Education · Sub-Saharan Africa · Low income
Liberia: education in numbers
Pre-primary enrolment is 128.5% (2020), 3rd of 176 in the world and 1st of 39 in Sub-Saharan Africa. Primary enrolment is 66.6% (2022), 189th of 191 in the world and 39th of 41 in Sub-Saharan Africa. Primary completion is 57.8% (2022), 160th of 168 in the world and 29th of 36 in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Pre-primary enrolment
LiberiaSub-Saharan AfricaLow incomeWorld
Primary enrolment
LiberiaSub-Saharan AfricaLow incomeWorld
12 indicators
Education: Liberia in detail
Latest reported value, world rank and rank within Sub-Saharan Africa; values around 2000, 2010, 2020; group and world columns are World Bank aggregates.
| Indicator | Latest | World rank | In region | ~2000 | ~2010 | ~2020 | 10-year change | Region | Income group | World | Since 2000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-primary enrolmentPre-primary enrolment, % gross | 128.5%2020 | 3/176 | 1/39 | 75.6% | · | 128.5% | +52.8 ppsince 2000 | 28.1% | 20.1% | 60.9% | |
| Primary enrolmentPrimary school enrolment, % gross | 66.6%2022 | 189/191 | 39/41 | 108.5% | 100.7%2011 | 72.4% | −34.2 ppsince 2011 | 97.1% | 97.6% | 102.2% | |
| Primary completionPrimary completion rate, % of age group | 57.8%2022 | 160/168 | 29/36 | · | 63.4%2011 | 58.5%2021 | −5.6 ppsince 2011 | 68.9% | 62.9% | 88.0% | |
| Secondary enrolmentSecondary school enrolment, % gross | 37.7%2020 | 167/176 | 25/34 | 34.1% | 43.6%2011 | 37.7% | +3.6 ppsince 2000 | 45.9% | 41.5% | 77.3% | |
| Lower secondary completionLower secondary completion rate, % of age group | 44.5%2022 | 149/168 | 19/34 | 36.8% | 40.7%2011 | 43.8%2021 | +3.8 ppsince 2011 | 44.4% | 38.6% | 77.9% | |
| Tertiary enrolmentTertiary enrolment, % gross | 10.8%2012 | — | — | 18.5% | 9.0% | · | −7.7 ppsince 2000 | 9.3% | 9.3% | 43.6% | |
| Out-of-school childrenChildren out of school, % of primary school age | 38.3%2022 | 5/178 | 5/38 | 55.8%1999 | 3.9%2011 | 31.4% | +34.3 ppsince 2011 | — | 24.1% | — | |
| Adult literacyAdult literacy rate, % of people 15+ | 59.4%2010 | 127/141 | 29/41 | · | 59.4% | · | — | 68.7% | 63.6% | 87.7% | |
| Youth literacyYouth literacy rate, % of people 15–24 | 75.1%2013 | 132/148 | 28/42 | · | 79.3% | · | — | 79.0% | 75.4% | 93.1% | |
| Pupils per teacherPupils per teacher, primary | 22.32017 | 68/173 | 37/40 | 38.3 | 26.82011 | · | −20%since 2006 | 37.4 | 39.8 | 23.4 | |
| Education spendingPublic spending on education, % of GDP | 2.3%2023 | 164/184 | 38/43 | · | 1.8%2012 | 2.1% | +0.6 ppsince 2013 | 3.3% | 3.0% | 3.6% | |
| Education, % of budgetEducation spending, % of government expenditure | 7.4%2021 | 168/179 | 39/42 | · | 5.2%2012 | 7.4%2021 | +0.9 ppsince 2008 | 15.4% | 16.7% | 14.0% |
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0)“·” — no value reported within two years of that date. World rank counts countries with a recent value.
Better than ten years ago
- Pre-primary enrolment+52.8 pp128.5% in 2020
- Secondary enrolment+3.6 pp37.7% in 2020
- Lower secondary completion+3.8 pp44.5% in 2022
- Pupils per teacher−20%22.3 in 2017
Worse than ten years ago
- Primary completion−5.6 pp57.8% in 2022
- Tertiary enrolment−7.7 pp10.8% in 2012
- Out-of-school children+34.3 pp38.3% in 2022
Only indicators where higher or lower is clearly better are rated (for example, unemployment down is better, life expectancy up is better).
neighbours
Liberia and its neighbours
Countries sharing a land border with Liberia. Latest values since 2005; the highest in each row is marked.
| Indicator | Liberia | Côte d'Ivoire | Guinea | Sierra Leone |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-primary enrolment | 128.5%2020 | 10.7%2022 | 19.7%2021 | 25.0%2021 |
| Primary enrolment | 66.6%2022 | 93.3%2024 | 100.5%2020 | 162.1%2024 |
| Primary completion | 57.8%2022 | 80.2%2024 | 59.9%2020 | 99.2%2024 |
| Secondary enrolment | 37.7%2020 | 65.3%2024 | 38.6%2014 | 86.9%2023 |
| Lower secondary completion | 44.5%2022 | 70.8%2024 | 34.5%2020 | 57.1%2021 |
| Tertiary enrolment | 10.8%2012 | 12.3%2024 | 10.9%2014 | — |
| Out-of-school children | 38.3%2022 | 12.6%2024 | 14.7%2020 | 0.9%2015 |
| Adult literacy | 59.4%2010 | 50.0%2021 | 39.6%2018 | 43.6%2019 |
| Youth literacy | 75.1%2013 | 66.8%2021 | 53.9%2018 | 73.0%2019 |