Sierra Leone has a population of around 8.5 million (2024 estimate). The country is ethnically diverse, with 18 recognized ethnic groups. The Temne are the largest group, concentrated in the north, and the Mende the second-largest, dominant in the south and east. The two groups together make up well over half the population. Other significant groups include the Limba, Kono, and Mandingo.
The Krio community — descendants of freed slaves from Britain, Jamaica, and Nova Scotia who were settled in the Freetown area from the late 18th century onward — account for around 2% of the population but have been historically influential in law, medicine, and education. Krio culture and language remain central to Freetown's identity.
About 78% of the population is Muslim, around 20% Christian, with the remainder following indigenous beliefs. The two faiths coexist peacefully; it's common for families to include members of both. Religious tolerance is a genuine feature of Sierra Leonean society, not just a talking point.
Around 60% of the population is under 25, and the country is largely rural — many people live from subsistence farming, fishing, and small-scale trade. Sierra Leone remains one of the world's poorer countries by GDP, but it has a resilient, entrepreneurial population that kept basic civic life going through the war years and the 2014-2016 Ebola crisis.