What is the capital of Sierra Leone?
Freetown is a major port city on the Atlantic Ocean in Sierra Leone's Western Area, and its harbour occupies part of the Sierra Leone River estuary, one of the world's largest natural deep-water harbours.
Freetown is the capital and seat of government of Sierra Leone. Sierra Leone itself has an estimated population of 8,819,794 (2025).
Freetown is also the largest city in Sierra Leone, which is the usual arrangement, though it is far from universal: see the countries where capital and largest city differ.
Freetown at a glance
| City population | 1,347,559 (2024 census) |
|---|---|
| Metropolitan area | 1,500,234 (2024 census) |
| Country | 🇸🇱 Sierra Leone |
| Founded | 1792 |
| Largest city in Sierra Leone | Freetown |
| Time zone | UTC+00:00 (GMT) |
| Currency | Sierra Leonean leone (SLL) |
About Freetown
The city was founded on 11 March 1792 by 1,196 African Americans under the guidance of abolitionist Lieutenant John Clarkson, at the foot of the Cotton Tree, as a settlement for free and freed African American, Afro-Caribbean and Liberated African slaves.
Freetown is Sierra Leone's major urban, economic, financial, cultural, educational and political centre.
Though traditionally the homeland of the Sierra Leone Creole people, the city is home to all of Sierra Leone's ethnic groups, with no single group forming more than 27 percent of its population, and the Krio language is its primary language of communication.
City facts sourced from Wikipedia: Freetown.
Frequently asked questions
What is the capital of Sierra Leone?
Is Freetown the largest city in Sierra Leone?
What is the population of Freetown?
Where is Freetown located?
What time zone is Freetown in?
What currency is used in Freetown?
Capitals of neighbouring countries
See the full profile of Sierra Leone on its country page, or browse every capital city.
Capital and country data from open datasets; city and metropolitan populations are hand-curated per city and cited where they are shown. Populations of countries come from the World Bank (SP.POP.TOTL). Full sources and vintage on the data page. Last updated . Report a correction.