Germany and Sierra Leone
Germany and Sierra Leone have maintained diplomatic ties since Sierra Leonean independence and cooperation focused on youth employment, training and health. Community participation, women's rights and religious tolerance complement an economic relationship featuring rutile exports to Germany.
Analysis reviewed: 2026-10-08 · Indicators updated: 2026-10-08Bilateral context
Germany recognised Sierra Leone immediately after independence in 1961 and opened an embassy in Freetown.
What merchandise trade shows
In 2024, goods trade between Germany and Sierra Leone totalled 69.8 million current USD.
Documented trade sectors
Within the selected chapters, machinery and mechanical appliances stands out in shipments from Germany to Sierra Leone, at 7.4 million USD in 2024.
Bilateral indicators
Blank cells: data unavailable.
| Indicator | Value | Period |
|---|---|---|
| Goods trade | 69.79 M USD | 2024 · Comtrade |
| Goods: Germany to Sierra Leone | 26.7 M USD | 2024 · Comtrade |
| Goods: Sierra Leone to Germany | 43.1 M USD | 2024 · Comtrade |
| Services trade | ||
| Export share: Germany to Sierra Leone | 0.00164 % | 2024 · Comtrade |
| Export share: Sierra Leone to Germany | ||
| Investment stock: Germany in Sierra Leone | ||
| Investment stock: Sierra Leone in Germany |
Definitions and sources
Trade adds both directions. Shares refer to the country’s total goods exports; investment is an accumulated stock, not an annual flow. Every figure retains the currency and period of its source. BEA positions are historical-cost estimates based on the immediate counterpart, not market values or investment by ultimate owner. ‘More than’ indicates a lower bound, not an exact amount. A recorded stock does not establish new activity or authorisation to operate under sanctions.
- Goods trade
- 2024 · UN Comtrade · Goods; full calendar year; reporter DEU. Both directions come from the same verified customs document, not from adding mirror declarations together. Exports generally FOB; imports generally CIF.
- Goods: Germany to Sierra Leone
- 2024 · UN Comtrade · Goods; full calendar year; reporter DEU. Both directions come from the same verified customs document, not from adding mirror declarations together. Exports generally FOB; imports generally CIF.
- Goods: Sierra Leone to Germany
- 2024 · UN Comtrade · Goods; full calendar year; reporter DEU. Both directions come from the same verified customs document, not from adding mirror declarations together. Exports generally FOB; imports generally CIF.
- Export share: Germany to Sierra Leone
- 2024 · UN Comtrade · Exports to the partner / worldwide exports by the same reporter; same year and coverage.
Country comparison
Period and source beside each figure · est. = estimate by the stated institution.
Some annual indicators refer to different years. Check the period beside each value before comparing them.
| Indicator | Germany | Sierra Leone |
|---|---|---|
| Nominal GDP | 5.05 trillion USD2025 · WB | 7.46 billion USD2025 · WB |
| GDP per capita | 60,496.44 USD2025 · WB | 846.3 USD2025 · WB |
| GDP growth | 0.24 %2025 · WB | 4.61 %2025 · WB |
| Policy interest rate | 2.5 %2026-09-16 · BCE | |
| Inflation · annual average | 2.17 %Annual average · 2025 · WB | 7.49 %Annual average · 2025 · WB |
| Inflation · latest year-on-year figure | 3.3 %provisionalprovisionalYear-on-year · Sept. 2026 · Destatis | |
| Unemployment | 3.71 %ILO est.2025 · WB | 3.15 %ILO est.2025 · WB |
| Budget balance (% of GDP) | -2.7 %IMF est.2025 · IMF | -4.2 %IMF est.2025 · IMF |
| Gross public debt (% of GDP) | 62.9 %IMF est.2025 · IMF | 45.2 %IMF est.2025 · IMF |
| Current account balance (% of GDP) | 4.51 %2025 · WB | -14.12 %2024 · WB |
| Population | 83,491,2492025 · WB | 8,819,7942025 · WB |
| Area | 357,680 km²2023 · WB | |
| Military expenditure | ||
| Military expenditure (% of GDP) |
Definitions, dates and sources
Blank cells are not zero. Average annual inflation and the latest year-on-year figure appear in separate rows: they are not the same measure. Every annual indicator retains its reference year; when the years differ, the figures are identified as not directly comparable. When a figure is unavailable from the World Bank, an annual IMF estimate is used and identified as such. The latest year-on-year figure is the latest official release verified as of 7 October 2026. This includes advance releases marked as provisional. Mexico may have a fortnightly figure before the full month is published; it is not automatically compared with a monthly figure. The publication date is retained in each source’s details; it does not replace the observation period or the annual average. Policy rates carry their own dates and represent different instruments. Spain and France share the ECB rate. Balances are positive for surpluses and negative for deficits. The IMF may use fiscal years; unemployment retains each source’s definition (ILO estimates, IMF WEO or PCBS), as stated in the details. For Palestine, debt and the fiscal balance cover central government and retain the PCBS definition; they are not presented as consolidated general government. These are economic magnitudes, not measures of relationship quality.
