Educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary … lower both in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: Educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary … lower both was 23.1% in 2019. ▲ Rising
Educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or in Sierra Leone, 2003–2019
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2019, educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or in Sierra Leone stood at 23.1%. That is the highest value across all 5 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 7.3% on the previous year and up 22.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or in Sierra Leone peaked at 23.1% in 2019 and was at its lowest, 16.5%, in 2003.
Sierra Leone ranks 120th of 135 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
Educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary … lower both in Sierra Leone, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 16.5% | — |
| 2004 | 18.9% | +14.9% |
| 2017 | 22.7% | +20.1% |
| 2018 | 21.6% | -5.2% |
| 2019 | 23.1% | +7.3% |
Sierra Leone compared with similar countries
- Sierra Leone's 23.1% is above the median for low income countries, which is 18.4%, 1.3× the median. (14 countries reporting)
- Sierra Leone's 23.1% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 26.7%, 87% of the median. (28 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 17.7% | 16.5% | 18.9% | 2 |
| 2010s | 22.5% | 21.6% | 23.1% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Sierra Leone
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 educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or in Sierra Leone?
- Educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or in Sierra Leone was 23.1% in 2019, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The highest recorded value was 23.1% in 2019.
- What is the lowest educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The lowest recorded value was 16.5% in 2003.
- How does Sierra Leone rank for educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or?
- Sierra Leone ranks 120th out of 135 countries with data for 2019.
- Is educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or rising or falling in Sierra Leone?
- Over the last ten years it is up 22.2%. 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 Educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or higher, population 25+ years, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 5 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release