Interest rate spread (lending rate minus deposit rate, %) in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: Interest rate spread (lending rate minus deposit rate, %) 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 (lending rate minus deposit rate, %) 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% |
Sierra Leone compared with similar countries
- Sierra Leone's 14.4% is above the median for low income countries, which is 9.8%, 1.5× the median. (16 countries reporting)
- Sierra Leone's 14.4% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 6.2%, 2.3× the median. (37 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Interest rate spread (lending rate minus deposit rate, %) in Sierra Leone changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | +425.5% | 3.0% | 15.9% |
| 1993 | +187.2% | 8.2% | 23.5% |
| 1981 | +172.7% | 1.8% | 5.0% |
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 Democratic Republic of Congo 16.2% compare
- 8 Gambia 15.5% compare
- 9 Sao Tome and Principe 15.4% compare
- 11 South Sudan 14.2% compare
- 12 Somalia 13.0% compare
- 13 Micronesia (country) 12.6% compare
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 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.
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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.