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 35, 1.7× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 60.62 | 57 | 64 | 8 |
| 2010s | 66 | 64 | 70 | 10 |
| 2020s | 62.17 | 59 | 65 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Sierra Leone
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 freedom score in Sierra Leone?
- Freedom score in Sierra Leone was 61 in 2025, according to Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest freedom score recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The highest recorded value was 70 in 2012.
- What is the lowest freedom score recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The lowest recorded value was 57 in 2002.
- How does Sierra Leone rank for freedom score?
- Sierra Leone ranks 101st out of 197 countries with data for 2025.
- Is freedom score rising or falling in Sierra Leone?
- Over the last ten years it is down 6.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Sierra Leone data come from?
- The figures come from Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Freedom Score. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 24 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Freedom House’s freedom score captures the extent of free and fair elections, political pluralism and participation, a functioning government, freedom of expression and association, the rule of law, and personal autonomy. Higher scores indicate more freedom.