Polygamy is prohibited under Sierra Leone’s penal code. Polygamy is authorized in customary marriages (under customary laws, the indigenous law of the various ethnic groups of Africa), where a man can take as many wives as he wishes.[1]
As of 2019, 30% of women and 14% of men were in a polygamous union. However, "the percentage of women with one or more co-wives has decreased gradually over time, from 37% in 2008 and 35% in 2013 to 30% in 2019".[2] The most common form of polygamous arrangements consist of one man with two or three wives.[3]
Polygamy is more prevalent in rural than urban areas of Sierra Leone. As of 2019, 36% of rural women have at least one co-wife, compared to 20% of urban women. In addition, 19% of rural men report having two or more wives, compared with 7% of urban men.