180 countries ranked by safety, peace, freedom and LGBT+ equality
Visiting: RecommendedLGBT+ visiting: Not Recommended
Sierra Leone has the beaches Instagram hasn't found yet — River No. 2 is the famous one, white sand backed by rainforest hills. Rescued chimps live at Tacugama, twenty minutes from Freetown, and day to day the country feels friendlier and safer than most first-timers expect. But the law here gives homosexuality a life sentence, and that rules it out for LGBT+ travellers.
Intentional homicides per 100,000 people — lower is better.
Sierra Leone: 2.2
Ranked 73rd in the world for the lowest homicide rate.
2.22 homicides per 100,000 people in 2020 — a low rate by world standards.
Lower than 61% of the 230 countries and territories measured.
How peaceful the country is — lower is better.
Sierra Leone: 1.9
Ranked 74th most peaceful country in the world.
More peaceful than 65% of the 163 countries ranked, scoring 1.887.
Up 2 places since 2024.
Personal and economic freedom — higher is better.
Sierra Leone: 6.3
Ranked 70th least free country in the world.
Less free than 64% of the 165 countries measured — 6.34 out of 10.
Day-to-day life (speech, movement, religion) scores 6.88; doing business and owning property, 5.60.
LGBT+ equality in law and daily life — higher is better.
Sierra Leone: Life
Ranked 19th least equal in the world for LGBT+ people.
Homosexuality is criminalised here, with a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.
Public attitudes score 6 out of 100 — the law and public opinion are not the same thing.