Freetown, 11th December 2025– The Government of Sierra Leone expended a total of NLe6,184,592 thousand during the third quarter of 2025, according to official expenditure data ending 30th September. The figure reflects consolidated spending across recurrent, capital, and development categories, including domestic and external debt servicing.
The breakdown, published in the Quarter 3 Summary of Expenditure Analysis, shows that Operating Expenses accounted for NLe3,958,242 thousand, while Financing Costs comprising interest payments on domestic and foreign debt totaled NLe2,226,350 thousand.
Of the operating expenses, Wages, Salaries and Allowances absorbed the largest share at NLe1,910,964 thousand, including NLe287,214 thousand for social security and employee benefits. Non-Salary, Non-Interest Recurrent Expenditure stood at NLe1,000,555 thousand, while Current Transfers amounted to NLe785,046 thousand. Capital Expenditure and Capital Transfers were recorded at NLe261,676 thousand, reflecting modest investment in infrastructure and development projects.
The financing costs reveal a heavy domestic debt burden, with NLe1,894,098 thousand spent on domestic interest payments, compared to NLe332,252 thousand on external interest payments.
According to the Ministry of Finance, 96 payment vouchers were processed through Financial Secretary Letters, covering 16 Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs). These payments spanned recurrent, capital, and development expenditure categories, and included both project-specific and Consolidated Revenue Fund (CRF) allocations.
The data underscores the government’s continued fiscal pressure from wage obligations and debt servicing, which together consumed over 66% of total quarterly spending.
These figures highlight the need for stronger domestic revenue mobilization and tighter expenditure controls, especially as Sierra Leone navigates post-pandemic recovery and rising global interest rates.
