Where Sierra Leoneans move
63.6K Sierra Leoneans live abroad — #159 largest source of emigrants worldwide
Considering a move from Sierra Leone? — See top destinations, regional flows, and how it's changed since 1990.
Where emigrants go
The top 3 countries receive 59% of all emigrants
↑↓ — change vs 2020
| Country | Emigrants |
|---|---|
| Senegal | 15843 |
| Liberia | 13878 |
| Guinea | 8065 |
| Nigeria | 4679 |
| Australia | 4218 |
| Ghana | 3061 |
| Belgium | 3018 |
| Gambia | 2856 |
| Mali | 2774 |
| Italy | 2470 |
| Norway | 576 |
| Guinea-Bissau | 491 |
| Denmark | 344 |
| Libya | 265 |
| Greece | 187 |
| Namibia | 180 |
| Finland | 171 |
| South Africa | 142 |
| Togo | 106 |
| Brazil | 100 |
| Portugal | 65 |
| Hungary | 35 |
| Iceland | 29 |
| Luxembourg | 23 |
| Egypt | 22 |
| Cape Verde | 15 |
| Estonia | 8 |
| Slovenia | 5 |
| Bolivia | 2 |
| Cyprus | 1 |
| Bulgaria | 1 |
| Slovakia | 1 |
| Latvia | 0 |
By destination region
Africa is the leading destination region at 82%
52.4K
6.9K
4.2K
102
1
Interesting facts
Notable statistics about emigration from Sierra Leone.
Senegal is the primary destination for emigrants
Senegal attracts 25% of all emigrants from Sierra Leone, while the second-largest destination receives just 22%.
Emigration destinations have diversified since 1990
The top destination's share fell from 38% to 25%, indicating a broader spread of emigration patterns.
The share of emigrants going to Africa has declined since 1990
The share of emigrants going to Africa has shifted from 97.4% to 82.3% since 1990.
How emigration changed over time
Total emigrant population by year
| Year | Emigrants |
|---|---|
| 1990 | 42497 |
| 1995 | 423611 |
| 2000 | 459995 |
| 2005 | 89467 |
| 2010 | 57946 |
| 2015 | 59400 |
| 2020 | 64980 |
| 2024 | 63631 |
Top destinations over time
Emigration to the 5 largest destination countries
| Year | Senegal | Liberia | Guinea | Nigeria | Australia |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 12313 | 7943 | 15985 | 1553 | 97 |
| 1995 | 12876 | 124102 | 273125 | 1574 | 158 |
| 2000 | 11638 | 71154 | 365828 | 1658 | 260 |
| 2005 | 12523 | 26426 | 27115 | 3294 | 1490 |
| 2010 | 14007 | 12578 | 13557 | 3365 | 3265 |
| 2015 | 14963 | 14536 | 8683 | 4073 | 3989 |
| 2020 | 15453 | 16853 | 8342 | 4363 | 4094 |
| 2024 | 15843 | 13878 | 8065 | 4679 | 4218 |
Fastest-changing destinations
How emigration to each country has changed since the selected year
Sierra Leone as an emigration source
Share of immigrants in each country who originate from Sierra Leone