The indigenous population of Sierra Leone is made up of 18 ethnic groups. The Temne in the north and the Mende in the South are the largest. About 60,000 are Krio, the descendants of freed slaves who returned to Sierra Leone from the British Isles and North America and slave ships captured on the high seas. In addition, about 5,000 Lebanese, 1000 Indians, and 5,000 Europeans reside in the country. The Temne are the largest ethnic group in northern Sierra Leone, and they comprise about 30% of Sierra Leones total population. ... The Mende are a large West African ethnic group (population approximately 2 million), speakers of the Mende language, living primarily in Sierra Leone and Liberia. ... Krio is a diverse, mainly Christian culture founded by freed African slaves from Britain, Northern America and Jamaica who settled in Freetown in the late 18th century. ... Location of the British Isles The British Isles are a group of islands off the north west coast of continental Europe comprising Great Britain, Ireland and a number of smaller islands. ... World map showing North America A satellite composite image of North America. ... The Buxton Memorial Fountain, celebrating the emancipation of slaves in the British Empire in 1834, London. ... This article is very long. ...

In the past, Sierra Leoneans were noted for their educational achievements, trading activity, entrepreneurial skills, and arts and crafts work, particularly woodcarving. Many are part of larger ethnic networks extending into several countries, which link West African states in the area. However, the level of education and infrastructure has declined sharply over the last 30 years.^{[citation needed]} Carved wooden cranes Wood carving is a form of working wood by means of a cutting tool held in the hand (this may be a power tool), resulting in a wooden figure or figurine (this may be abstract in nature) or in the ornamentation of a wooden object. ...

Demographics of Sierra Leone, Data of FAO, year 2005 ; Number of inhabitants in thousands.

Population:
6,017,643 (July 2005 est.); 5,732,681 (July 2003 est.); 5,232,624 (July 2000 est.) Image File history File links Sierra-Leone-demography. ... Image File history File links Sierra-Leone-demography. ... Possible meanings: Faro Airport (Portugal) Federation of Astrobiology Organizations Financial Aid Office Food and Agriculture Organization This page expands a three-character combination which might be any or all of: an abbreviation, an acronym, an initialism, a word in English, or a word in another language. ...

Age structure:
0–14 years: 44.7% (male 1,318,508/female 1,371,164)
15–64 years: 52% (male 1,494,068/female 1,637,276)
65 years and over: 3.3% (male 93,047/female 103,580) (2005 est.)

0–14 years: 44.8% (male 1,259,421; female 1,310,516)
15–64 years: 52% (male 1,420,900; female 1,557,597)
65 years and over: 3.2% (male 89,078; female 95,169) (2003 est.)

0–14 years: 44.73% (male 1,148,264; female 1,192,533)
15–64 years: 52.16% (male 1,305,039; female 1,424,076)
65 years and over: 3.11% (male 81,291; female 81,421) (2000 est.)

Population growth rate: 2.22% (2005 est.), 2.94% (2003 est.), 3.67% (2000 est.)

Birth rate: 42.84 births/1,000 population (2005 est.), 43.89 births/1,000 population (2003 est.), 45.63 births/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Death rate: 20.61 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.), 20.66 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.), 19.58 deaths/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population note: refugees currently in surrounding countries are slowly returning (2005 est.) 6.19 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.), 10.61 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2000 est.)
note: note: refugees currently in surrounding countries are slowly returning

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 0.96 male(s)/female
15–64 years: 0.91 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.9 male(s)/female
total population: 0.93 male(s)/female (2005 est.)

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 0.96 male(s)/female
15–64 years: 0.91 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.94 male(s)/female
total population: 0.93 male(s)/female (2003 est.)

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 0.96 male(s)/female
15–64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1 male(s)/female
total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2000 est.)

Maternal Mortality Ratio: 2000 deaths/100 000 births (2000 est.). Sierra Leone's MMR is the worst of any country in the world, according to the 2000 WHO, UNICEF and UNFPA report. The Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) is a measure of the risk of death once a woman has become pregnant. ... The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that acts as a coordinating authority on international public health, headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. ... UNICEF Logo The United Nations Childrens Fund or UNICEF (Arabic: ; French: ; Spanish: ) was established by the United Nations General Assembly on December 11, 1946. ... The United Nations Fund for Population Activities was started in 1969 and renamed the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in 1987. ...

Infant mortality rate:
total: 143.64 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 161.06 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 125.69 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)

total: 146.86 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 128.96 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 164.23 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)

total: 148.66 deaths/1,000 live births (2000 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 39.87 years
male: 37.74 years
female: 42.06 years (2005 est.)

total population: 42.84 years
male: 40.33 years
female: 45.42 years (2003 est.)

total population: 45.25 years
male: 42.37 years
female: 48.21 years (2000 est.)

Total fertility rate: 5.72 children born/woman (2005 est.), 5.86 children born/woman (2003 est.), 6.08 children born/woman (2000 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 7% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 170,000 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths: 11,000 (2001 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Sierra Leonean(s)
adjective: Sierra Leonean

Ethnic groups: 20 native African tribes 90% (Temne 30%, Mende 30%, other 30%), Creole 10% (descendants of freed Jamaica slaves who were settled in the [Freetown] area in the late-18th century), refugees from Liberia's recent civil war, small numbers of Europeans, Lebanese, Pakistanis, and Indians The Temne are the largest ethnic group in northern Sierra Leone, and they comprise about 30% of Sierra Leones total population. ... The Mende are a large West African ethnic group (population approximately 2 million), speakers of the Mende language, living primarily in Sierra Leone and Liberia. ...

Religions: Muslim 60%, indigenous beliefs 30%, Christian 10%

Languages: English (official, regular use limited to literate minority), Mende (principal vernacular in the south), Temne (principal vernacular in the north), Krio (English-based Creole, spoken by the descendants of freed American and West Indian slaves and Liberated Africans who were settled in the Freetown area, a lingua franca and a first language for 10% of the population but understood by 95%) The Mende language is a major language of Sierra Leone, with some speakers in neighboring Liberia. ... Temne (also known as Themne or Timne) is a Southern Atlantic language spoken in Sierra Leone by about one million first language speakers, or some 30% of the country’s population. ... The Caribbean or the West Indies is a group of islands in the Caribbean Sea. ...

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write English, Mende, Temne, or Arabic
total population: 29.6%
male: 39.8%
female: 20.5% (2000 est.)

definition: age 15 and over can read and write English, Mende, Temne, or Arabic
total population: 31.4%
male: 45.4%
female: 18.2% (1995 est.)