Share of imports that come from China in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: Share of imports that come from China was 25.6% in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2024)
25.6%
Change on year
up 22.5%
World rank
34th
of 206 countries
All-time high
25.6%
in 2024
All-time low
0.4%
in 1960
Years of data
62
1960–2024
Share of imports that come from China in Sierra Leone, 1960–2024
Source: International Monetary Fund (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Sierra Leone recorded 25.6% for share of imports that come from china in 2024. That is the highest value across all 62 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 22.5% on the previous year and up 220.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of imports that come from china in Sierra Leone peaked at 25.6% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 0.4%, in 1960.
That places Sierra Leone 34th out of 206 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Share of imports that come from China in Sierra Leone, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 0.4% | — |
| 1961 | 0.5% | +7.7% |
| 1962 | 0.6% | +33.5% |
| 1963 | 0.5% | -17.8% |
| 1964 | 0.9% | +75.5% |
| 1965 | 1.3% | +43.2% |
| 1966 | 1.7% | +32.5% |
| 1967 | 2.3% | +33.4% |
| 1968 | 2.8% | +22.5% |
| 1969 | 3.8% | +36.0% |
| 1970 | 2.7% | -30.7% |
| 1971 | 3.1% | +16.0% |
| 1972 | 3.8% | +25.0% |
| 1973 | 3.6% | -7.0% |
| 1974 | 5.5% | +52.7% |
| 1975 | 6.0% | +9.3% |
| 1976 | 6.1% | +1.8% |
| 1977 | 4.2% | -31.4% |
| 1981 | 4.2% | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 2.6% | -37.6% |
| 1983 | 2.5% | -3.5% |
| 1984 | 2.8% | +11.2% |
| 1985 | 7.0% | +150.9% |
| 1986 | 3.9% | -44.9% |
| 1987 | 2.8% | -27.6% |
| 1988 | 2.8% | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 2.8% | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 2.6% | -7.4% |
| 1991 | 2.8% | +7.8% |
| 1992 | 3.5% | +26.2% |
| 1993 | 7.2% | +103.7% |
| 1994 | 3.9% | -45.7% |
| 1995 | 2.0% | -47.9% |
| 1996 | 2.6% | +29.0% |
| 1997 | 2.0% | -24.1% |
| 1998 | 2.6% | +31.5% |
| 1999 | 2.5% | -3.1% |
| 2000 | 3.3% | +30.4% |
| 2001 | 2.7% | -17.1% |
| 2002 | 1.6% | -43.1% |
| 2003 | 1.5% | -6.1% |
| 2004 | 2.9% | +98.6% |
| 2005 | 3.0% | +5.0% |
| 2006 | 4.2% | +38.0% |
| 2007 | 6.0% | +42.6% |
| 2008 | 6.5% | +8.7% |
| 2009 | 4.7% | -27.2% |
| 2010 | 8.4% | +76.5% |
| 2011 | 12.1% | +44.7% |
| 2012 | 12.9% | +6.4% |
| 2013 | 9.3% | -27.8% |
| 2014 | 8.0% | -13.9% |
| 2015 | 11.2% | +39.8% |
| 2016 | 11.7% | +4.8% |
| 2017 | 15.6% | +33.4% |
| 2018 | 18.3% | +16.9% |
| 2019 | 19.1% | +4.7% |
| 2020 | 21.7% | +13.5% |
| 2021 | 19.2% | -11.3% |
| 2022 | 20.2% | +5.0% |
| 2023 | 20.9% | +3.5% |
| 2024 | 25.6% | +22.5% |
Sierra Leone compared with similar countries
- Sierra Leone's 25.6% is above the median for low income countries, which is 19.0%, 1.3× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Sierra Leone's 25.6% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 17.6%, 1.5× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 1.5% | 0.4% | 3.8% | 10 |
| 1970s | 4.4% | 2.7% | 6.1% | 8 |
| 1980s | 3.5% | 2.5% | 7.0% | 9 |
| 1990s | 3.2% | 2.0% | 7.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.6% | 1.5% | 6.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 12.6% | 8.0% | 19.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 21.5% | 19.2% | 25.6% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Sierra Leone
- 31 Philippines 25.8% compare
- 32 Lao People's Democratic Republic 25.7% compare
- 33 Somalia 25.6% compare
- 35 Colombia 25.4% compare
- 36 Madagascar 25.1% compare
- 37 Guinea 24.7% compare
More economy & growth data for Sierra Leone
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 2.55 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 4.53 Percent per annum (2029)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), gaps -33,272 BoP, current US$ (2010)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per unit -0 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2010)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per capita -0.0053 BoP, current US$ per person (2010)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), gaps filled 121.78 million BoP, current US$ (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), annual -16.53 % change on previous year (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per unit 0.0175 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per capita 14.09 BoP, current US$ per person (2024)
- Total reserves (includes gold, current US$), annual growth rate -12.59 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of imports that come from china in Sierra Leone?
- Share of imports that come from china in Sierra Leone was 25.6% in 2024, according to International Monetary Fund (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of imports that come from china recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The highest recorded value was 25.6% in 2024.
- What is the lowest share of imports that come from china recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.4% in 1960.
- How does Sierra Leone rank for share of imports that come from china?
- Sierra Leone ranks 34th out of 206 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of imports that come from china rising or falling in Sierra Leone?
- Over the last ten years it is up 220.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Sierra Leone data come from?
- The figures come from International Monetary Fund (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of imports that come from China. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Percentage of a country's total goods imports, including freight and insurance costs, that come from China.