Economy, jobs and prices in Western Area, Sierra Leone: official figures
Consumer prices in the Western Area were 24.12% higher in August 2026 than a year earlier (July 2026: 21.87%), and rose 2.73% in the month; the inflation rate was the highest of the 5 regions (Sierra Leone: 15.66%).
How many homes in the Western Area have electricity?
70% of households in the Western Area had a connection to the EDSA electricity grid in 2018, with an average of 17.0 hours of power a week, according to the Sierra Leone Integrated Household Survey; the highest of the 5 regions (Sierra Leone: 21%, 15.5 hours).
Source: Statistics Sierra Leone · saved copyDo people in the Western Area have clean drinking water?
70.9% of people in the Western Area lived in households with at least a basic drinking water service (an improved source within a 30-minute round trip) in 2019, the highest of the 5 regions (Sierra Leone: 56.3%).
Source: Statistics Sierra Leone and the Ministry of Health and Sanitation (with ICF, The DHS Program) · saved copyHow many homes in the Western Area have a proper toilet?
37.2% of people in the Western Area had at least a basic sanitation service (an improved toilet not shared with other households) in 2019, the highest of the 5 regions (Sierra Leone: 18.5%).
Source: Statistics Sierra Leone and the Ministry of Health and Sanitation (with ICF, The DHS Program) · saved copyHow many women in the Western Area have a job?
54.9% of women aged 15 to 49 in the Western Area were in work at the time of the 2019 survey, the lowest of the 5 regions (Sierra Leone: 69.0%).
Source: Statistics Sierra Leone and the Ministry of Health and Sanitation (with ICF, The DHS Program) · saved copyHow Western Area compares with other areas
Consumer price inflation, year on year (August 2026)
Western Area ranks 1 of 5, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Consumer price inflation, year on year |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Western Area | 24.12% |
| 2 | Northern Province | 16.77% |
| 3 | Eastern Province | 10.07% |
| 4 | Southern Province | 4.25% |
| 5 | North West Province | 1.82% |
Population with at least basic drinking water (2019)
Western Area ranks 1 of 5, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Population with at least basic drinking water |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Western Area | 70.9% |
| 2 | Eastern Province | 56.9% |
| 3 | Southern Province | 56.4% |
| 4 | Northern Province | 53.6% |
| 5 | North West Province | 41.2% |
More on Western Area: overview · health · education and schools · poverty and living standards · Sierra Leone
Sources
- Statistics Sierra Leone: Consumer Price Index press release, August 2026 (Table 1.1: national and regional inflation, December 2021=100), read 27 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 efee15bb4ef8…)
- 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: Sierra Leone Integrated Household Survey (SLIHS) Report 2018 (Table 6.13: households with an EDSA grid connection by region), read 27 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 cbe7be8657e9…)
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