Sierra Leone vs South Africa: Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age
Sierra Leone
7.3%
in 2025
South Africa
7.2%
in 2025
Sierra Leone rank
91st
South Africa rank
92nd
Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age over time
- Sierra Leone
- South Africa
How they compare
Sierra Leone currently reports 7.3% against 7.2% in South Africa, a difference of 0.1%.
Across all 26 years both countries report, Sierra Leone has been ahead every year.
Sierra Leone ranks 91st and South Africa ranks 92nd of 206 countries.
Sierra Leone has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Sierra Leone | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 37.6% | 14.7% | 23.0% | Sierra Leone |
| 2010s | 32.6% | 11.3% | 21.3% | Sierra Leone |
| 2020s | 14.4% | 7.7% | 6.7% | Sierra Leone |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age, Sierra Leone or South Africa?
- Sierra Leone, at 7.3% against 7.2% in South Africa as of 2025.
- What is the difference in out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age between Sierra Leone and South Africa?
- 0.1%, with Sierra Leone ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Sierra Leone and South Africa?
- 26 years are reported by both, from 2000 to 2025.
- How do Sierra Leone and South Africa rank globally for out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age?
- Sierra Leone ranks 91st and South Africa ranks 92nd of 206 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age, both sexes (modelled data) (%). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
February 2026 Data Release