Sierra Leonean ethnicity - top countries
Sierra Leonean ethnicity is common in the following countries, according to MyHeritage DNA users' data.
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Sierra Leoneans belong to 16 distinct ethnic groups, the largest of which are the Mende and the Temne. In the 16th century, Sierra Leone became a major shipping center for the African slave trade. Over a century later, freed slaves from North America returned to the region to found fledgling colonies. People of African descent in the Caribbean and the Americas often have some Sierra Leonean ancestry. Over two-thirds of Sierra Leoneans are subsistence farmers. The most important crop is rice, which is served at every meal; in Sierra Leonean culture, a meal is not complete without it.