Government spending on education as a share of GDP in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: Government spending on education as a share of GDP was 2.6% in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Government spending on education as a share of GDP in Sierra Leone, 2000–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
Sierra Leone recorded 2.6% for government spending on education as a share of gdp in 2023.
The figure is down 46.5% on the previous year and up 68.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government spending on education as a share of gdp in Sierra Leone peaked at 5.6% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 1.5%, in 2008.
Sierra Leone ranks 163rd of 199 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Government spending on education as a share of GDP in Sierra Leone, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 4.9% | — |
| 2001 | 2.2% | -55.0% |
| 2002 | 2.3% | +3.2% |
| 2003 | 2.1% | -8.2% |
| 2004 | 2.0% | -4.6% |
| 2005 | 1.8% | -9.8% |
| 2007 | 1.5% | -16.2% |
| 2008 | 1.5% | -4.3% |
| 2009 | 1.7% | +18.6% |
| 2010 | 1.6% | -9.2% |
| 2011 | 1.6% | +3.2% |
| 2012 | 1.8% | +10.1% |
| 2013 | 1.6% | -12.2% |
| 2014 | 1.7% | +11.3% |
| 2015 | 3.2% | +85.2% |
| 2016 | 1.8% | -42.6% |
| 2017 | 3.0% | +63.1% |
| 2018 | 4.5% | +48.2% |
| 2019 | 4.7% | +4.1% |
| 2020 | 5.3% | +14.9% |
| 2021 | 5.6% | +4.6% |
| 2022 | 4.9% | -12.3% |
| 2023 | 2.6% | -46.5% |
Sierra Leone compared with similar countries
- Sierra Leone's 2.6% is below the median for low income countries, which is 2.8%, 93% of the median. (23 countries reporting)
- Sierra Leone's 2.6% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 3.2%, 82% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 2.2% | 1.5% | 4.9% | 9 |
| 2010s | 2.5% | 1.6% | 4.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.6% | 2.6% | 5.6% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Sierra Leone
More education data for Sierra Leone
- 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)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0003 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.2393 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government spending on education as a share of gdp in Sierra Leone?
- Government spending on education as a share of gdp in Sierra Leone was 2.6% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest government spending on education as a share of gdp recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The highest recorded value was 5.6% in 2021.
- What is the lowest government spending on education as a share of gdp recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.5% in 2008.
- How does Sierra Leone rank for government spending on education as a share of gdp?
- Sierra Leone ranks 163rd out of 199 countries with data for 2023.
- Is government spending on education as a share of gdp rising or falling in Sierra Leone?
- Over the last ten years it is up 68.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Sierra Leone data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Government spending on education as a share of GDP. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 23 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Total annual general government spending on all levels of education, expressed as a percentage of GDP.