What is the currency of Sierra Leone?

The currency of Sierra Leone is the Sierra Leonean leone. The modern leone is divided into 100 cents and uses the ISO 4217 code SLE, while amounts are commonly written with the prefix Le.

Sierra Leone first introduced the leone on 4 August 1964, replacing the British West African pound. The original conversion was two leones to one pound, reflecting the country’s transition to a decimal currency after independence. The Bank of Sierra Leone is responsible for issuing the nation’s money.

In July 2022, Sierra Leone redenominated the currency by removing three zeros. One new leone became equal to 1,000 old leones, changing the ISO code from SLL to SLE. New notes included denominations of 1, 2, 5, 10, and 20 leones.

The word “leone” is sometimes mistaken for a currency connected to Liberia or Ghana, but those countries use the Liberian dollar and Ghanaian cedi respectively. The 2022 redenomination also means older references may show very different-looking prices while still referring to Sierra Leone’s national currency.