Risk premium on lending in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: Risk premium on lending was 19.5% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Risk premium on lending in Sierra Leone, 1965–2025
Source: International Financial Statistics database, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in lending rate minus treasury bill rate, %.
Analysis
In 2025, risk premium on lending in Sierra Leone stood at 19.5%.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 65.3% on the previous year and up 17.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, risk premium on lending in Sierra Leone peaked at 21.8% in 1993 and was at its lowest, -15.8%, in 1992.
Sierra Leone ranks 5th of 86 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Risk premium on lending in Sierra Leone, year by year
| Year | lending rate minus treasury bill rate, % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1965 | 2.5% | — |
| 1966 | 2.5% | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 2.4% | -3.3% |
| 1968 | 2.0% | -17.2% |
| 1969 | 2.5% | +25.0% |
| 1970 | 2.5% | +0.0% |
| 1971 | 2.5% | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 2.5% | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 2.5% | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 2.5% | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 3.0% | +20.0% |
| 1976 | 3.5% | +16.7% |
| 1977 | 5.5% | +57.1% |
| 1978 | 5.5% | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 4.8% | -13.6% |
| 1980 | 1.6% | -65.8% |
| 1981 | 5.0% | +207.7% |
| 1982 | 5.0% | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 6.2% | +25.0% |
| 1984 | 6.0% | -4.0% |
| 1985 | 5.0% | -16.7% |
| 1986 | 2.7% | -46.2% |
| 1987 | 12.0% | +348.1% |
| 1988 | 10.0% | -17.0% |
| 1989 | 7.7% | -23.3% |
| 1990 | 5.0% | -34.8% |
| 1991 | 5.6% | +11.7% |
| 1992 | -15.8% | -383.0% |
| 1993 | 21.8% | -238.1% |
| 1994 | 15.1% | -30.6% |
| 1995 | 14.1% | -6.9% |
| 1996 | 2.9% | -79.7% |
| 1997 | 11.2% | +288.9% |
| 1998 | 1.7% | -84.5% |
| 1999 | -5.6% | -422.9% |
| 2000 | 0.0% | -100.5% |
| 2001 | 10.5% | +37047.1% |
| 2002 | 7.0% | -33.3% |
| 2003 | 4.3% | -38.3% |
| 2004 | -4.1% | -193.8% |
| 2005 | 1.6% | -139.6% |
| 2006 | 6.3% | +291.6% |
| 2007 | 6.6% | +4.8% |
| 2008 | 9.0% | +36.8% |
| 2009 | 11.7% | +29.7% |
| 2010 | 4.0% | -65.5% |
| 2011 | -3.4% | -185.3% |
| 2012 | -1.4% | -59.5% |
| 2013 | 12.5% | -995.7% |
| 2014 | 17.0% | +36.2% |
| 2015 | 16.7% | -2.2% |
| 2016 | 9.9% | -40.4% |
| 2017 | 5.7% | -42.7% |
| 2018 | 8.0% | +40.7% |
| 2019 | 9.5% | +18.9% |
| 2020 | 9.9% | +4.2% |
| 2021 | 17.1% | +72.6% |
| 2022 | 15.5% | -9.9% |
| 2023 | 18.3% | +18.1% |
| 2024 | 11.8% | -35.3% |
| 2025 | 19.5% | +65.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 2.4% | 2.0% | 2.5% | 5 |
| 1970s | 3.5% | 2.5% | 5.5% | 10 |
| 1980s | 6.1% | 1.6% | 12.0% | 10 |
| 1990s | 5.6% | -15.8% | 21.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 5.3% | -4.1% | 11.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 7.9% | -3.4% | 17.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 15.4% | 9.9% | 19.5% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Sierra Leone
- 2 Brazil 30.8% compare
- 3 Tajikistan 28.7% compare
- 4 Malawi 21.2% compare
- 6 Lao People's Democratic Republic 14.6% compare
- 7 Mauritania 12.3% compare
- 8 Tanzania, United Republic of 12.3% 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 risk premium on lending in Sierra Leone?
- Risk premium on lending in Sierra Leone was 19.5% in 2025, according to International Financial Statistics database, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
- What is the highest risk premium on lending recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The highest recorded value was 21.8% in 1993.
- What is the lowest risk premium on lending recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The lowest recorded value was -15.8% in 1992.
- How does Sierra Leone rank for risk premium on lending?
- Sierra Leone ranks 5th out of 86 countries with data for 2025.
- Is risk premium on lending rising or falling in Sierra Leone?
- Over the last ten years it is up 17.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Sierra Leone data come from?
- The figures come from International Financial Statistics database, International Monetary Fund (IMF), published as part of Risk premium on lending (lending rate minus treasury bill rate, %). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Risk premium on lending is the interest rate charged by banks on loans to private sector customers minus the "risk free" treasury bill interest rate at which short-term government securities are issued or traded in the market. In some countries this spread may be negative, indicating that the market considers its best corporate clients to be lower risk than the government. The terms and conditions attached to lending rates differ by country, however, limiting their comparability.