STATISTICS: SIERRA LEONE

Sierra Leone Official name: Republic of Sierra Leone. Form of government: republic with one legislative body (Parliament {2}. Head of state and government: President. Capital: Freetown. Official language: English. Official religion: none. Monetary unit: 1 leone (Le) = 100 cents; valuation (Sept. 25, 1998) 1 U.S.$ = Le 1,550; 1 = Le 2,639. Demography Population (1998): 4,577,000{3}. Density (1998): persons per sq mi 165.2, persons per sq km 63.8. Urban-rural (1996): urban 37.0%; rural 63.0%. Sex distribution (1996): male 49.02%; female 50.98%. Age breakdown (1995): under 15, 44.2%; 15-29, 26.2%; 30-44, 15.7%; 45-59, 9.0%; 60-74, 4.2%; 75 and over, 0.7%. Population projection: (2000) 4,866,000; (2010) 6,056,000. Doubling time: 29 years. Ethnic composition (1983): Mende 34.6%; Temne 31.7%; Limba 8.4%; Kono 5.2%; Bullom-Sherbro 3.7%; Fulani 3.7%; Kuranko 3.5%; Yalunka 3.5%; Kissi 2.3%; other 3.4%. Religious affiliation (1993): Muslim 60.0%; traditional 30.0%; Christian 10.0%. Major cities (1985): Freetown 469,776; Koidu-New Sembehun 80,000; Bo 26,000; Kenema 13,000; Makeni 12,000. Vital statistics Birth rate per 1,000 population (1990-95): 49.1 (world avg. 25.0); legitimate n.a.; illegitimate n.a. Death rate per 1,000 population (1990-95): 25.1 (world avg. 9.3). Natural increase rate per 1,000 population (1990-95): 24.0 (world avg. 15.7). Total fertility rate (avg. births per childbearing woman; 1990-95): 6.5. Marriage rate per 1,000 population: n.a. Divorce rate per 1,000 population: n.a. Life expectancy at birth (1990-95): male 41.4 years; female 44.6 years. Major causes of death per 100,000 population: n.a.; however, the major diseases are malaria, tuberculosis, leprosy, measles, tetanus, and diarrhea. National economy Budget (1995-96). Revenue: Le 69,700,000,000 (customs duties 49.0%; excise taxes 20.2%; personal income tax 7.7%; corporate income tax 6.8%). Expenditures: Le 141,941,000,000 (recurrent expenditures 81.5%, of which defense 34.0%, debt service 11.3%, education 8.0%, health 4.3%, social security 1.6%; capital expenditures 18.5%). Gross national product (1996): U.S.$925,000,000 (U.S.$200 per capita). Production (metric tons except as noted). Agriculture, forestry, fishing (1996): rice 391,700, cassava 281,400, sweet potatoes 46,400, peanuts (groundnuts) 35,800, tomatoes 32,000, palm kernels 29,160, plantains 26,000, coffee 25,000, sugarcane 21,000, millet 20,700, sorghum 20,500, cacao beans 10,000; livestock (number of live animals) 360,200 cattle, 301,900 sheep, 165,800 goats, 50,000 pigs; roundwood (1995) 3,327,600 cu m; fish catch (1995) 62,568. Mining and quarrying (1995-96): bauxite 728,000{4}; rutile and ilmenite (titanium ores) 203,000{4}; diamonds 216,000 carats; gold 3,949 oz{5}. Manufacturing (value added in Le '000,000; 1993): food 36,117; chemicals 10,560; earthenware 1,844; printing and publishing 1,171; metal products 1,073; furniture 647. Construction (value added in Le; 1994-95): 15,788,200,000. Energy production (consumption): electricity (kW-hr; 1994) 237,000,000 (237,000,000); coal, none (n.a.); crude petroleum (barrels; 1994) none (2,148,000); petroleum products (metric tons; 1994) 168,000 (138,000); natural gas, none (n.a.). Household income and expenditure. Average household size (1985) 6.6; average annual income per household (1984): U.S.$320; sources of income (1984): self-employment 61.6%, wages and salaries 27.9%, other 10.5%; expenditure (1989): food 66.2%, clothing 9.9%, housing 5.8%, transportation 4.4%, household goods 4.0%, recreation and education 3.8%, health 3.5%. Public debt (external, outstanding; 1996): U.S.$892,000,000. Population economically active (1991): total 1,532,000; activity rate of total population 35.9% (participation rates: ages 10-64, 53.3%; female 32.4%; unemployed [registered; 1992] 10.6%). Tourism (1995): receipts U.S.$6,000,000; expenditures U.S.$2,000,000. Land use (1994): forest 28.5%; pasture 30.7%; agriculture 7.5%; other 33.3%. Foreign trade{6} Imports (1995-96): Le 144,896,500,000 (food and live animals 51.6%; fuels and lubricants 11.6%; chemicals 10.2%; machinery and transport equipment 8.9%; beverages and tobacco 2.7%; crude minerals 2.5%). Major import sources (1994-95): U.S. 42.7%; The Netherlands 14.2%; U.K. 5.7%; Indonesia 3.7%; Germany 3.0%. Exports (1995-96): Le 39,935,100,000 (mineral exports 56.4%, of which diamonds 50.6%, rutile [titanium ore] 5.7%; cocoa 5.0%; coffee 3.7%; reexports 4.8%). Major export destinations (1994-95): U.S. 44.8%; U.K. 17.3%; Belgium 16.8%; The Netherlands 4.1%; Germany 2.0%. Transport Transport. Railroads (1990): length 52 mi, 84 km. Roads (1995): total length 7,254 mi, 11,674 km (paved 11%). Vehicles (1995): passenger cars 20,860; trucks and buses 11,014. Merchant marine (1992): vessels (100 gross tons and over) 62; total deadweight tonnage 18,384. Air transport (1985) {7}: passenger-mi 68,290,000, passenger-km 109,903,000; short ton-mi cargo 1,400,000, metric ton-km cargo 2,044,000; airports (1997) with scheduled flight 1. Education and health Educational attainment (1985). Percentage of population age 5 and over having: no formal schooling 64.1%; primary education 18.7%; secondary 9.7%; higher 1.5%. Literacy (1995): total population age 15 and over literate 791,000 (31.4%); males literate 555,000 (45.4%); females 236,000 (18.2%). Health: physicians (1992) 404 (1 per 10,832 persons); hospital beds (1988) 4,025 (1 per 980 persons); infant mortality rate (1990-95) 166. Food (1995): daily per capita caloric intake 2,029 (vegetable products 96%, animal products 4%); 88% of FAO recommended minimum requirement. Military Total active duty personnel (1996): 14,200 (army 98.6%, navy 1.4%, air force, none). Military expenditure as percentage of GNP (1995): 4.6% (world 2.8%); per capita expenditure U.S.$9. {1} Includes 12 paramount chiefs elected to represent each of the provincial districts. {2} The popularly elected government overthrown in May 1997 was restored to power in February 1998 by ECOMOG, a Nigerian-led West African military force. {3} Including more than 450,000 Sierra Leonean refugees temporarily residing in Guinea and Liberia. {4} 1994-95; production ceased January 1995 with seizure of mines by rebel forces. {5} 1994-95. {6} Import c.i.f.; exports f.o.b. {7} International flights only.