Sierra Leone has recorded steady improvements in life expectancy over the past two decades, according to international demographic estimates, though it continues to lag behind some West African peers and remains among the lower-ranked countries globally.
Data from the United Nations World Population Prospects 2024 dataset estimate life expectancy in Sierra Leone at about 62 years, reflecting gradual progress driven by improvements in child survival, vaccination coverage, malaria control and maternal healthcare since the end of the civil war and the recovery from the 2014–2016 Ebola outbreak.
The figure places Sierra Leone slightly above neighbouring Liberia and Guinea, where life expectancy is around 61 years, and broadly in line with Ivory Coast, estimated at about 61–62 years. However, it remains below Ghana, where people are expected to live about 66 years on average.
Across the wider region, Nigeria is estimated at around 54–55 years in UN-based data, though figures vary across international datasets depending on methodology.
Health experts say such differences reflect how agencies model mortality in countries with incomplete civil registration systems. The UN relies mainly on demographic modelling and census adjustments, while the World Health Organization and the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation incorporate health surveys, disease burden estimates and cause-of-death data.
Despite these variations, all major datasets point to a consistent trend: Sierra Leone has made notable gains in life expectancy but remains below both regional and global averages.
At the turn of the century, life expectancy in Sierra Leone was estimated at around 40 years. The increase to just above 60 years today represents an improvement of more than 20 years, driven largely by reductions in child mortality and expanded access to basic healthcare services.
The highest life expectancy globally remains in Monaco, where people are expected to live more than 86 years on average.
Demographers caution that life expectancy is a statistical measure heavily influenced by infant and child mortality as well as maternal deaths, and does not represent the typical lifespan of adults.
Sustaining progress in Sierra Leone will depend on continued investment in primary healthcare, nutrition, sanitation, clean water and maternal services, particularly in rural areas where access remains limited.
While challenges persist, analysts say the long-term trend shows gradual convergence toward regional averages, with Sierra Leone’s gains marking one of the more notable improvements in West Africa over the past two decades.
