[1] Primary trade source
OECD Bilateral International Merchandise Trade Statistics, harmonised by Yugalinks at country-year, HS2 and bilateral-corridor levels. Coverage shown here is 1995–2024 where observations are available.
Country intelligence · SLE · 2024
Sierra Leone trade profile
In 2024, Sierra Leone recorded $1.5B in merchandise exports and $2.2B in imports, producing a $766.9M trade deficit. Exports changed +5.4% from the previous year, while imports changed +12.1%.[1]
Exports
$1.5B
+5.4%
Imports
$2.2B
+12.1%
Trade balance
-$766.9M
deficit
Active partners
270
13 FTA-linked
Historical evidence
Ten-year trade movement
The bars compare exports and imports on the same scale. The accompanying table preserves the exact values so the trend is usable without interpreting a graphic.
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
ExportsImports
Exact annual values
Leading export sectors
HS2 chapters rank broad product groups by observed export value in 2024.
1$1.0B
HS 26 · HS chapter
31 active HS6 lines · 26 export partners
2$161.1M
HS 71 · Precious metals and stones
21 active HS6 lines · 23 export partners
3$137.6M
HS 18 · HS chapter
9 active HS6 lines · 25 export partners
4$21.6M
HS 85 · Electrical machinery
258 active HS6 lines · 106 export partners
5$16.5M
HS 15 · HS chapter
28 active HS6 lines · 30 export partners
6$14.8M
HS 84 · Machinery
496 active HS6 lines · 101 export partners
7$12.0M
HS 09 · HS chapter
35 active HS6 lines · 36 export partners
8$11.0M
HS 72 · HS chapter
158 active HS6 lines · 16 export partners
Leading export markets
Destinations rank bilateral export flows from Sierra Leone; growth describes each corridor rather than the whole economy.
1$852.9M
China
Annual change -6.9% · 3-year CAGR 35.2%
2$137.6M
Netherlands
Annual change +165.9% · 3-year CAGR 49.8%
3$85.5M
India
Annual change -6.0% · 3-year CAGR 85.9%
4$60.4M
United Arab Emirates
Annual change +88.9% · 3-year CAGR -3.1%
5$48.1M
Belgium
Annual change -27.8% · 3-year CAGR -32.0%
6$40.7M
Germany
Annual change +83.4% · 3-year CAGR -17.6%
7$40.2M
Japan
Annual change +24.4% · 3-year CAGR 53.8%
8$27.6M
United States
Annual change +31.3% · 3-year CAGR 24.5%
Sources, definitions and limitations
Calculation notes
USD values are aggregated from reported merchandise records. YoY compares consecutive annual totals; three-year CAGR is the mart-provided compound annual growth rate. Missing values are not inferred.