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Education · Sub-Saharan Africa · Low income
Sierra Leone: education in numbers
Pre-primary enrolment is 25.0% (2021), 151st of 176 in the world and 19th of 39 in Sub-Saharan Africa. Primary enrolment is 162.1% (2024), 1st of 191 in the world and 1st of 41 in Sub-Saharan Africa. Primary completion is 99.2% (2024), 41st of 168 in the world and 2nd of 36 in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Pre-primary enrolment
Sierra LeoneSub-Saharan AfricaLow incomeWorld
Primary enrolment
Sierra LeoneSub-Saharan AfricaLow incomeWorld
11 indicators
Education: Sierra Leone 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 | 25.0%2021 | 151/176 | 19/39 | 3.9% | 13.9% | 20.8% | +18.7 ppsince 2011 | 28.1% | 20.1% | 60.9% | |
| Primary enrolmentPrimary school enrolment, % gross | 162.1%2024 | 1/191 | 1/41 | 63.3% | 114.6%2011 | 142.8% | +42.3 ppsince 2013 | 97.1% | 97.6% | 102.2% | |
| Primary completionPrimary completion rate, % of age group | 99.2%2024 | 41/168 | 2/36 | · | 67.9%2011 | 88.4% | +36.5 ppsince 2013 | 68.9% | 62.9% | 88.0% | |
| Secondary enrolmentSecondary school enrolment, % gross | 86.9%2023 | 112/176 | 6/34 | 25.5%2001 | 40.4%2011 | 62.6% | +47.7 ppsince 2013 | 45.9% | 41.5% | 77.3% | |
| Lower secondary completionLower secondary completion rate, % of age group | 57.1%2021 | 136/168 | 12/34 | 21.4%2001 | 41.2%2011 | 57.1%2021 | +15.9 ppsince 2011 | 44.4% | 38.6% | 77.9% | |
| Out-of-school childrenChildren out of school, % of primary school age | 0.9%2015 | — | — | · | 5.9%2011 | · | — | — | 24.1% | — | |
| Adult literacyAdult literacy rate, % of people 15+ | 43.6%2019 | 134/141 | 35/41 | · | · | 43.6%2019 | +8.8 ppsince 2004 | 68.7% | 63.6% | 87.7% | |
| Youth literacyYouth literacy rate, % of people 15–24 | 73.0%2019 | 134/148 | 29/42 | · | 58.4%2008 | 73.0%2019 | +14.6 ppsince 2008 | 79.0% | 75.4% | 93.1% | |
| Pupils per teacherPupils per teacher, primary | 27.52018 | 43/173 | 31/40 | 37.32001 | 31.32011 | 27.52018 | −26%since 2001 | 37.4 | 39.8 | 23.4 | |
| Education spendingPublic spending on education, % of GDP | 2.6%2023 | 155/184 | 32/43 | 4.9% | 1.6% | 5.3% | +1.1 ppsince 2013 | 3.3% | 3.0% | 3.6% | |
| Education, % of budgetEducation spending, % of government expenditure | 20.5%2025 | 14/179 | 6/42 | 20.7% | 12.8% | 34.2% | +5.5 ppsince 2014 | 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+18.7 pp25.0% in 2021
- Primary completion+36.5 pp99.2% in 2024
- Secondary enrolment+47.7 pp86.9% in 2023
- Lower secondary completion+15.9 pp57.1% in 2021
Worse than ten years ago
No rated indicator got worse over the decade.
Only indicators where higher or lower is clearly better are rated (for example, unemployment down is better, life expectancy up is better).
neighbours
Sierra Leone and its neighbours
Countries sharing a land border with Sierra Leone. Latest values since 2005; the highest in each row is marked.
| Indicator | Sierra Leone | Guinea | Liberia |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-primary enrolment | 25.0%2021 | 19.7%2021 | 128.5%2020 |
| Primary enrolment | 162.1%2024 | 100.5%2020 | 66.6%2022 |
| Primary completion | 99.2%2024 | 59.9%2020 | 57.8%2022 |
| Secondary enrolment | 86.9%2023 | 38.6%2014 | 37.7%2020 |
| Lower secondary completion | 57.1%2021 | 34.5%2020 | 44.5%2022 |
| Out-of-school children | 0.9%2015 | 14.7%2020 | 38.3%2022 |
| Adult literacy | 43.6%2019 | 39.6%2018 | 59.4%2010 |
| Youth literacy | 73.0%2019 | 53.9%2018 | 75.1%2013 |
| Pupils per teacher | 27.52018 | 47.12016 | 22.32017 |