Sierra Leone vs South Africa: Number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education
Sierra Leone
9
in 2025
South Africa
9
in 2025
Sierra Leone rank
106th
South Africa rank
106th
Number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education over time
- Sierra Leone
- South Africa
How they compare
Sierra Leone currently reports 9 against 9 in South Africa, a difference of 0.
Across all 28 years both countries report, South Africa has been ahead every year.
Sierra Leone ranks 106th and South Africa ranks 106th of 214 countries.
South Africa has averaged higher in every one of the 4 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Sierra Leone | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 0 | 9 | 9 | South Africa |
| 2000s | 5.4 | 9 | 3.6 | South Africa |
| 2010s | 9 | 9 | 0 | — |
| 2020s | 9 | 9 | 0 | — |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education, Sierra Leone or South Africa?
- Sierra Leone, at 9 against 9 in South Africa as of 2025.
- What is the difference in number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education between Sierra Leone and South Africa?
- 0, with Sierra Leone ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Sierra Leone and South Africa?
- 28 years are reported by both, from 1998 to 2025.
- How do Sierra Leone and South Africa rank globally for number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education?
- Sierra Leone ranks 106th and South Africa ranks 106th of 214 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as Number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education guaranteed in legal frameworks. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
February 2026 Data Release