Sierra Leone lies along the West African coast, with an estimated population of 7.4 million in 2017, covers an area of 71,470 km2, and is bordered by Guinea and Liberia. The population is mainly Muslim (80 percent) and is composed of several ethnic groups including the Temne, the Mende, and the Limba. About 60 percent of the population is under the age of 25, of which 60 percent are unemployed.

The economy is largely agrarian with 65 percent of the working-age population engaging in subsistence agriculture (60 percent of GDP). The country is naturally endowed with diamonds, iron, rutile and bauxite which represent its primary exports.

Sierra Leone is still recovering from a civil war that destroyed most institutions before ending in the early 2000s; and this recovery was severely disrupted by the 2014 Ebola outbreak, which ended in November 2015. Julius Maada Bio was elected as the president following the presidential run-off elections on 31 March 2018. The presidential election passed without 0020dsincident, and was deemed free and fair by international observers. The transition has also been smooth, lessening risks to near-term political stability.