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Sierra Leone has been ranked 13th out of 16 countries in West Africa in the latest Human Development Index (HDI) report published by Global Statistics Wire on July 2, 2026.
According to the report, Sierra Leone scored 0.467 on the Human Development Index, placing it ahead of only three countries in the sub-region: Burkina Faso (14th), Mali (15th), and Niger (16th).
The report identifies Cabo Verde, Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, Togo, and Mauritania as some of the highest-performing countries in West Africa based on their Human Development Index scores.
Among Sierra Leone’s neighbours, Liberia and Guinea ranked slightly higher, occupying 11th and 12th positions respectively.
Globally, the report places Sierra Leone 185th, making it one of the lowest-ranked countries in the world on the Human Development Index. The data used in the rankings is partly sourced from the United Nations Development Programme’s (UNDP) Human Development Report.
The Human Development Index measures a country’s progress based on three key areas: how long people live, their level of education, and their standard of living or income. Sierra Leone’s low ranking suggests that many people continue to face significant challenges in accessing quality healthcare, education, and economic opportunities. In simple terms, the ranking indicates that the country still has considerable work to do to improve the overall quality of life for its citizens compared with most other countries in West Africa and around the world.
