Sierra Leone: country facts, travel advice and health

01Free

The 30-second card

CapitalFreetownSource: Wikidata · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

LanguageEnglish, KrioSource: Wikidata · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

CurrencySierra Leonean Leone · SLESource: Unicode CLDR · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

TimeUTC±0Source: IANA Time Zone Database · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗

PlugsG, 230 VSource: Wikidata · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

DrivingOn the rightSource: Wikidata · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

Emergency · tap to call

117Ambulance · Fire · Police · All emergencies

Source: GOV.UK · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

Visa · United Kingdom passport

Visa neededSource: GOV.UK · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

Visa · United States passport

Visa neededSource: U.S. Department of State · Checked 25 Oct 2026 ↗

SIM and eSIM

Orange, Qcell and Africell sell mobile data that performs well, and most people go online by phone.Source: Wikivoyage · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

Apps locals use

WhatsApp handles video and voice calls over mobile data, which works in every town.

Source: Wikivoyage · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

Cards or cash

Mostly cashMostly cards

Step 2 of 5: Most things are paid in cash, though cards are accepted in some places.Source: Wikivoyage · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

Money in Sierra Leone

Sierra Leonean Leone · SLE

Old-series banknotes are no longer accepted and can be exchanged only at the central bank.

The small airport bank gives fair exchange rates on arrival.

Street sellers quote foreigners higher prices, so negotiate hard.

For withdrawals with a foreign Visa or MasterCard, use Ecobank or UBA cash machines.

Source: Wikivoyage · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

Collect Sierra Leonean Leone in CointryOur sister app for coin and banknote collectors · cointry.appOpen

Public holidays in the next 12 months

Fri, 25 Dec 2026 · Christmas Day

Sat, 26 Dec 2026 · St. Stephen's Day Boxing Day

Fri, 1 Jan 2027 · New Year's Day

Mon, 8 Feb 2027–8 Mar · Ramadan (expected date)

Thu, 18 Feb 2027 · Armed Forces Day

Mon, 8 Mar 2027 · International Women's Day

Tue, 9 Mar 2027 · Eid al-Fitr (expected date)

Fri, 26 Mar 2027 · Good Friday

Mon, 29 Mar 2027 · Easter Monday

Tue, 27 Apr 2027 · Independence Day

Sat, 1 May 2027 · Labour Day

Sun, 16 May 2027 · Eid al-Adha (expected date)

Source: Nager.Date · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗Source: Umm al-Qura calendar (computed with ICU) · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

02Free

Safety today

Germany, the US and the UK publish their travel advice openly. Here is what those that cover Sierra Leone say, side by side, checked daily.

German Foreign Office says

No travel warning

Calm ●

Caution

Serious

Don’t go

Source: Auswärtiges Amt
Updated 13 Oct 2026 · Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page

U.S. Department of State says

Exercise increased caution

Calm

Caution ●

Serious

Don’t go

Level 2 of 4

Source: travel.state.gov
Updated 14 Sept 2025 · Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page

UK Foreign Office says

No advice against travel

Source: GOV.UK
Updated 19 Jun 2026 · Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page

Scams to know

Rope roadblocks

Kids with ropes ask for road-repair money; real checkpoints have officers in uniform.

Source: GOV.UK · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

Too-good gem deals

Have stones or minerals checked before paying, and distrust bargain offers.

Source: GOV.UK · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

Staged car stops

Keep doors locked and stay wary if people try to stop the car with a made-up reason.

Source: GOV.UK · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

Countrywise is a summary. The official page is authoritative.

03Free

Health

Yellow fever vaccine is mandatory; hepatitis A, B and typhoid advised. Malaria risk; some towns are high up.

Vaccinations

Yellow fever vaccination is mandatory for every traveller; CDC also advises hepatitis A, hepatitis B, typhoid and up-to-date routine shots including measles, and rabies shots are worth discussing with a doctor.

Malaria

Risk

Altitude

Some towns, such as Kabala, are described as high up, so know the signs of altitude sickness.

Talk to a travel clinic 4–8 weeks before you go.

Source: CDC
Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page

Summarised from the CDC’s Travelers’ Health pages. Using them does not mean the CDC endorses Countrywise.

04Travel layer

In the app: the travel layer

The travel layer

Read a country like someone who’s been there.

What’s different from home, and what’s the lawMust-see places, free entry and World Heritage sites20 words to remember, with pronunciationStrange and surprising factsThe anthem and national symbolsSaved for offline use

€4.99once · all countries

Pay once. No subscription. All countries, yours forever.

Must-see · 1Freetown

The capital on the western coast and base for most trips.

Source: Wikivoyage · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

Strange & surprising · #1

The country began as a settlement for formerly enslaved people from across the British Empire.

Source: Wikivoyage · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

National anthem: High We Exalt Thee, Realm of the Free. The lyrics, translated, and the story are in the app. Source: Wikidata · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

1 World Heritage site in Sierra Leone, each with a photo and its story, in the app. Source: UNESCO World Heritage List

05Free

Deep facts

Economy
GDP	≈ $7.5 billionSource: World Bank · 2025 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Per person	≈ $846Source: World Bank · 2025 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Top exports	iron ore, titanium ore, diamonds, aluminum ore, cocoa beans (2023)Source: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗

Population
Population	8.8 millionSource: World Bank · 2025 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Median age	19.7 yearsSource: The World Factbook (archive) · 2025 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Life expectancy	59.4 yearsSource: The World Factbook (archive) · 2024 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Religions	Muslim 77.1%, Christian 22.9% (2019 est.)Source: The World Factbook (archive) · 2019 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗

Geography
Area	71,740 km²Source: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Climate	tropical; hot, humid; summer rainy season (May to December); winter dry season (December to April)Source: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Terrain	coastal belt of mangrove swamps, wooded hill country, upland plateau, mountains in eastSource: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗

Government
Type of government	presidential republicSource: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Calling code	+232Source: libphonenumber · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

About the data

Written from the sources we link, and checked against them before each release. Countrywise summarises public sources. We are not an official source. For safety and entry rules, always follow the official page we link to.

From your foreign ministry when it publishes its advice openly (Germany, the US, the UK). Otherwise we show those three side by side. Checked daily, with the date next to every entry.

CDC · 24 Oct 2026 ↗GOV.UK · 24 Oct 2026 ↗IANA Time Zone Database · 23 Oct 2026 ↗libphonenumber · 24 Oct 2026 ↗Nager.Date · 23 Oct 2026 ↗The World Factbook (archive) · 23 Oct 2026 ↗U.S. Department of State · 25 Oct 2026 ↗Umm al-Qura calendar (computed with ICU) · 24 Oct 2026 ↗Unicode CLDR · 24 Oct 2026 ↗Wikidata · 24 Oct 2026 ↗Wikivoyage · 24 Oct 2026 ↗World Bank · 23 Oct 2026 ↗

Flag artwork from flag-icons (MIT licence).