Military profile
Sierra Leone Military Strength
Sierra Leone ranks #138 of 145 in the Global Firepower military strength ranking, with 13,000 active personnel. It spent $32 million on its military in 2025 (0.4% of GDP).
Sierra Leone armed forces in numbers
Personnel
- Active military personnel
- 13,000#114 of 145
- Reserve military personnel
- 0#84 of 145
- Paramilitary forces
- 0#113 of 145
- Army personnel
- 5,000#132 of 145
- Air force personnel
- 350#128 of 145
- Navy personnel
- 250#111 of 145
Air power
- Total military aircraft
- 4#131 of 145
- Fighter aircraft
- 0#95 of 145
- Attack aircraft
- 0#65 of 145
- Military helicopters
- 4#128 of 145
- Attack helicopters
- 2#68 of 145
Land forces
- Tanks
- 2#114 of 145
- Self-propelled artillery
- 0#96 of 145
- Towed artillery
- 0#107 of 145
- Rocket artillery
- 0#98 of 145
Naval power
- Aircraft carriers
- 0#8 of 113
- Destroyers
- 0#15 of 113
- Frigates
- 0#56 of 113
- Corvettes
- 0#47 of 113
- Submarines
- 0#44 of 113
- Patrol vessels
- 7#82 of 113
- Mine warfare vessels
- 0#53 of 113
Finance
- Military spending
- $32 million#148 of 156
- Military spending as % of GDP
- 0.4%#149 of 156
- Purchasing power parity (GDP, PPP)
- $13.2 billion#138 of 145
Equipment and personnel: Global Firepower 2023 military strength ranking (2023). Spending: World Bank / SIPRI military expenditure data (CC BY 4.0).
Sierra Leone military spending 2010–2025
Military spending of Sierra Leone grew by 28% between 2010 and 2025, from $25 million to $32 million (current US dollars), and stood at 0.4% of GDP in 2025.
Armed forces of Sierra Leone
Branches and forces
Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces (RSLAF): organized as a Joint Force Command with land, air, and maritime components Ministry of Internal Affairs: Sierra Leone Police (2025)
Personnel
estimated 10,000 active Armed Forces (2025)
Service age and conscription
18-25 for voluntary military service for men and women; no conscription (2025)
Equipment and suppliers
the RSLAF has a small inventory comprised of obsolescent or secondhand imported armaments (2025)
Good to know
the RSLAF’s primary responsibilities are securing the country's borders and territorial waters, supporting civil authorities during internal emergencies, and participating in peacekeeping missions; since the end of the civil war in 2002, it has received assistance from several foreign militaries, including those of Canada, China, France, the UK, and the US the RSLAF’s origins lie in the Sierra Leone Battalion of the Royal West African Frontier Force (RWAFF), a multi-regiment force formed by the British colonial office in 1900 to garrison the West African colonies of Gold Coast (Ghana), Nigeria (Lagos and the protectorates of Northern and Southern Nigeria), Sierra Leone, and The Gambia; the RWAFF fought in both World Wars (2025)
Military expenditure (% of GDP)
2024: 0.5% · 2023: 0.6% · 2022: 0.6% · 2021: 0.3% · 2020: 0.3%
Forces and service: CIA World Factbook (public domain).
Guinea
Liberia