Sierra Leone vs Zambia: Share of children who have completed primary school
Sierra Leone
68.8%
in 2025
Zambia
67.4%
in 2025
Sierra Leone rank
142nd
Zambia rank
144th
Share of children who have completed primary school over time
- Sierra Leone
- Zambia
How they compare
Sierra Leone currently reports 68.8% against 67.4% in Zambia, a difference of 1.4%.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 45 shared years of data; in 1981 it was Zambia ahead.
Sierra Leone ranks 142nd and Zambia ranks 144th of 165 countries.
Zambia has averaged higher in every one of the 5 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Sierra Leone | Zambia | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 19.7% | 54.6% | 34.9% | Zambia |
| 1990s | 18.4% | 52.9% | 34.5% | Zambia |
| 2000s | 35.6% | 58.5% | 22.9% | Zambia |
| 2010s | 58.8% | 67.4% | 8.7% | Zambia |
| 2020s | 66.9% | 67.5% | 0.6% | Zambia |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of children who have completed primary school, Sierra Leone or Zambia?
- Sierra Leone, at 68.8% against 67.4% in Zambia as of 2025.
- What is the difference in share of children who have completed primary school between Sierra Leone and Zambia?
- 1.4%, with Sierra Leone ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Sierra Leone and Zambia?
- 45 years are reported by both, from 1981 to 2025.
- How do Sierra Leone and Zambia rank globally for share of children who have completed primary school?
- Sierra Leone ranks 142nd and Zambia ranks 144th 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.