Health in Western Area, Sierra Leone: official figures
For every 1,000 babies born in the Western Area in the ten years before the 2019 survey, 67 died before their first birthday and 114 before their fifth; the under-five rate is 2nd lowest of the 5 regions (Sierra Leone, last five years: 75 and 122).
How many children in the Western Area are vaccinated?
52.5% of children aged 12 to 23 months in the Western Area had all basic vaccines (BCG, three doses each of pentavalent and polio, and measles) in 2019, 47.6% had every vaccine due for their age and 0.8% had none; 2nd lowest 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 Western Area are malnourished?
27.8% of children under five in the Western Area were stunted (too short for their age, a sign of long-term undernutrition), 7.4% were wasted (too thin for their height) and 14.4% were underweight in 2019; the stunting rate is 2nd lowest 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 Western Area give birth in a health facility?
87.9% of births in the Western Area in the five years before the 2019 survey took place in a health facility, 2nd 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 Western Area?
54.9% of children aged 6 months to 5 years in the Western Area were anaemic when tested in 2019, the lowest 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 Western Area sleep under mosquito nets?
37.6% of children under five in the Western Area slept under an insecticide-treated mosquito net the night before the 2019 survey, the lowest 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 Western Area?
13.6% of young women aged 15 to 19 in the Western Area had already had a baby or were pregnant with their first in 2019, the lowest 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 Western Area?
2.5% of adults aged 15 to 49 in the Western Area who were tested in the 2019 survey had HIV (3.1% of women, 1.8% of men), the highest 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 4.6% of women aged 15 to 49 in the Western Area had any health insurance in 2019, 2nd highest 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 Western Area compares with other areas
Under-five deaths per 1,000 live births (10 years before the survey) (2009-2019)
Western Area ranks 4 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)
Western Area ranks 4 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)
Western Area ranks 4 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)
Western Area ranks 2 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 Western Area: 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.