The Republic of Sierra Leone gained independence from the UK in April 1961, and is currently struggling to recover from a decade-long civil war that ended in 2002. Poverty is widespread, and economic mismanagement and corruption rife. A recent increase in political stability has allowed for some revival of economic activity, including mining. The country's official language is English, while Krio (a Creole language derived from English) and a range of African languages are also spoken.

Leader: President Ernest Bai Koroma
Capital city: Freetown

Economic profile

Monetary unit: Leone
GDP per capita: $900 (2010) (CIA)
GDP composition by sector:
Agriculture: 50.2% (2008) (World Bank)
Industry: 23.5% (2008) (World Bank)
Services: 26.3% (2008) (World Bank)
GDP growth rate: 5% (2010) (IMF)
Budget:
Government revenue, excluding grants: 10.8% of GDP (2007) (IMF)
Government expenditure: 16.8% of GDP (2007) (IMF)
Consumer price inflation: 11.7% (2007) (IMF)
Industries: Diamond mining; small-scale manufacturing (beverages, textiles, cigarettes, footwear); petroleum refining, and small commercial ship repair
Exports of goods and services: 16.3% of GDP (2008) (World Bank)
Imports of goods and services: 29.4% of GDP (2008) (World Bank)
Export commodities: Diamonds, rutile, cocoa, coffee, and fish
Import commodities: Foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, fuels and lubricants, and chemicals
Trade balance: -6.0% of GDP (2007) (IMF)
Reserves: $220-mil (2008) (World Bank)
Total investment: 13.4% of GDP (2007) (IMF)
Market capitalisation of listed companies: Figures not available

Social profile

Population: 5.696-million (2011) (World Bank)
Population growth: 2.4% (2011) (World Bank)
Life expectancy at birth: 47.9 (2011) (World Bank)
Adult literacy: 41% (2009) (World Bank)
School enrolment primary: 158% (2007) (World Bank)
School enrolment secondary: 35% (2007) (World Bank)
Number of people living with HIV/Aids: 49 000 (2009) (Unicef)