Sierra Leone: immigration

How many refugees come from Sierra Leone?

8,925 refugees and 8,342 asylum seekers from Sierra Leone were living in other countries at the end of 2025, according to UNHCR. UNHCR records no refugees or asylum seekers hosted in Sierra Leone itself at that date.

UNHCR compiles these figures from government and UNHCR data. Asylum seekers are people whose claims have not yet been decided. No national migration statistics were found on the sites of Statistics Sierra Leone and the Ministry of Finance, checked on 15 October 2026.

Official sources: UNHCR · no refugees or asylum seekers

How many people from Sierra Leone apply for asylum abroad?

People from Sierra Leone lodged 6,427 asylum applications in other countries in 2025, according to UNHCR. 3,058 were new applications, 2,218 were appeals and 945 were repeat applications.

The largest numbers were lodged in Greece (1,902), France (1,353) and Germany (932), followed by the Netherlands (547) and the United Kingdom (393). An application is not the same as a person: one person can lodge an appeal after a first claim is refused, and family members may be covered by a single application.

Official sources: UNHCR

Where do refugees from Sierra Leone live?

France hosted the most refugees from Sierra Leone at the end of 2025, 2,028, according to UNHCR. Guinea hosted 1,650 and Germany 1,150, with another 870 asylum seekers waiting for decisions in Germany.

Angola had 412 refugees and 1,497 asylum seekers from Sierra Leone, and Greece 853 refugees and 916 asylum seekers. The United Kingdom recorded 637 refugees and 265 asylum seekers. UNHCR compiles these figures from host governments and its own registration; countries count recognised refugees in different ways.

Official sources: UNHCR

Does Sierra Leone host any displaced people?

Sierra Leone hosted 210 people that UNHCR classes as "others of concern" at the end of 2025, according to UNHCR. 200 came from Liberia and 10 from Côte d'Ivoire. UNHCR recorded no refugees or asylum seekers in the country.

"Others of concern" are people UNHCR protects or assists who do not fit the refugee, asylum seeker, internally displaced or stateless categories. The numbers are small compared with the 8,925 refugees from Sierra Leone living abroad.

Official sources: UNHCR

How many migrants live in Sierra Leone?

49,997 international migrants lived in Sierra Leone in 2024, according to UN estimates published by the World Bank. The number was 53,746 in 2020, 58,830 in 2015 and 79,265 in 2010.

International migrants are people living in a country other than the one where they were born, or in some cases the one of which they are citizens. The estimates are based mainly on census data, so figures between censuses are interpolated. At around 50,000, migrants are less than 1% of a population of more than 8 million.

Official sources: World Bank

How many immigrants live in Sierra Leone?

In 2024, the share of people born abroad in Sierra Leone was 0.6%, according to the UN Population Division. That compares with 0.8% in 2015. Sub-Saharan Africa median: 2.2%; Sierra Leone is 43rd highest of 48. World rank, highest first: 166th of 193.

How many people move to Sierra Leone each year?

The latest figure from the UN Population Division, for 2025, is -11,309. Its high point since 2005 was 2009, at 18,145; its low point was 2006, at -34,052. It is 31st highest of 48 in Sub-Saharan Africa, where the median is -5,646. Worldwide: 134th of 193.

How many refugees does Sierra Leone host?

0: that is the number of refugees in the country in Sierra Leone for 2025, according to UNHCR. That is the lowest since at least 2005. Across Sub-Saharan Africa the middle value was 35,241, and Sierra Leone placed 44th highest of 45. Worldwide: 163rd of 169.

How many refugees have fled Sierra Leone?

The latest figure from UNHCR, for 2025, is 8,925. The peak was 42,849 in 2006 and the low 4,496 in 2017. Across Sub-Saharan Africa the middle value was 12,726, and Sierra Leone placed 26th highest of 48. World rank, highest first: 65th of 189.

How big are remittances in Sierra Leone's economy?

In 2024, personal remittances received in Sierra Leone was 4.6% of GDP, according to the World Bank. No year since 2005 has been higher. Across Sub-Saharan Africa the middle value was 2.5% of GDP, and Sierra Leone placed 10th highest of 36. World rank, highest first: 48th of 156.