Poverty and living standards in Northern Province, Sierra Leone: official figures
76.5% of people in the Northern Province lived below the national poverty line (Le 3,921,000 a year per adult equivalent at 2018 prices, in old leones before the 2022 redenomination) in 2018, according to the Sierra Leone Integrated Household Survey; the poverty rate was the highest of the 5 regions (Sierra Leone: 56.8%).
How many people in the Northern Province cannot afford enough food?
20.5% of people in the Northern Province were in extreme poverty in 2018, meaning their total spending was below the cost of a basic food basket alone, the highest of the 5 regions (Sierra Leone: 12.9%).
Source: Statistics Sierra Leone (with the World Bank) · saved copyHow deep is poverty in the Northern Province?
The poverty gap index for the Northern Province was 26.6 in 2018, the highest of the 5 regions (Sierra Leone: 18.0). It is the average shortfall of spending below the poverty line, as a percentage of the line, across the whole population (people above the line count as zero), so it shows how deep poverty is as well as how widespread.
Source: Statistics Sierra Leone (with the World Bank) · saved copyHow wealthy are households in the Northern Province?
26.2% of people in the Northern Province belonged to the poorest fifth of Sierra Leone's households by wealth (assets and housing) in 2019, 2nd highest of the 5 regions; inequality of wealth within the region, measured by the Gini coefficient, was 0.33 (Sierra Leone: 0.37).
Source: Statistics Sierra Leone and the Ministry of Health and Sanitation (with ICF, The DHS Program) · saved copyHow common is domestic violence in the Northern Province?
61.4% of ever-married women aged 15 to 49 in the Northern Province had suffered physical, sexual or emotional violence from their current or most recent husband or partner, 3rd highest of the 5 regions (Sierra Leone: 60.8%, 2019).
Source: Statistics Sierra Leone and the Ministry of Health and Sanitation (with ICF, The DHS Program) · saved copyHow Northern Province compares with other provinces
Population below the national poverty line (2018)
Northern Province ranks 1 of 5, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Population below the national poverty line |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Northern Province | 76.5% |
| 2 | Southern Province | 67.7% |
| 3 | Eastern Province | 64.1% |
| 4 | North West Province | 62.3% |
| 5 | Western Area | 23.3% |
Population in extreme poverty (2018)
Northern Province ranks 1 of 5, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Population in extreme poverty |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Northern Province | 20.5% |
| 2 | Eastern Province | 17.9% |
| 3 | Southern Province | 16.5% |
| 4 | North West Province | 8.8% |
| 5 | Western Area | 2.6% |
More on Northern Province: overview · economy and jobs · health · education and schools · Sierra Leone
Sources
- Statistics Sierra Leone and the Ministry of Health and Sanitation (with ICF, The DHS Program): Sierra Leone Demographic and Health Survey 2019, final report: tables by province (water, sanitation, wealth, schooling, fertility, child health, nutrition, HIV, partner violence), read 27 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 c4e747e7cf70…)
- Statistics Sierra Leone (with the World Bank): Methodology for Consumption-Poverty Estimation, 2018, and Poverty Trends 2011-2018 (Tables 6 and 7: poverty and extreme poverty by region, SLIHS 2018), read 27 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 6e8a6e91612c…)
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