Interest rate spread in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: Interest rate spread was 14.4% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Interest rate spread in Sierra Leone, 1977–2025
Source: International Financial Statistics database, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in lending rate minus deposit rate, %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for interest rate spread in Sierra Leone is 14.4%, measured in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 4.4% on the previous year and up 1.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, interest rate spread in Sierra Leone peaked at 23.5% in 1993 and was at its lowest, 1.8%, in 1980.
That places Sierra Leone 10th out of 141 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 49 years of available data.
Interest rate spread in Sierra Leone, year by year
| Year | lending rate minus deposit rate, % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1977 | 4.0% | — |
| 1978 | 4.0% | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 3.8% | -6.2% |
| 1980 | 1.8% | -51.1% |
| 1981 | 5.0% | +172.7% |
| 1982 | 5.0% | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 6.2% | +25.0% |
| 1984 | 6.0% | -4.0% |
| 1985 | 5.7% | -5.6% |
| 1986 | 3.0% | -46.7% |
| 1987 | 15.9% | +425.5% |
| 1988 | 11.7% | -26.5% |
| 1989 | 9.7% | -17.1% |
| 1990 | 12.0% | +24.1% |
| 1991 | 8.4% | -29.6% |
| 1992 | 8.2% | -3.4% |
| 1993 | 23.5% | +187.2% |
| 1994 | 15.7% | -33.1% |
| 1995 | 21.8% | +38.9% |
| 1996 | 18.2% | -16.7% |
| 1997 | 14.0% | -23.1% |
| 1998 | 16.7% | +19.7% |
| 1999 | 17.3% | +3.7% |
| 2000 | 17.0% | -1.9% |
| 2001 | 16.5% | -3.0% |
| 2002 | 12.8% | -22.6% |
| 2003 | 10.3% | -19.1% |
| 2004 | 10.9% | +5.7% |
| 2005 | 12.8% | +17.1% |
| 2006 | 12.9% | +0.6% |
| 2007 | 14.2% | +10.5% |
| 2008 | 13.9% | -2.1% |
| 2009 | 12.4% | -10.5% |
| 2010 | 11.8% | -5.3% |
| 2011 | 10.7% | -9.3% |
| 2012 | 10.6% | -0.7% |
| 2013 | 11.7% | +9.8% |
| 2014 | 12.8% | +9.9% |
| 2015 | 14.2% | +11.2% |
| 2016 | 10.9% | -23.8% |
| 2017 | 10.1% | -6.7% |
| 2018 | 9.9% | -2.4% |
| 2019 | 11.6% | +17.0% |
| 2020 | 12.3% | +6.4% |
| 2021 | 13.5% | +9.7% |
| 2022 | 13.9% | +3.3% |
| 2023 | 13.9% | +0.1% |
| 2024 | 13.8% | -1.1% |
| 2025 | 14.4% | +4.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 3.9% | 3.8% | 4.0% | 3 |
| 1980s | 7.0% | 1.8% | 15.9% | 10 |
| 1990s | 15.6% | 8.2% | 23.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | 13.4% | 10.3% | 17.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 11.4% | 9.9% | 14.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 13.6% | 12.3% | 14.4% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Sierra Leone
- 7 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 17.6% compare
- 8 Gambia 15.5% compare
- 9 Sao Tome and Principe 15.2% compare
- 11 South Sudan 14.2% compare
- 12 Somalia 13.0% compare
- 13 Micronesia, Federated States of 12.6% compare
More financial sector data for Sierra Leone
- Net domestic credit (current LCU), per capita 4,743 current LCU per person (2025)
- Net domestic credit (current LCU), per unit of GDP 5.6 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Net domestic credit (current LCU), annual growth rate 28.74 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gold reserves at 35 SDRs per ounce 0 SDR (2024)
- Gold reserves at market value 0 SDR (2024)
- Reserves excluding gold, foreign exchange 104.67 million SDR (2024)
- Reserves excluding gold 332.23 million SDR (2024)
- Total reserves (gold at market value) 332.23 million SDR (2024)
- Total reserves (gold at national valuation) 332.23 million SDR (2024)
- Total reserves (gold at national valuation) (SDR), per capita 38.44 SDR per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is interest rate spread in Sierra Leone?
- Interest rate spread in Sierra Leone was 14.4% in 2025, according to International Financial Statistics database, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
- What is the highest interest rate spread recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The highest recorded value was 23.5% in 1993.
- What is the lowest interest rate spread recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.8% in 1980.
- How does Sierra Leone rank for interest rate spread?
- Sierra Leone ranks 10th out of 141 countries with data for 2025.
- Is interest rate spread rising or falling in Sierra Leone?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sierra Leone data come from?
- The figures come from International Financial Statistics database, International Monetary Fund (IMF), published as part of Interest rate spread (lending rate minus deposit rate, %). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 49 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
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.