Sierra Leone: Imports, percent of GDP

* indicates monthly or quarterly data series
 Sierra Leone

Imports of goods and services as percent of GDP

 Latest value 67.28
 Year 2023
 Measure percent
 Data availability 1964 - 2023
 Average 32.03
 Min - Max 12.41 - 67.28
 Source The World Bank
The latest value from 2023 is 67.28 percent, an increase from 56.22 percent in 2022. In comparison, the world average is 49.03 percent, based on data from 138 countries. Historically, the average for Sierra Leone from 1964 to 2023 is 32.03 percent. The minimum value, 12.41 percent, was reached in 1984 while the maximum of 67.28 percent was recorded in 2023. See the global rankings for that indicator or use the country comparator to compare trends over time.
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* indicates monthly or quarterly data series


Recent data
Sierra Leone - Imports, percent of GDP - Recent values chart

Historical series
Sierra Leone - Imports, percent of GDP - historical chart - 1964-2023




The imports of Sierra Leone and other countries are calculated as the total amount of goods and services produced abroad and sold at home. Imports are often reported as percent of GDP so that we can evaluate their magnitude relative to the size of the economy.

If imports are about 15 percent or less of GDP the economy is considered relatively closed. That, for example, applies to the U.S. In contrast, many small European countries import over 40 percent of the products they consume. They are considered more open to international trade.
Definition: Imports of goods and services represent the value of all goods and other market services received from the rest of the world. They include the value of merchandise, freight, insurance, transport, travel, royalties, license fees, and other services, such as communication, construction, financial, information, business, personal, and government services. They exclude compensation of employees and investment income (formerly called factor services) and transfer payments.

Selected articles from our guide:

What factors determine the exchange rates

International lending and sovereign debt

All articles



 Related indicators Latest Reference Measure
 Terms of trade 120.80 2021 percent
 Trade openness 107.75 2023 percent
 Financial openness -1.242 2021 index points
 Exports, percent of GDP 40.47 2023 percent
 Exports, billion dollars 1.54 2023 billion U.S. dollars
 Growth of exports 16.33 2023 percent
 Imports, percent of GDP 67.28 2023 percent
 Imports, billion dollars 2.56 2023 billion U.S. dollars
 Foreign Direct Investment, percent of GDP 6.90 2023 percent
 Foreign Direct Investment, billion dollars 0.29 2022 billion U.S. dollars
 Portfolio investment inflows, equities 0.00 2022 million dollars (current)
 Current account, percent of GDP -6.10 2023 percent
 Current account, in dollars -0.16 2022 billion U.S. dollars
 Trade balance, percent of GDP -26.81 2023 percent
 Trade balance, in dollars -0.82 2022 billion U.S. dollars
 Reserves 0.50 2023 billion U.S. dollars
 Remittances, percent of GDP 6.10 2023 percent
 Remittances 232.35 2023 million U.S. dollars
 Net errors and omissions -320.44 2022 million USD
 External debt 48.94 2022 percent
 Short-term external debt 6.93 2022 percent
 Short-term debt to reserves 25.88 2022 percent
 Foreign exchange reserves 10,744.47 5/2024 billion
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