Sierra Leone's cities at a glance
Dots sized by population · Freetown in orange
Sierra Leone has 4 with more than 100,000 (city-proper figures). The largest is Freetown with 802,639 people, followed by Kenema (255,110) and Bo (233,684). The three largest cities together hold about 14.3% of the country's 9 million people.
The capital, Freetown, is also the largest city.
By region, the most large cities are in Northern Province (4), Eastern Province (3), Southern Province (3).
Country-level figures — live population, births and deaths, growth, density and history — are on the Sierra Leone population page; provinces, terrain, rivers and society maps are in the Sierra Leone atlas.
Sierra Leone cities by population
| # | City | Region | Population | Share of Sierra Leone |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | FreetownCapital | Western Area | 802,639 | 8.9% |
| 2 | Kenema | Eastern Province | 255,110 | 2.8% |
| 3 | Bo | Southern Province | 233,684 | 2.6% |
| 4 | Koidu | Eastern Province | 128,030 | 1.4% |
| 5 | Makeni | Northern Province | 85,116 | 0.9% |
| 6 | Waterloo | Western Area | 55,000 | 0.6% |
| 7 | Port Loko | North West | 44,900 | 0.5% |
| 8 | Njala | Southern Province | 40,000 | 0.4% |
| 9 | Lunsar | Northern Province | 22,461 | 0.2% |
| 10 | Kabala | Northern Province | 17,948 | 0.2% |
| 11 | Segbwema | Eastern Province | 16,532 | 0.2% |
| 12 | Bumpe | Southern Province | 16,123 | 0.2% |
| 13 | Mile 91 | Northern Province | 15,491 | 0.2% |
Cities with 300,000 or more people link to their own page. The list keeps every city of 100,000+ and at least the 30 largest places of the country.
Frequently asked questions
What is the largest city in Sierra Leone?
Freetown, with about 802,639 inhabitants (city proper).
What is the capital of Sierra Leone?
Freetown — population 802,639, the largest city in the country.
How many cities in Sierra Leone have over one million people?
None — the largest, Freetown, has 802,639 people.
Are these metropolitan-area populations?
No. They are city-proper figures (the administrative city) from GeoNames, based on the latest census or official estimate. Metropolitan areas, which include suburbs and satellite towns, are larger — often several times larger for the biggest cities.
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SudanCite or link to this page
Glostats. (2026). Largest Cities in Sierra Leone 2026: Population Ranking. Retrieved October 21, 2026, from https://glostats.com/cities/sierra-leone/<a href="https://glostats.com/cities/sierra-leone/">Largest Cities in Sierra Leone 2026: Population Ranking</a> — GlostatsFigures on this page may be quoted, charted or republished as long as the page is credited with a link. Terms · Download the data as CSV · Embed a live counter.
City populations are GeoNames figures (CC BY 4.0): the latest official census or estimate for the city proper — the municipality, not the wider metropolitan area — so they can differ from "metro area" numbers you see elsewhere. Country populations are live Glostats estimates from the UN World Population Prospects. Page generated 2026-10-21. More about our data.