Sierra Leone has been ranked among the ten African countries with the lowest real value of minimum wage, according to a new report released by Moorepay.
The study, which compared annual earnings across the continent, placed Sierra Leone fifth lowest, with an estimated real minimum wage value of $2,002 per year.
A Brief Break Down
That $2,002 a year translates to roughly 167 dollars per month. In Sierra Leonean Leones, that’s approximately 2 million Leones.
The Cost of Living
In Sierra Leone the cost of a single 50kg bag of rice, which is the national staple food, can cost between 600,000 to 800,000 Leones, consuming about 30-40% of a worker’s entire monthly salary.
The Impossible Equation
After that, what remains must cover rent for often substandard housing, transportation (which is constantly rising due to fuel costs), utilities, clothing, and healthcare, which is almost entirely out-of-pocket. There is no room for error, no cushion for a crisis. A single family emergency can plunge a household into irreversible debt.
This is the story told by Sierra Leone’s position on this list. It is not an abstract figure; it is the reason a parent might walk for miles to save bus fare, or why a family might share a single meal a day.
The Wider Continental Picture
Sierra Leone’s struggle is echoed and, in some cases, even deepened by the countries around it on this list:
The Gambia, at the very top with $778 a year, presents an almost unimaginable tightrope for workers.
In Uganda ($1,285) and Ghana ($1,572), rapid urbanization and inflation have dramatically outpaced wage growth, making life in cities like Kampala and Accra incredibly challenging for those earning the minimum.
Nations like the Central African Republic ($1,759), Mali ($2,419), and Niger ($2,443) face the dual burden of economic fragility and, in some regions, security instability, which further erodes the real value of any official wage.
