Completion rate, upper secondary education, both … modelled data both in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: Completion rate, upper secondary education, both … modelled data both was 13.3% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
13.3%
Change on year
up 1.7%
World rank
151st
of 164 countries
All-time high
13.3%
in 2025
All-time low
5.8%
in 1998
Years of data
45
1981–2025
Completion rate, upper secondary education, both sexes (modelled data) in Sierra Leone, 1981–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
Sierra Leone recorded 13.3% for completion rate, upper secondary education, both sexes (modelled data) in 2025. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
That represents a change of up 1.7% on the previous year and up 4.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, completion rate, upper secondary education, both sexes (modelled data) in Sierra Leone peaked at 13.3% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 5.8%, in 1998.
That places Sierra Leone 151st out of 164 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 45 years of available data.
Completion rate, upper secondary education, both … modelled data both in Sierra Leone, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 6.9% | — |
| 1982 | 6.9% | +0.4% |
| 1983 | 6.9% | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 6.9% | -0.7% |
| 1985 | 6.8% | -0.4% |
| 1986 | 6.8% | -0.7% |
| 1987 | 6.7% | -1.0% |
| 1988 | 6.6% | -1.2% |
| 1989 | 6.5% | -1.7% |
| 1990 | 6.4% | -2.1% |
| 1991 | 6.3% | -1.9% |
| 1992 | 6.2% | -1.9% |
| 1993 | 6.1% | -0.8% |
| 1994 | 6.0% | -1.0% |
| 1995 | 6.0% | -1.0% |
| 1996 | 5.9% | -0.8% |
| 1997 | 5.9% | -0.7% |
| 1998 | 5.8% | -0.8% |
| 1999 | 5.9% | +0.7% |
| 2000 | 6.0% | +2.0% |
| 2001 | 6.2% | +3.8% |
| 2002 | 6.5% | +5.0% |
| 2003 | 6.9% | +5.5% |
| 2004 | 7.3% | +5.2% |
| 2005 | 7.7% | +6.1% |
| 2006 | 8.2% | +6.2% |
| 2007 | 8.7% | +6.1% |
| 2008 | 9.2% | +6.1% |
| 2009 | 9.8% | +6.6% |
| 2010 | 10.5% | +6.7% |
| 2011 | 11.1% | +5.5% |
| 2012 | 11.7% | +5.4% |
| 2013 | 12.2% | +4.5% |
| 2014 | 12.5% | +2.8% |
| 2015 | 12.7% | +1.5% |
| 2016 | 12.7% | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 12.7% | -0.3% |
| 2018 | 12.5% | -1.3% |
| 2019 | 12.3% | -1.4% |
| 2020 | 12.4% | +0.6% |
| 2021 | 12.5% | +0.5% |
| 2022 | 12.7% | +2.0% |
| 2023 | 12.9% | +1.7% |
| 2024 | 13.1% | +1.2% |
| 2025 | 13.3% | +1.7% |
Sierra Leone compared with similar countries
- Sierra Leone's 13.3% is below the median for low income countries, which is 14.6%, 91% of the median. (23 countries reporting)
- Sierra Leone's 13.3% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 22.1%, 60% of the median. (45 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 6.8% | 6.5% | 6.9% | 9 |
| 1990s | 6.0% | 5.8% | 6.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 7.7% | 6.0% | 9.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 12.1% | 10.5% | 12.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 12.8% | 12.4% | 13.3% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Sierra Leone
- 148 Madagascar 14.6% compare
- 149 Liberia 14.2% compare
- 150 Papua New Guinea 14.2% compare
- 152 Guinea-Bissau 12.7% compare
- 153 Vanuatu 11.3% compare
- 154 Mali 11.3% compare
More education data for Sierra Leone
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 97.5 (2012)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 97.37 (2023)
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 38,043 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 73,295 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 85,708 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 92,723 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 1.16 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 2.07 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 2.52 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is completion rate, upper secondary education, both sexes (modelled data) in Sierra Leone?
- Completion rate, upper secondary education, both sexes (modelled data) in Sierra Leone was 13.3% in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest completion rate, upper secondary education, both sexes (modelled data) recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The highest recorded value was 13.3% in 2025.
- What is the lowest completion rate, upper secondary education, both sexes (modelled data) recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.8% in 1998.
- How does Sierra Leone rank for completion rate, upper secondary education, both sexes (modelled data)?
- Sierra Leone ranks 151st out of 164 countries with data for 2025.
- Is completion rate, upper secondary education, both sexes (modelled data) rising or falling in Sierra Leone?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sierra Leone data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Completion rate, upper secondary education, both sexes (modelled data) (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 45 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release