Freetown,8th September 2025– In Sierra Leone today, the most popular dream among young people isn’t fame, fortune, or even a university degree, it’s leaving. According to the 2025 Status of Youth Report, drawn from a nationally representative survey of 2,420 youth, a staggering 79.76% say they want to migrate, driven by a desperate search for opportunity. Whether it’s the bustling streets of Freetown or the promise of prosperity in the United States.
“I hold a degree, but I’m still jobless. Every morning, I wake up and hustle just to survive. There’s no dignity in this grind just struggle. If the opportunity came, I would leave tomorrow without looking back.” -Mohamed Kamara who lives at Fredrick Street in Central Freetown says.
81% of these young people cite employment as the primary reason for wanting to migrate. 48.41% prefer the USA as their destination of choice, followed by the UK and Canada.
Interestingly, migration interest cuts across employment status, even those with jobs want to leave. Among educated youth, the desire to migrate is even more pronounced. 82.51% say economic opportunity is the driving force behind their international aspirations.
“I work at a bank in the heart of town, but I live all the way in Kissy, east end of Freetown. Every month, I spend half my salary on transportation getting to work, the other half goes to food. There’s nothing left to save, no room to breathe. I know that abroad, I would have better working conditions and a chance to build a future,” Isatu Barrie a single mother of one said.
Domestically, Freetown remains the magnet. It’s the city of hope, jobs, and visibility. But its pull is symptomatic of deeper imbalances. Rural communities, starved of infrastructure and investment, are losing their youth to the capital. And when Freetown can’t deliver, the next stop is abroad.
The data demands action and not just analysis. Policy experts recommend the development of industries in both rural and urban areas, improvement of agriculture, SMEs, tech, and renewables, to create jobs where youth already live.
They also call for the expansion of vocational and technical education to equip youth with market-ready skills and forge direct links between schools and employers, whilst upgrading rural infrastructure including roads, clinics, schools, and amenities to stem the flow of city-bound migration.
It is also important to plan for sustainable urban growth with affordable housing and public services to absorb rural migrants without collapse.
The report is more than a migration story, it’s a referendum on Sierra Leone’s economic and institutional landscape. When nearly 8 in 10 young people want to leave, it’s not just about greener pastures. It’s about survival, dignity, and the right to dream without borders.
If Sierra Leone is to retain its future, it must invest in it, where youth live, learn, and hope. Otherwise, the next great export won’t be cocoa or diamonds. It will be human resource and ambition.
