Sierra Leone vs Sub-Saharan Africa: Interest rate spread (lending rate minus deposit rate, %)
Interest rate spread (lending rate minus deposit rate, %) over time
- Sierra Leone
- Sub-Saharan Africa
How they compare
Sierra Leone currently reports 14.4% against 7.1% in Sub-Saharan Africa, a difference of 7.3%.
That makes Sierra Leone's figure about 2.0 times Sub-Saharan Africa's.
Across all 18 years both countries report, Sierra Leone has been ahead every year.
Sierra Leone ranks 10th and Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 11th of 141 countries.
Sierra Leone has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Sierra Leone | Sub-Saharan Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 13.8% | 7.9% | 5.9% | Sierra Leone |
| 2010s | 11.4% | 7.8% | 3.6% | Sierra Leone |
| 2020s | 12.9% | 7.8% | 5.1% | Sierra Leone |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher interest rate spread, Sierra Leone or Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Sierra Leone, at 14.4% against 7.1% in Sub-Saharan Africa as of 2025.
- What is the difference in interest rate spread between Sierra Leone and Sub-Saharan Africa?
- 7.3%, with Sierra Leone ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Sierra Leone and Sub-Saharan Africa?
- 18 years are reported by both, from 2001 to 2021.
- How do Sierra Leone and Sub-Saharan Africa rank globally for interest rate spread?
- Sierra Leone ranks 10th and Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 11th of 141 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- International Financial Statistics database, International Monetary Fund (IMF), published as Interest rate spread (lending rate minus deposit rate, %). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Interest rate spread is the interest rate charged by banks on loans to private sector customers minus the interest rate paid by commercial or similar banks for demand, time, or savings deposits. The terms and conditions attached to these rates differ by country, however, limiting their comparability.