By Davida Spaine-Solomon
Freetown, 24th November 2025- Poverty in Sierra Leone is rising again, with new figures from the World Bank projecting that nearly 60% of the population, 59.9%, could be living below the national poverty line in 2024. That’s a sharp increase from 57.8% in 2023, and a troubling return to the peak levels recorded during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
The data, published in the Bank’s 7th Edition of the Sierra Leone Economic Update, paints a clear picture of worsening hardship across the country. Inflation remains stubbornly high, household incomes are weak, and food insecurity is widespread. These pressures are pushing more Sierra Leoneans into poverty, with both urban and rural communities feeling the strain.
But it’s rural families who continue to bear the brunt. The report confirms that poverty remains highest in rural areas, where access to healthcare, education, and stable livelihoods is limited. Without these essential services, families are left vulnerable to economic shocks and unable to recover from even minor setbacks.
While the government’s Agri-Food Price Shocks Emergency Facility (APSEF) has offered temporary relief to the most vulnerable, the World Bank says it’s not enough. The rising poverty trend is outpacing the reach of current interventions.
In urban centres like Freetown, the situation is also deteriorating. The cost of living has surged, especially food prices, eroding purchasing power and leaving many households unable to meet basic needs. Women and children are disproportionately affected, facing increased risks of malnutrition, reduced access to healthcare, and declining overall well-being.
The report attributes the deepening crisis to sluggish economic activity, rising domestic prices, and limited fiscal space for government-led social protection. Job creation remains painfully slow, especially for young people, and unemployment and underemployment continue to undermine poverty reduction efforts. To maintain the current employment-to-population ratio, Sierra Leone needs to create at least 75,000 new jobs every year, a target that remains far out of reach.
The World Bank underscores the importance of private sector development in reversing the trend. It recommends a suite of policy actions to unlock growth: strengthening fiscal management, boosting competitiveness, improving access to finance, enhancing infrastructure, and streamlining foreign investment regulations.
Despite the grim outlook, the report offers a path forward. It calls for increased investment in agriculture, expansion of social protection programs, and targeted rural development. Building resilience to price shocks and food insecurity, it argues, will be critical to preventing further deterioration in living standards.
But without urgent and coordinated action, Sierra Leone risks locking in poverty for another generation. The World Bank urges government and development partners to scale up safety nets, stabilize food prices, and expand livelihood opportunities, before the window to act closes.
