2023 World Bank Sierra Leone Economic Update Unveils Escalating Food Insecurity Crisis Amid Economic Shocks

The 2023 World Bank Sierra Leone Economic Update reveals a deepening food insecurity crisis, heightened by economic shocks that excessively impact vulnerable populations in rural and urban areas.

The report indicates that in January 2023, 788,000 people faced food insecurity at crisis levels, with a projected increase to 1.1 million (13 percent of the population) by August 2023. Particularly alarming is the forecast that over 21,500 individuals will experience emergency-level food insecurity (IPC4) by August 2023, a significant shift from zero in January.

The current scenario reveals that 55 percent of Sierra Leone’s population faces inadequate food consumption, 48 percent resorts to crisis-level food-based coping mechanisms, and 38 percent encounters difficulties accessing markets.

While chronic undernourishment rates remain relatively stable, the absolute numbers have been steadily rising due to rapid population growth in Sierra Leone. The country’s food and nutrition insecurity rates are among the most severe in West and Central Africa, witnessing an alarming eight-fold increase in people experiencing IPC3+ conditions since 2016. 

The issue predates recent global crises, and factors like COVID-19 and the repercussions of the Russian invasion of Ukraine have intensified existing challenges. Between 2017 and 2020, there was a 29 percent surge, surpassing 862,000 people unable to afford a healthy diet, underscoring the persistent and dire nature of the problem. The report emphasizes the urgent need for comprehensive, sustained interventions to address the deepening food insecurity crisis in Sierra Leone.