Area retains each source’s territorial coverage; it does not determine sovereignty or effective control. Canada uses an archived national geographic reference. Military expenditure retains the 2024 SIPRI sample distributed by the World Bank: the amount and percentage of GDP use that same definition, which differs from NATO’s. It is not an approved budget or a 2026 figure. Information from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). Military expenditure database · Terms of use0
Indicators reviewed: 2026-10-07. Each source retains its original access date; this review does not turn all the data into 2026 observations. Figures may be revised.
- Nominal GDP
- Current USDGermany: 2025 · World BankSierra Leone: 2025 · World Bank · Official World Bank series. Observation year, not download date.
- GDP per capita
- Current USD per personGermany: 2025 · World BankSierra Leone: 2025 · World Bank · Official World Bank series. Observation year, not download date.
- GDP growth
- Annual real change (%)Germany: 2025 · World BankSierra Leone: 2025 · World Bank · Official World Bank series. Observation year, not download date.
- Policy interest rate
- Central bank instrument (%)Germany: 2026-09-16 · ECB: deposit facility; shared euro-area rate · European Central Bank
- Inflation · annual average
- Average annual change in headline CPI (%)Germany: 2025 · Annual average change in the CPI (%) · World BankSierra Leone: 2025 · Annual average CPI change (%) · World Bank · Official World Bank series. Observation year, not download date.
- Inflation · latest year-on-year figure
- Headline CPI relative to the same period of the previous year (%); monthly or fortnightly frequency statedGermany: 2026-09 · Change in headline CPI from the same month of the previous year (%) · Destatis · Published: 2026-09-30 · provisional · Provisional · National headline CPI, year-on-year, not monthly inflation or an annual average. Provisional data or an official advance release; subject to revision.
- Unemployment
- % of the labour force; definition used by the stated institutionGermany: 2025 · World Bank · ILO est.Sierra Leone: 2025 · ILO modelled estimate; percentage of the labour force · World Bank · ILO est. · Official World Bank series. Observation year, not download date.
- Budget balance
- General government (% of GDP)Germany: 2025 · IMF — World Economic Outlook · IMF est.Sierra Leone: 2025 · IMF · IMF est. · WEO general-government estimate, % of GDP. Not an observed balance for the current month.
- Gross public debt
- General government (% of GDP)Germany: 2025 · IMF — World Economic Outlook · IMF est.Sierra Leone: 2025 · IMF · IMF est. · WEO general-government estimate, % of GDP. Not an observed balance for the current month.
- Current account balance
- % of GDPGermany: 2025 · World BankSierra Leone: 2024 · World Bank · Official World Bank series. Observation year, not download date.
- Population
- PeopleGermany: 2025 · World BankSierra Leone: 2025 · World Bank · Official World Bank series. Observation year, not download date.
- Area
- Total area in km²; territorial coverage of the sourceGermany: 2023 · Area according to the series' coverage; does not determine sovereignty or effective control · World Bank
- Military expenditure
- Current USD per year; SIPRI series
- Military expenditure (% of GDP)
- Percentage of GDP; SIPRI definition, not NATO’s definition
Other data specific to this relationship
What they buy and sell
Documented selection, not an exhaustive list. Cells without a figure do not mean zero value; some products are identified without a verified amount.
Germany to Sierra Leone
| Product or sector | Value / share |
|---|---|
| Machinery and mechanical appliances | 7.4 M USD2024 · Source |
| Vehicles and components | 5.1 M USD2024 · Source |
| Pharmaceutical products | 1.5 M USD2024 · Source |
| Electrical and electronic equipment | 1.2 M USD2024 · Source |
| Meat and edible offal | 0.102 M USD2024 · Source |
| Mineral fuels and oils | 0.074 M USD2024 · Source |
| Dairy products, eggs and honey | 0.058 M USD2024 · Source |
Sierra Leone to Germany
| Product or sector | Value / share |
|---|---|
| Metal ores | 38.9 M USD2024 · Source |
| Electrical and electronic equipment | 1.6 M USD2024 · Source |
| Machinery and mechanical appliances | 0.607 M USD2024 · Source |
| Vehicles and components | 0.346 M USD2024 · Source |
| Pharmaceutical products | 0.00111 M USD2024 · Source |
Connections between people
Development cooperation supports youth employment, vocational training and agriculture, alongside strengthening healthcare, including HIV prevention. Through the Civil Peace Service, Germany supports organisations promoting local communities' participation and rights and religious tolerance. [1]
Residents, study and travel
Blank cells: data unavailable. Each measure retains its definition and period.
