MigrantoMigration trends in Sierra Leone
Africa
63.6K people from Sierra Leone have built lives abroad. That's 0.7% of the country population, spread across 33 different countries
8.6M
Population
49.2K
Immigrants
63.6K
Emigrants
−14.5K
Outflow
0.7% of people born in Sierra Leone now live abroad
The #159 largest source of emigrants worldwide
Top corridors
The largest migration routes in Sierra Leone
Key moments
How migration has changed since 1990
1990
221.1K immigrants · 42.5K emigrants
1995
- An accelerating exodus — the diaspora abroad grew by 897%
- Guinea overtook Liberia as the largest source of new arrivals
- The country became a place of departure — more people leaving than arriving
- Immigration contracted — the foreign-born population fell 56%
2005
- Liberia overtook Guinea as the largest source of new arrivals
- The exodus eased — the diaspora abroad shrank by 81%
- The country became a destination — more people arriving than leaving
- A surge of arrivals — the foreign-born population jumped 50%
2010
- Senegal replaced Guinea as the main destination for those leaving
- The gap between arrivals and departures was cut in half
2015
- The country became a place of departure — more people leaving than arriving
- Immigration contracted — the foreign-born population fell 26%
2020
- The outflow deepened — net losses doubled to 12.1K
Today
- Senegal replaced Liberia as the main destination for those leaving
- Since 1990: 171.9K fewer foreign-born residents and roughly the same number of citizens living abroad
Data source: International Migrant Stock 2024 (UN DESA, Population Division)
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