Health in Southern Province, Sierra Leone: official figures
For every 1,000 babies born in the Southern Province in the ten years before the 2019 survey, 80 died before their first birthday and 122 before their fifth; the under-five rate is 3rd highest of the 5 regions (Sierra Leone, last five years: 75 and 122).
How many children in the Southern Province are vaccinated?
65.3% of children aged 12 to 23 months in the Southern Province had all basic vaccines (BCG, three doses each of pentavalent and polio, and measles) in 2019, 58.4% had every vaccine due for their age and 2.4% had none; the highest of the 5 regions for basic vaccines (Sierra Leone: 56.3%, 49.3% and 2.4%).
Source: Statistics Sierra Leone and the Ministry of Health and Sanitation (with ICF, The DHS Program) · saved copyHow many children in the Southern Province are malnourished?
31.5% of children under five in the Southern Province were stunted (too short for their age, a sign of long-term undernutrition), 6.2% were wasted (too thin for their height) and 14.9% were underweight in 2019; the stunting rate is 2nd highest of the 5 regions (Sierra Leone: 29.5%).
Source: Statistics Sierra Leone and the Ministry of Health and Sanitation (with ICF, The DHS Program) · saved copyDo women in the Southern Province give birth in a health facility?
85.0% of births in the Southern Province in the five years before the 2019 survey took place in a health facility, 3rd highest of the 5 regions (Sierra Leone: 83.4%).
Source: Statistics Sierra Leone and the Ministry of Health and Sanitation (with ICF, The DHS Program) · saved copyHow common is anaemia among children in the Southern Province?
68.7% of children aged 6 months to 5 years in the Southern Province were anaemic when tested in 2019, 3rd highest of the 5 regions (Sierra Leone: 67.8%).
Source: Statistics Sierra Leone and the Ministry of Health and Sanitation (with ICF, The DHS Program) · saved copyDo children in the Southern Province sleep under mosquito nets?
64.2% of children under five in the Southern Province slept under an insecticide-treated mosquito net the night before the 2019 survey, 3rd highest of the 5 regions (Sierra Leone: 59.1%).
Source: Statistics Sierra Leone and the Ministry of Health and Sanitation (with ICF, The DHS Program) · saved copyHow common is teenage pregnancy in the Southern Province?
28.6% of young women aged 15 to 19 in the Southern Province had already had a baby or were pregnant with their first in 2019, the highest of the 5 regions (Sierra Leone: 21.3%).
Source: Statistics Sierra Leone and the Ministry of Health and Sanitation (with ICF, The DHS Program) · saved copyHow common is HIV in the Southern Province?
1.4% of adults aged 15 to 49 in the Southern Province who were tested in the 2019 survey had HIV (2.1% of women, 0.5% of men), 2nd lowest of the 5 regions (Sierra Leone: 1.7%).
Source: Statistics Sierra Leone and the Ministry of Health and Sanitation (with ICF, The DHS Program) · saved copyMore figures
- Only 1.4% of women aged 15 to 49 in the Southern Province had any health insurance in 2019, 2nd lowest of the 5 regions (Sierra Leone: 4.0%). Source: Statistics Sierra Leone and the Ministry of Health and Sanitation (with ICF, The DHS Program) · saved copy
How Southern Province compares with other provinces
Under-five deaths per 1,000 live births (10 years before the survey) (2009-2019)
Southern Province ranks 3 of 5, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Under-five deaths per 1,000 live births (10 years before the survey) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | North West Province | 155 |
| 2 | Eastern Province | 132 |
| 3 | Southern Province | 122 |
| 4 | Western Area | 114 |
| 5 | Northern Province | 99 |
Children 12-23 months with all basic vaccines (2019)
Southern Province ranks 1 of 5, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Children 12-23 months with all basic vaccines |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Southern Province | 65.3% |
| 2 | Eastern Province | 61.5% |
| 3 | Northern Province | 53.8% |
| 4 | Western Area | 52.5% |
| 5 | North West Province | 47.0% |
Children under 5 stunted (2019)
Southern Province ranks 2 of 5, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Children under 5 stunted |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | North West Province | 32.4% |
| 2 | Southern Province | 31.5% |
| 3 | Northern Province | 30.9% |
| 4 | Western Area | 27.8% |
| 5 | Eastern Province | 25.3% |
Births in a health facility (5 years before the survey) (2019)
Southern Province ranks 3 of 5, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Births in a health facility (5 years before the survey) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Eastern Province | 92.3% |
| 2 | Western Area | 87.9% |
| 3 | Southern Province | 85.0% |
| 4 | Northern Province | 84.4% |
| 5 | North West Province | 66.7% |
More on Southern Province: overview · economy and jobs · education and schools · poverty and living standards · 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…)
Each saved copy is the file exactly as downloaded, kept so the figures can be checked even if the source changes. Report an error.