| Indicator | Value | Period / source |
|---|---|---|
| Residents from Germany living in Sierra Leone | ||
| Residents from Sierra Leone living in Germany | ||
| Study and training: Germany in Sierra Leone | ||
| Study and training: Sierra Leone in Germany | ||
| Academic stays: Germany in Sierra Leone | ||
| Academic stays: Sierra Leone in Germany | ||
| Travel: Germany to Sierra Leone | ||
| Travel: Sierra Leone to Germany |
What each figure measures
Residents are counted by nationality and the coverage of the stated register, not as people born in the other country or as new arrivals in one year. PERE includes dual nationals and people born outside Spain. Study with OPT and stays carrying academic credit are different measures. Travel may include several visits by the same person; FRONTUR arrivals require an overnight stay, whereas the Canadian survey includes day visits. These figures are neither added together nor automatically compared across directions.
Mobility data added or reviewed: 2026-10-07. Reference periods may be earlier.
Underlying ties
History, institutions and long-standing issues.
Bilateral context
Germany recognised Sierra Leone immediately after independence in 1961 and opened an embassy in Freetown. The mission closed between 1999 and 2003 because of the civil war; it again had an ambassador from 2007. [1]
The scale of both economies
Nominal GDP for Germany is 5,050.9 billion USD (2025), compared with 7.5 for Sierra Leone (2025). The reference populations are 83.49 and 8.82 million, respectively. In the same year, the economy of Germany was 676.69 times that of Sierra Leone in nominal GDP. The comparison provides context on market size, but does not, on its own, measure influence, well-being or diplomatic closeness. Estimates and their sources retain their labels in the tables. [4] [5] [6] [7]
Recent developments
Recent developments and latest available data · Review: 2026-10-08
Cooperation and bilateral issues
Development cooperation supports youth employment, vocational training and agriculture, alongside strengthening healthcare, including HIV prevention. Women's rights are another priority. Through the Civil Peace Service, Germany supports organisations promoting local communities' participation and rights and religious tolerance. Trade has a specific concentration: according to the profile, open-pit-mined rutile represented more than eighty per cent of German imports from Sierra Leone in 2024. [1]
What merchandise trade shows
In 2024, merchandise trade between the two countries (Germany and Sierra Leone) totalled 69.8 million current USD. Shipments from the first to the second were 26.7 million; those in the opposite direction, 43.1 million. The difference between the two flows was 16.4 million, in favour of Sierra Leone. This is a goods balance, not the total balance of the economic relationship: it excludes services, income and transfers. Both directions come from a single customs reporter to avoid adding mirror records. [2]
The partner's share of exports
Sales from Germany to the partner represented 0.00164% of its worldwide goods exports in 2024. The share compares the same reporter, year and coverage. It measures export concentration, not the percentage of GDP dependent on this relationship. A partner may be important in a specific sector even if its share of total goods trade is small. [2]
Documented trade sectors
Within the selected chapters, machinery and mechanical appliances stands out in shipments from Germany to Sierra Leone, at 7.4 million USD in 2024. Within the selected chapters, metal ores stands out in shipments from Sierra Leone to Germany, at 38.9 million USD in 2024. The table compares eight selected chapters with the same coverage as the trade total. It is not a complete list or proof that the first item in this selection is the leading product across the entire relationship. A chapter groups numerous goods: machinery and components, for example, do not describe a single business transaction. [3]
Sources and data
Periods and scope of the figures
Institutional sources and periods accompany each figure. Annual trade, investment positions, residents and visits are distinct measures. Empty cells do not mean zero. Statements of intent are not presented as project implementation or treaties in force.
- Bilateral relations — DEU-SLE
Germany's Federal Foreign Office · Institutional source · Accessed: 2026-10-07
- Bounded matrix; reporter, partner, year, chapter and direction identified in each record; reused verified primary payload, not re-downloaded
UN Comtrade · Institutional source · Accessed: 2026-10-08
- Bounded matrix; reporter, partner, year, chapter and direction identified in each record
UN Comtrade · Institutional source · Accessed: 2026-10-08
- Official statistics
World Bank · Institutional source · Accessed: 2026-10-07
- NY.GDP.MKTP.CD; ISO and reference year; no military dataset expansion
World Bank · Institutional source · Accessed: 2026-10-08
- Official statistics
World Bank · Institutional source · Accessed: 2026-10-07
- SP.POP.TOTL; ISO and reference year; no military dataset expansion
World Bank · Institutional source · Accessed: 2026-10-08
Additional sources on products and human connections
- UN Comtrade
2026-10-08 · Accessed: 2026-10-08 · Bounded matrix; reporter, partner, year, chapter and direction identified in each record.