Sierra Leone recorded only 755 registered marriages in 2025, according to provisional figures released by the National Civil Registration Authority (NCRA), a strikingly low number for a country with a population of more than eight million.
The figure is contained in the NCRA’s Provisional Annual Report on Vital Events for the year ending December 31, 2025, and immediately points to widespread under-registration of marriages, particularly religious and customary unions that form the bulk of family life across the country.
Of the marriages registered, Christian marriages accounted for 408 (54%), followed by Islamic marriages with 174 (23%), civil marriages with 128 (17%), and customary marriages with just 45 (6%). The low representation of customary marriages, which are common in many communities, suggests that most unions remain legally undocumented.
The marriage data stands in sharp contrast to other vital events captured by the Authority during the year. The report shows that 306,057 live births were registered nationwide, comprising 149,968 males (49%) and 156,089 females (51%), with a sex ratio of 96. In addition, 3,739 stillbirths were recorded.
The high number of registered births compared to marriages highlights a gap in civil documentation, where children are increasingly being registered at birth, while the legal status of their parents’ unions often remains unrecorded.
Deaths data further reveals notable demographic patterns. A total of 17,905 deaths were registered in 2025, with males accounting for 10,280 deaths (57%) and females 7,625 (43%). Older persons were the most affected, with 32 percent of deaths occurring among those aged 60 and above, followed by children aged 0–4 years, who accounted for 2,697 deaths (15%).
The male-heavy death toll points to possible gender disparities in health outcomes and exposure to risk, while the number of child deaths underscores persistent challenges in early childhood survival.
Family dissolution, like marriage, also remains largely outside the formal registration system. The NCRA recorded only 60 divorces nationwide during the year. Of these, civil marriages accounted for 35 percent (21 cases), while Christian and Islamic marriages each made up 30 percent (18 cases). Customary marriages accounted for just three divorces, or 5 percent.
Given social realities, the low divorce figures suggest that many separations are handled informally, without legal documentation, limiting protections related to property, custody, and maintenance.
The report also recorded 160 adoption cases across the country in 2025. Females accounted for 99 cases (62%), while males made up 61 cases (38%). Notably, the largest share of adopted children fell within the 13–17 age group, with 62 cases (39%), followed by ages 5–12 with 60 cases (37%), and ages 0–4 with 38 cases (24 percent).
The age distribution is unusual, as adoption trends typically skew younger, and may point to social and economic pressures affecting older children, particularly adolescent girls.
In its conclusion, the NCRA said the provisional report covers the period from January to December 2025 and emphasized the importance of timely registration of all vital events. The Authority encouraged citizens and residents, including foreign nationals, to register births, deaths, marriages, divorces, adoptions, and nullities as they occur to ensure accurate population records.
Accurate civil registration data is considered critical for national planning, legal protection, and access to social services. However, the sharp imbalance between registered births and other life events suggests that while progress has been made in some areas, significant gaps remain in Sierra Leone’s civil registration system.
