Sierra Leone

THE TINY COUNTRY of Sierra Leone, which is only 71,620 square miles in area, is situated in western Africa bordering the north Atlantic Ocean. Sierra Leone is one of the the poorest countries in the world, with a poverty rate of 68 percent and an annual per capita income of only $140. Some 74.5 percent of the people live on less than $2 a day, and 57 percent live on less than $1 a day.

Inequality is widespread in Sierra Leone, and the country is ranked 62.9 on the Gini Index of Human Inequality. The poorest 20 percent of the population hold only 1.1 percent of Sierra Leonean income, while the richest 20 percent share 63.4 percent. The United Nations ranks Sierra Leone near the bottom of 177 countries on its Human Development Report, which ranks countries according to quality-of-life issues. Between 1991 and 2002, civil war took a heavy toll on Sierra [Page 977]Leone, with 500,000 dead, 100,000 mutilated, and one-third of the population displaced from their homes. Large numbers of the displaced fled to neighboring countries. A 17,000-strong delegation of United Nations peacekeeping forces and personnel, the largest ever deployed, helped to restore order until a new government could be put in place. Political stability continues to be tenuous in response to situations in Liberia and Guinea that may involve Sierra Leone in the future.

Although Sierra Leone's natural resources include diamonds, titanium ore, bauxite, iron ore, and gold, the country remains undeveloped. The Sierra Leonean economy is dependent on subsistence agriculture and international aid, which do not provide sufficient income to turn the country around economically. Sierra Leone's severely indebted status also drains resources that are sorely needed to meet the needs of the population of 6,017,643.

Life expectancy in Sierra Leone is 42.52 years, and the median age is 17.53 years. Life expectancy has increased since the 1980 rate of 34 years, but the increase has occurred slowly over a period of years. Some 44.7 percent of the population are under the age of 14, and 3.3 percent have reached the age of 65. Sierra Leoneans have a 57.5 percent chance of not surviving until the age of 40. One reason for this is that the population lacks access to healthcare and affordable lifesaving drugs. Additionally, some 43 percent of the population lack access to safe water and 44 percent lack access to proper sanitation.

Resources that are needed elsewhere are channeled toward fighting Sierra Leone's high HIV/AIDS prevalence rate of seven percent. In 2001, it was estimated that 170,000 were living with this disease, which had caused 11,000 deaths. Sierra Leoneans also face a very high risk of food- and waterborne diseases that are common in sub-Saharan Africa, and malaria and yellow fever present problems in some areas.

Infant mortality is extremely high, even for sub-Sa-haran Africa. In 2005, 143.64 deaths occurred out of 1,000 live births. Male infants were more likely to die than were female infants with a rate of 161.06 compared to 125.69. Between 1970 and 2002, infant mortality rates dropped from 206 deaths per 1,000 live births to 165 deaths per 1,000. The mortality rate for children under the age of 5 decreased from an appalling 363 in 1970 to a still unacceptable 284 deaths out of every 1,000 in 2002. Some 27 percent of all children under the age of 5 are malnourished, and nine percent are severely underweight. Approximately 34 percent of children under 5 suffer from moderate to severe stunting, and 10 percent suffer from moderate to severe wasting. Only 29 percent of Sierra Leonean children receive essential oral rehydration therapy.

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