Rwanda vs Sierra Leone: Share of children who have completed primary school
Rwanda
71.9%
in 2025
Sierra Leone
68.8%
in 2025
Rwanda rank
139th
Sierra Leone rank
142nd
Share of children who have completed primary school over time
- Rwanda
- Sierra Leone
How they compare
Rwanda currently reports 71.9% against 68.8% in Sierra Leone, a difference of 3.1%.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 45 shared years of data; in 1981 it was Rwanda ahead.
Rwanda ranks 139th and Sierra Leone ranks 142nd of 165 countries.
Across the 5 decades both report, Rwanda averaged higher in 2 and Sierra Leone in 3.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Rwanda | Sierra Leone | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 26.1% | 19.7% | 6.4% | Rwanda |
| 1990s | 26.8% | 18.4% | 8.4% | Rwanda |
| 2000s | 26.3% | 35.6% | 9.3% | Sierra Leone |
| 2010s | 43.8% | 58.8% | 15.0% | Sierra Leone |
| 2020s | 65.0% | 66.9% | 1.9% | Sierra Leone |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of children who have completed primary school, Rwanda or Sierra Leone?
- Rwanda, at 71.9% against 68.8% in Sierra Leone as of 2025.
- What is the difference in share of children who have completed primary school between Rwanda and Sierra Leone?
- 3.1%, with Rwanda ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Rwanda and Sierra Leone?
- 45 years are reported by both, from 1981 to 2025.
- How do Rwanda and Sierra Leone rank globally for share of children who have completed primary school?
- Rwanda ranks 139th and Sierra Leone ranks 142nd of 165 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Share of children who have completed primary school. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Share of children who are three to five years older than the official age for the last grade of primary education who have successfully completed it. This broader age band is used to include children who started school late or had to resit particular years.