Government expenditure (% of GDP) in Sierra Leone

In 2025, general government expenditure as a share of GDP in Sierra Leone was 16.5 %, down from 17.6 % in 2024. Explore the historical series and compare Sierra Leone with other economies below.

Government expenditure (% of GDP)

Total expenditure of the general government

Sierra Leone

Year	%
2025	16.5
2024	17.6
2023	15.4
2022	16.7
2021	16.8
2020	15.6
2019	13.3
2018	13.7
2017	15.0
2016	14.9
2015	13.1
2014	13.5
2013	11.4
2012	13.5
2011	13.2
2010	12.5
2009	11.3
2008	10.3
2007	8.1
2006	10.0
2005	10.9
2004	11.1
2003	11.7
2002	12.6
2001	12.0
2000	10.3

How Sierra Leone compares

Government expenditure (% of GDP) compared with other countries

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Government expenditure (% of GDP)

About this indicator

This indicator measures general government total expenditure as a percentage of GDP. It captures all spending by the consolidated public sector in a given year, including wages and social benefits, interest payments, subsidies, transfers, and net acquisition of nonfinancial assets. Comparing expenditure-to-GDP ratios across countries shows the size of government relative to the economy. A higher ratio means the public sector accounts for a larger share of economic activity.
The series follows the IMF World Economic Outlook definition of government expenditure, under the Government Finance Statistics Manual (GFSM) framework.

Sources and updates

Data sources

The data for this indicator are drawn from the IMF World Economic Outlook.

Last update

This indicator was last updated on Econorama on 18 June 2026 and reflects the latest data available from the underlying sources at that time.