Share of government consumption in GDP vs. share of population living in extreme poverty in Sierra Leone

Sierra Leone: Share of government consumption in GDP vs. share of population living in extreme poverty was 6.6% in 2023. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2023)
6.6%
Change on year
down 4.2%
World rank
181st
of 184 countries
All-time high
39.1%
in 1974
All-time low
6.6%
in 2023
Years of data
63
1961–2023

Share of government consumption in GDP vs. share of population living in extreme poverty in Sierra Leone, 1961–2023

10203040196119922023

Source: Feenstra et al. - Penn World Table (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.

Analysis

In 2023, share of government consumption in gdp vs. share of population living in extreme poverty in Sierra Leone stood at 6.6%. That is the lowest value across all 63 years on record.

That represents a change of down 4.2% on the previous year and down 28.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of government consumption in gdp vs. share of population living in extreme poverty in Sierra Leone peaked at 39.1% in 1974 and was at its lowest, 6.6%, in 2023.

That places Sierra Leone 181st out of 184 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Share of government consumption in GDP vs. share of population living in extreme poverty in Sierra Leone, year by year

Annual values for Share of government consumption in GDP vs. share of population living in extreme poverty in Sierra Leone, 1961 to 2023.
Year % of GDP Change
1961 23.4%
1962 22.0% -6.0%
1963 20.6% -6.2%
1964 20.3% -1.8%
1965 20.2% -0.2%
1966 19.8% -2.0%
1967 21.4% +7.7%
1968 20.5% -3.9%
1969 20.8% +1.5%
1970 32.2% +54.3%
1971 32.4% +0.9%
1972 34.6% +6.5%
1973 36.6% +6.0%
1974 39.1% +6.8%
1975 38.4% -1.9%
1976 35.7% -7.0%
1977 34.7% -2.9%
1978 34.4% -0.7%
1979 34.3% -0.5%
1980 32.5% -5.2%
1981 32.9% +1.2%
1982 34.5% +4.9%
1983 30.4% -11.8%
1984 27.6% -9.1%
1985 27.0% -2.4%
1986 22.2% -17.7%
1987 17.0% -23.6%
1988 16.6% -1.9%
1989 15.1% -9.0%
1990 12.3% -18.7%
1991 16.8% +36.2%
1992 13.8% -17.9%
1993 14.0% +1.5%
1994 12.4% -11.1%
1995 9.1% -27.1%
1996 7.8% -14.0%
1997 8.4% +7.5%
1998 9.1% +8.7%
1999 10.5% +15.7%
2000 12.9% +22.7%
2001 14.0% +8.3%
2002 15.8% +13.0%
2003 15.3% -3.0%
2004 14.2% -7.5%
2005 15.1% +6.7%
2006 15.8% +4.6%
2007 12.9% -18.5%
2008 13.2% +2.4%
2009 13.4% +1.2%
2010 13.3% -0.3%
2011 11.2% -16.0%
2012 11.7% +4.1%
2013 9.2% -20.7%
2014 7.7% -16.7%
2015 9.9% +29.0%
2016 10.5% +5.4%
2017 8.6% -17.8%
2018 6.8% -20.9%
2019 6.7% -1.2%
2020 7.3% +8.9%
2021 7.3% -0.1%
2022 6.9% -5.9%
2023 6.6% -4.2%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 21.0% 19.8% 23.4% 9
1970s 35.2% 32.2% 39.1% 10
1980s 25.6% 15.1% 34.5% 10
1990s 11.4% 7.8% 16.8% 10
2000s 14.3% 12.9% 15.8% 10
2010s 9.6% 6.7% 13.3% 10
2020s 7.0% 6.6% 7.3% 4

Countries ranked near Sierra Leone

  1. 178 Malawi 7.4% compare
  2. 179 India 7.4% compare
  3. 180 Tanzania, United Republic of 7.3% compare
  4. 182 Bangladesh 6.5% compare
  5. 183 British Virgin Islands 6.5% compare
  6. 184 Nepal 6.3% compare

See the full ranking of 184 places →

More poverty & inequality data for Sierra Leone

All data for Sierra Leone →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of government consumption in gdp vs. share of population living in extreme poverty in Sierra Leone?
Share of government consumption in gdp vs. share of population living in extreme poverty in Sierra Leone was 6.6% in 2023, according to Feenstra et al. - Penn World Table (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest share of government consumption in gdp vs. share of population living in extreme poverty recorded in Sierra Leone?
The highest recorded value was 39.1% in 1974.
What is the lowest share of government consumption in gdp vs. share of population living in extreme poverty recorded in Sierra Leone?
The lowest recorded value was 6.6% in 2023.
How does Sierra Leone rank for share of government consumption in gdp vs. share of population living in extreme poverty?
Sierra Leone ranks 181st out of 184 countries with data for 2023.
Is share of government consumption in gdp vs. share of population living in extreme poverty rising or falling in Sierra Leone?
Over the last ten years it is down 28.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Sierra Leone data come from?
The figures come from Feenstra et al. - Penn World Table (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of government consumption in GDP vs. share of population living in extreme poverty. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Share of government consumption in GDP vs. share of population living in extreme poverty in Sierra Leone. Statizoid, drawing on Feenstra et al. - Penn World Table (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 05 September 2026, from https://poverty.statizoid.com/stat/share-of-government-consumption-in-gdp-vs-share-in-extreme-poverty/sierra-leone/

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About this data

Indicator
Share of government consumption in GDP vs. share of population living in extreme poverty
Unit
% of GDP
Source
Feenstra et al. - Penn World Table (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
184 places, 10,907 data points, 1950–2023
Last refreshed

Government consumption divided by gross domestic product, expressed as a percentage.