Nationality:

• noun: Sierra Leonean(s)
• adjective: Sierra Leonean

  Ethnic groups:

• Temne 35%, Mende 31%, Limba 8%, Kono 5%, Kriole 2% (descendants of freed Jamaican slaves who were settled in the Freetown area in the late-18th century;also known as Krio), Mandingo 2%, Loko 2%, other 15% (includes refugees from Liberia's recent civil war, and small numbers of Europeans, Lebanese, Pakistanis, and Indians) (2008 census)

  Languages:

• English (official, regular use limited to literate minority), Mende (principal vernacular in the south), Temne (principal vernacular in the north), Krio (English-based Creole, spoken by the descendants of freed Jamaican slaves who were settled in the Freetown area, a lingua franca and a first language for 10% of the population but understood by 95%)

  Religions:

• Muslim 60%, Christian 10%, indigenous beliefs 30%

  Population:

• 5,612,685 (July 2013 est.)
• country comparison to the world: 110

  Age structure:

• 0-14 years: 41.9% (male 1,169,343/female 1,181,669)
• 15-24 years: 19% (male 517,107/female 549,500)
• 25-54 years: 31.4% (male 847,115/female 914,650)
• 55-64 years: 4% (male 101,069/female 124,673)
• 65 years and over: 3.7% (male 89,643/female 117,916) (2013 est.)
• population pyramid:

  Median age:

• total: 19 years
• male: 18.5 years
• female: 19.6 years (2013 est.)

  Population growth rate:

• 2.3% (2013 est.)
• country comparison to the world: 35

  Birth rate:

• 37.77 births/1,000 population (2013 est.)
• country comparison to the world: 16

  Death rate:

• 11.26 deaths/1,000 population (2013 est.)
• country comparison to the world: 34

  Net migration rate:

• -3.48 migrant(s)/1,000 population
• country comparison to the world: 183
• note: refugees currently in surrounding countries are slowly returning (2013 est.)

  Urbanization:

• urban population: 38% of total population (2010)
• rate of urbanization: 3.3% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)

  Major cities - population:

• FREETOWN (capital) 875,000 (2009)

  Sex ratio:

• at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
• 0-14 years: 0.99 male(s)/female
• 15-24 years: 0.94 male(s)/female
• 25-54 years: 0.93 male(s)/female
• 55-64 years: 0.8 male(s)/female
• 65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female
• total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2013 est.)

  Maternal mortality rate:

• 890 deaths/100,000 live births (2010)
• country comparison to the world: 3

  Infant mortality rate:

• total: 74.95 deaths/1,000 live births
• country comparison to the world: 11
• male: 83.59 deaths/1,000 live births
• female: 66.06 deaths/1,000 live births (2013 est.)

  Life expectancy at birth:

• total population: 56.98 years
• country comparison to the world: 199
• male: 54.47 years
• female: 59.56 years (2013 est.)

  Total fertility rate:

• 4.87 children born/woman (2013 est.)
• country comparison to the world: 22

  Health expenditures:

• 13.1% of GDP (2010)
• country comparison to the world: 6

  Physicians density:

• 0.016 physicians/1,000 population (2008)

  Hospital bed density:

• 0.4 beds/1,000 population (2006)

  Drinking water source:

• improved:
• urban: 87% of population
• rural: 35% of population
• total: 55% of population
• unimproved:
• urban: 13% of population
• rural: 65% of population
• total: 45% of population (2010 est.)

  Sanitation facility access:

• improved:
• urban: 23% of population
• rural: 6% of population
• total: 13% of population
• unimproved:
• urban: 77% of population
• rural: 94% of population
• total: 87% of population (2010 est.)

  HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

• 1.6% (2009 est.)
• country comparison to the world: 34

  HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

• 49,000 (2009 est.)
• country comparison to the world: 58

  HIV/AIDS - deaths:

• 2,800 (2009 est.)
• country comparison to the world: 47

  Major infectious diseases:

• degree of risk: very high
• food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
• vectorborne diseases: malaria and yellow fever
• water contact disease: schistosomiasis
• aerosolized dust or soil contact disease: Lassa fever (2009)

  Children under the age of 5 years underweight:

• 21.3% (2008)
• country comparison to the world: 28

  Education expenditures:

• 3.6% of GDP (2011)
• country comparison to the world: 125

  Literacy:

• definition: age 15 and over can read and write English, Mende, Temne, or Arabic
• total population: 35.1%
• male: 46.9%
• female: 24.4% (2004 est.)

  School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

• total: 12 years
• male: 13 years
• female: 11 years (2007)

  Unemployment, youth ages 15-24:

• total: 5.2%
• country comparison to the world: 132
• male: 7.3%
• female: 3.5% (2004)