Old Leones to New Leones: Conversion Table and What Changed

To convert old leones to new leones, divide by 1,000. Le 10,000 in old leones is Le 10 in new leones, and Le 1,000,000 old is Le 1,000 new. The Bank of Sierra Leone redenominated the currency on 1 July 2022, removing three zeros without changing its value. The new leone has the currency code SLE; the old leone was SLL. As of 2026, old leone notes are no longer legal tender.

Old leones to new leones conversion table

Going the other way, multiply by 1,000: Le 75 new is Le 75,000 old.

How do you convert old leones to new leones?

Divide the old amount by 1,000. For round numbers, that just means dropping the last three zeros. For other amounts, move the decimal point three places to the left:

• Le 2,500 old → Le 2.50 new
• Le 750 old → Le 0.75 new (75 cents)
• Le 1,234,000 old → Le 1,234 new
• Le 18,500 old → Le 18.50 new

The Bank of Sierra Leone's redenomination FAQs used everyday examples: a loaf of bread at Le 2,000 old became Le 2 new, and a litre of petrol at Le 18,000 old became Le 18. A salary of Le 600,000 old became Le 600 new. Nothing became cheaper or more expensive because of the change; only the number on the price tag got shorter.

New leone notes and coins: what replaced what

Source: Bank of Sierra Leone redenomination FAQs. The Le 20 note had no old-leone equivalent; it would have been a Le 20,000 note.

SLL vs SLE: why converters show different numbers

The currency code changed with the redenomination. SLL is the old leone and SLE is the new leone. This trips up a lot of people online, because some currency converters and apps still show SLL.

As of June 2026, the Bank of Sierra Leone's official rate averaged Le 22.72 (SLE) per US dollar across the month, according to its June 2026 exchange rate sheet. In old-leone terms (SLL), that's about Le 22,720 per dollar. If a converter shows a rate in the 20,000s, it's quoting old leones; divide by 1,000 to get the new figure.

Exchange rates change daily. The Bank of Sierra Leone publishes official rates on bsl.gov.sl, and what you get from a bank, forex bureau or remittance app will differ by their margin.

Can you still use or exchange old leone notes?

No, old leone notes are no longer legal tender. Here's how the deadlines played out:

1. 1 July 2022: the new leone launched. Old and new notes both counted as legal tender during a transition period that was due to end on 30 September 2022.
2. 15 September 2022: the Bank of Sierra Leone extended the transition period to 31 March 2023. Its notice said old notes would cease to be legal tender from 1 April 2023 and could be exchanged at the Bank itself until 15 April 2023.
3. Later extensions: press reports from late 2023 described a further extension, with old notes accepted until the end of 2023 and exchangeable into early 2024 at the Bank of Sierra Leone and a limited number of banks.

By 2026, the US State Department's investment climate report on Sierra Leone describes the old leone as no longer legal tender.

If you still have old notes, from a relative's savings, a drawer or a trip years ago, contact the Bank of Sierra Leone directly to ask whether it will still exchange them. Don't sell them to anyone offering to "change" old leones on the street. They have no legal value in shops, and the person buying them is betting you don't know your options.

Why Sierra Leone removed three zeros

The Bank of Sierra Leone's FAQs give the reasons plainly: carrying large bundles of notes was risky and inconvenient, bookkeeping and accounting software struggled with very large numbers, and ATMs ran out of notes quickly. The redenomination fixed the size of the numbers, not the value of the currency. As the Bank put it, it "doesn't make the Sierra Leone currency stronger". Only demand and supply do that.

Other countries have done the same. Ghana removed four zeros from the cedi in 2007, so 10,000 old cedis became 1 new cedi.

Old leones in daily life: what to watch for

• Prices quoted the old way. Some people still quote prices in old leones out of habit. If a price sounds 1,000 times too high, it's almost certainly in old leones: "fifty thousand" for a meal means Le 50 new.
• Old documents and contracts. Rent agreements, loan papers and land documents from before July 2022 are in old leones. Divide every figure by 1,000 to read them in today's money. The value didn't change.
• Remittances. If someone abroad sends you US$100, you should receive around Le 2,270 new leones at mid-2026 official rates, minus the service's fees and margin. That's the same as about Le 2.27 million old leones. Check the payout figure in new leones before you accept a quote; our guide to the cheapest ways to send money to Africa from the UK or US shows how to compare remittance apps on total cost. We compared live quotes in our guide to the cheapest way to send money to Sierra Leone.
• Online earners. Freelancers and remote workers paid in dollars should quote and record their earnings in SLE. Our list of digital skills that earn in dollars is a good starting point if you want to earn from abroad.
• Scams using the confusion. Be careful with anyone offering to "convert" old notes for you or claiming the new leone is worth more or less than the old one. It isn't. Divide by 1,000; nothing else changed. Mobile money fees are now quoted in new leones too; see Afrimoney and Orange Money charges for what sending and cashing out cost.

More money guides for Sierra Leone are collected on our Sierra Leone page.

Frequently asked questions

How many new leones is 1,000 old leones?

One new leone. The conversion is fixed at 1,000 old leones (SLL) to 1 new leone (SLE), set by the Bank of Sierra Leone when the redenomination took effect on 1 July 2022.

How do I convert old leones to new leones?

Divide by 1,000, or drop the last three zeros. Le 50,000 old is Le 50 new, and Le 2,500 old is Le 2.50 new. To go from new to old, multiply by 1,000.

What is the difference between SLL and SLE?

SLL is the currency code for the old leone, and SLE is the code for the new leone introduced in July 2022. One SLE equals 1,000 SLL. If an app shows the dollar at over 20,000 leones, it's using SLL.

Are old leone notes still legal tender in Sierra Leone?

No. The Bank of Sierra Leone's official notice ended legal tender status for old leones on 1 April 2023, and later extensions have also expired. Only new leone notes and coins are legal tender in 2026.

Can I still exchange old leones?

The official exchange windows have closed. If you still hold old notes, ask the Bank of Sierra Leone directly whether it will exchange them, and don't sell them to informal "changers".

Did the redenomination change the value of the leone?

No. Prices, salaries, savings and exchange rates were all divided by the same 1,000, so the money buys exactly what it did before. The Bank of Sierra Leone stated that the change wouldn't make the currency stronger or weaker.