Domestic credit to private sector by banks in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: Domestic credit to private sector by banks was 5.5% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Domestic credit to private sector by banks in Sierra Leone, 1960–2025
Source: International Financial Statistics database, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
The most recent figure for domestic credit to private sector by banks in Sierra Leone is 5.5%, measured in 2025.
That represents a change of up 38.7% on the previous year and up 67.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, domestic credit to private sector by banks in Sierra Leone peaked at 7.4% in 1981 and was at its lowest, 1.0%, in 2001.
That places Sierra Leone 182nd out of 187 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 66 years of available data.
Domestic credit to private sector by banks in Sierra Leone, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 2.8% | — |
| 1961 | 3.5% | +26.3% |
| 1962 | 4.8% | +36.0% |
| 1963 | 6.6% | +37.9% |
| 1964 | 6.7% | +2.7% |
| 1965 | 5.9% | -12.1% |
| 1966 | 5.5% | -6.4% |
| 1967 | 5.9% | +6.4% |
| 1968 | 5.2% | -11.6% |
| 1969 | 4.7% | -10.4% |
| 1970 | 5.3% | +14.0% |
| 1971 | 5.6% | +5.5% |
| 1972 | 5.8% | +3.3% |
| 1973 | 6.0% | +3.4% |
| 1974 | 6.3% | +5.2% |
| 1975 | 6.4% | +1.9% |
| 1976 | 6.6% | +1.8% |
| 1977 | 5.9% | -10.6% |
| 1978 | 6.2% | +6.2% |
| 1979 | 5.8% | -6.8% |
| 1980 | 7.1% | +23.2% |
| 1981 | 7.4% | +3.6% |
| 1982 | 6.9% | -7.1% |
| 1983 | 6.9% | -0.0% |
| 1984 | 3.9% | -42.5% |
| 1985 | 3.0% | -22.8% |
| 1986 | 4.7% | +53.9% |
| 1987 | 2.7% | -42.6% |
| 1988 | 3.2% | +19.6% |
| 1989 | 4.6% | +44.2% |
| 1990 | 3.1% | -32.3% |
| 1991 | 3.5% | +10.6% |
| 1992 | 3.0% | -13.1% |
| 1993 | 3.4% | +12.7% |
| 1994 | 3.1% | -9.0% |
| 1995 | 2.6% | -15.2% |
| 1996 | 2.4% | -9.1% |
| 1997 | 2.9% | +23.0% |
| 1998 | 2.6% | -12.9% |
| 1999 | 2.0% | -21.6% |
| 2000 | 2.0% | +1.3% |
| 2001 | 1.0% | -51.4% |
| 2002 | 1.2% | +26.1% |
| 2003 | 1.8% | +45.9% |
| 2004 | 2.2% | +21.4% |
| 2005 | 2.1% | -5.1% |
| 2006 | 1.9% | -7.9% |
| 2007 | 2.5% | +32.0% |
| 2008 | 3.3% | +31.1% |
| 2009 | 5.1% | +51.7% |
| 2010 | 4.7% | -7.2% |
| 2011 | 4.6% | -1.8% |
| 2012 | 3.4% | -26.6% |
| 2013 | 3.1% | -8.7% |
| 2014 | 3.2% | +2.2% |
| 2015 | 3.3% | +3.4% |
| 2016 | 3.5% | +5.7% |
| 2017 | 3.2% | -6.0% |
| 2018 | 3.6% | +10.1% |
| 2019 | 3.8% | +6.5% |
| 2020 | 3.6% | -6.2% |
| 2021 | 4.2% | +17.7% |
| 2022 | 3.5% | -16.2% |
| 2023 | 3.2% | -8.5% |
| 2024 | 4.0% | +22.6% |
| 2025 | 5.5% | +38.7% |
Sierra Leone compared with similar countries
- Sierra Leone's 5.5% is below the median for low income countries, which is 11.9%, 46% of the median. (24 countries reporting)
- Sierra Leone's 5.5% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 15.6%, 35% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 5.2% | 2.8% | 6.7% | 10 |
| 1970s | 6.0% | 5.3% | 6.6% | 10 |
| 1980s | 5.1% | 2.7% | 7.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.9% | 2.0% | 3.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.3% | 1.0% | 5.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.6% | 3.1% | 4.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.0% | 3.2% | 5.5% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Sierra Leone
More financial sector data for Sierra Leone
- Reserve position in the IMF, US dollar, annual growth rate 5.01 % change on previous year (2025)
- Reserve position in the IMF, US dollar, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Reserve position in the IMF, US dollar, per capita 0.0037 units per person (2025)
- Reserve position in the IMF, SDR, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Reserve position in the IMF, SDR, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Reserve position in the IMF, SDR, per capita 0.0027 units per person (2025)
- Reserve tranche position, US dollar, annual growth rate 5.01 % change on previous year (2025)
- Reserve tranche position, US dollar, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Reserve tranche position, US dollar, per capita 0.0037 units per person (2025)
- Reserve tranche position, SDR, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is domestic credit to private sector by banks in Sierra Leone?
- Domestic credit to private sector by banks in Sierra Leone was 5.5% in 2025, according to International Financial Statistics database, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
- What is the highest domestic credit to private sector by banks recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The highest recorded value was 7.4% in 1981.
- What is the lowest domestic credit to private sector by banks recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.0% in 2001.
- How does Sierra Leone rank for domestic credit to private sector by banks?
- Sierra Leone ranks 182nd out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is domestic credit to private sector by banks rising or falling in Sierra Leone?
- Over the last ten years it is up 67.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sierra Leone data come from?
- The figures come from International Financial Statistics database, International Monetary Fund (IMF), published as part of Domestic credit to private sector by banks (% of GDP). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Domestic credit to private sector by banks refers to financial resources provided to the private sector by other depository corporations (deposit taking corporations except central banks), such as through loans, purchases of nonequity securities, and trade credits and other accounts receivable, that establish a claim for repayment. For some countries these claims include credit to public enterprises. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) which is the total income earned through the production of goods and services in an economic territory during an accounting period.