Poverty and living standards in Western Area, Sierra Leone: official figures
23.3% of people in the Western Area 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 lowest of the 5 regions (Sierra Leone: 56.8%).
How many people in the Western Area cannot afford enough food?
2.6% of people in the Western Area were in extreme poverty in 2018, meaning their total spending was below the cost of a basic food basket alone, the lowest of the 5 regions (Sierra Leone: 12.9%).
Source: Statistics Sierra Leone (with the World Bank) · saved copyHow deep is poverty in the Western Area?
The poverty gap index for the Western Area was 5.4 in 2018, the lowest 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 Western Area?
0.1% of people in the Western Area belonged to the poorest fifth of Sierra Leone's households by wealth (assets and housing) in 2019, the lowest of the 5 regions; inequality of wealth within the region, measured by the Gini coefficient, was 0.17 (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 Western Area?
66.5% of ever-married women aged 15 to 49 in the Western Area had suffered physical, sexual or emotional violence from their current or most recent husband or partner, 2nd 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 Western Area compares with other areas
Population below the national poverty line (2018)
Western Area ranks 5 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)
Western Area ranks 5 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 Western Area: 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…)
Each saved copy is the file exactly as downloaded, kept so the figures can be checked even if the source changes. Report an error.