Sierra Leone News: More than 55% of Sierra Leoneans are living in poverty — Report

By George M.O Williams

Fifty-six percent of Sierra Leoneans are living in poverty, and 12.9 percent are living in extreme poverty, according to the Sierra Leone Integrated Household Survey (SLIHS) report of 2018.

The report which was launched by Statistic Sierra Leone on Tuesday October 29, 2019, however, shows that there is an immense reduction on poverty rate in Sierra Leone when compared 62.4 percent in 2011 as against 56 percent in 2018.

The SLIHS report covered the period from January to December 2018.

The Survey shows that Tonkolli is the most impoverish district in the country with 84.5 percent of people living in poverty, followed by Pujuhum 84.4 percent, Karene 78.4 percent.

Launching the report at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Freetown, Statistic Adviser, World Bank, Elizabeth M. Foster said that though there is reductions in poverty, “we must be alert that high food price and inflation, and growing consumption inequalitys will hinder the progress made thus far to alleviate people out of poverty”.

SLIHS is a living standard measures survey or household income and expenditure survey conducted regularly in order to collect useful socio-economic data to support government planning process.

Statistician General, Professor Osman Sankoh said that the stride accomplished will help in evidence based decision making, and assist in the establishment of credible data for all district.

Principal Statistician and Head of Agricultural Statistics, Momodu M. Kamara noted that the household survey provide vital data to track and monitor development plans and Sustainable Development Goals.

He said that the data is very instrumental to map government policy and make people in position of trust to be accountable.

According to the report, the most common illness reported by Sierra Leoneans is malaria that cut across various age groups, and 6 out of 10 Sierra Leoneans who reported the illness visited health facility. Hypertension is the main cause of death among people between the ages of 65 to 75 years.

The report shows that 4.3 percent of the total population is disabled.